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Venice in paintings by contemporary artists. “Venice” - painting by Aivazovsky: description and brief description

Venice in paintings by contemporary artists. “Venice” - painting by Aivazovsky: description and brief description

10.07.2019

In one magazine I read the following advice: when visiting Italian cities, do not go to art galleries, but instead get acquainted with masterpieces of painting in the places for which they were created, that is, in temples, scuoli and palaces. I decided to take this advice when visiting.

Churches of Venice, where you can see paintings by great artists:

B - Chiesa dei Gesuati o Santa Maria del Rosario
C-San Sebastiano
D - San Pantalon
E - Scuola di San Rocco
H - San Cassiano
K - Gesuiti
N - Chiesa di San Francesco della Vigna
P - Santa Maria della Salute

The Venetian Renaissance is a special article. Having come under the influence of Florence, the artists of Venice created their own style and their own school.

Great Artists of Venice

One of the great Venetian artists, Giovani Bellini (1427-1516), was from a family of Venetian painters. The Florentine artist Mantegna had a great influence on the Bellini family (he was married to Giovanni Nicolasia's sister). Despite the similarity of their works, Bellini is much softer and less aggressive than Mantegna.

In Venice, paintings by Giovanni Bellini can be seen in the following churches:

Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari (F)
San Francesco dela Vina (N)– Madonna and Child with Saints
San Giovani and Paolo (L)– Saint Vincent Ferre
San Zaccaria (O)– Madonna and Child with Saints

Giovanni Bellini Altarpiece from San Zaccaria

San Zakkaria

Pay attention to how the artist uses color. Especially, the presence of blue in his paintings was a very expensive paint in those days. The presence of blue indicates that the artist was in great demand and his work was well paid.

Santa Maria della Salute

After Bellini, Titian Vecellio (1488-1567) worked in Venice. Unlike his fellow artists, he lived an unusually long life. It is in the works of Titian that modern pictorial freedom arises. The artist was many centuries ahead of his time. Titian experimented with technique to achieve greater expressiveness; in many works he began to move away from realism. He died of the plague and, at his request, was buried in the Church of the Frari.

Titian's works can be viewed:

F - Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari - Madanna Pesaro and the Assumption of the Virgin.
K - Gezuiti - Santa Maria Assunta (Gezuiti - santa Maria Assunta) - martyrdom of St. Lawrence.
P - Santa Maria Della Salute - St. Mark on the throne along with St. Cosmas, Damian, Roch and Sebastian, he also made the ceiling painting.
I – San Salvador – Annunciation and Transfiguration of the Lord

Saint Mark on the throne

Transfiguration

Tintoretto means "little dyer" (1518-1594). While still young, he announced that he wanted to combine the color of Titian with the drawings of Michelangelo in his works.

San Giorgio Maggore - many paintings are kept here

In my opinion, he is a rather gloomy artist. In his canvases, everything is constantly worried and threatens disaster; personally, this sharply deteriorates my mood. Critics call this the skill of creating tension.You can see his paintings:

B – Gesuati – Santa Maria del Rosario – Crucifixion
J – Madonna del’orto – Last Judgment and Adoration of the Holy Calf, Appearance of the Virgin Mary in the Temple.
P – Santa Maria della salute – Marriage in Canna of Galilee
H - San Cassiano - crucifixion, resurrection and descent into purgatory.
A - San Giorgio Maggiore - The Last Supper. Here you should pay attention to the fact that in this picture the artist is only interested in the position of the holy gifts; all the vanity does not matter except Christ and the sacrament of the Eucharist. It is not the real moment that is depicted here, but its sacred meaning. In addition to this famous painting, in San Giorgio Maggiore there are paintings of the collection of manna, the descent from the cross.
G – San Polo – Another version of the Last Supper
E - Scuola and the Church of San Rocco - scenes from the life of Saint Roch.

The Last Supper of Tintoretto (Santa Maria Maggiore)
San Cassiano

Veronose (1528-1588) Paolo Cagliari is considered the first "pure" artist, that is, he is indifferent to the relevance of the image and is absorbed in abstract colors and shades. The meaning of his paintings is not reality, but ideal. The paintings can be viewed:

N - San Francesco della Vigna - Holy Family with Saints
D - San Panteleimon - Saint Panteleimon heals a boy
C - San Sebastian

And finally, the last lecture dedicated to Venetian art. The one that chronologically should have been the first, but for some reason remained, as they say, “for a snack.” It is illustrated by the works of two little-known artists, whom Klevaev mentions only at the end. The lecture itself was preceded by a story about the Venetian masters of the Renaissance.

OPENING LECTURE
GIOVANNI D'ALEMAGNA, ANTONIO VIVARINI

Antonio Vivarini. Virgin and Child. 1441. tree. Tempera. Accademia Gallery, Venice.

Venice in the 15th and early 16th centuries occupies a very special place in Italy. The Venetians themselves were not very willing to contact other regions and provinces of the country. They preferred to stay somewhat aloof. In Italy they were not liked, they were considered traders, people who were culturally underdeveloped. Such fame, oddly enough, lasted for a very long time.
Humanism in Venice was established much later than in Florence and other Italian cities. The Venetians were very proud of their state structure, the fact that Venice was one of the oldest republics in Europe. They called their Republic the Serene Republic (Serenissima), and the official name was: “La Serenissima reppublica di Venezia” (“The Most Serene Republic of Venice”). Their patriotism reached the point that at the beginning of the 17th century. their national sentiments were summed up in their response to Pope Paul V: “We are Venetians first and Christians second.” And although this was said somewhere around 1617, similar sentiments prevailed in Venice for a very long time.

Antonio Vivarini. "Adoration of the Magi." 1445-1447 Wood, tempera. State Museum, Berlin.
The Jesuits did not take root here in the 16th century. The Venetians simply did not allow them onto their lands. Here, although the Inquisition formally existed, it was much softer and more lenient than in other Italian cities, not to mention Spain or Flanders. In the 16th century Venice is truly becoming a refuge for many dissidents, for many people who flee to it and emigrate. Pietro Aretino, the first journalist in Europe, as he was later often called, lives here. A very witty, unusually evil scribbler, extremely talented, who kept even the sovereigns of Europe in fear of his sharp words.
Such a certain arrogance, given the cultural underdevelopment of Venice, characterizes its position in the 14th and first half of the 15th centuries. Venice is the richest state in Italy, one of the richest cities in the world at that time. Indeed, the Venetians are, first and foremost, traders. They concentrated trade in the Mediterranean Sea in their hands for many centuries, especially before the fall of Constantinople. And when the Turks took Constantinople, the entire eastern Mediterranean became Turkish. Only in the second half of the 15th century. Venetian priorities begin to gradually wind down. But by that time, the republic had accumulated such colossal wealth in its coffers that there was enough brilliance, cultural and secular splendor for the 16th, 17th, and part of the 18th centuries.

Antonio Vivarini. "Coronation of Mary". 1444. Wood, tempera. C. San Pantalon, Venice.

For the Venetian artistic culture there was no such acute dilemma: Renaissance or Gothic, as was typical for, say, Tuscany, as we have seen in the example of the Florentine masters of the early and mature Quattrocento. Venice had its problems. The papal influence is felt weaker here, and the direct influence of, say, the Florentine art school is weaker. But for a very long time, Byzantine influences were very strong in Venice. In fact, the entire first half of the 15th century. in Venice it is heavily Byzantineized. This is easy to understand if we remember that next to Venice, with its so-called “terra ferma”, I note that the territory of Venice itself consisted of the city itself, which stands on the canals and overlooks the lagoon, and “terra ferma” (literally translation: “strong or solid land”), that is, mainland possessions, mainland areas. So, on the Venetian “terra ferma” there were many monuments of Byzantine art, classical monuments, including the famous temples of Ravenna, decorated with mosaics.

Antonio Vivarini. Polyptych "The Passion of Christ". 1430-1435 Wood, tempera. Galleria Franchetti, Ca d'Oro, Venice.

In Venice itself in the Middle Ages, it was not Gothic that was relevant, but Byzantium. Medieval Venetian churches are covered with Byzantine mosaics, mostly mosaics because fresco in Venice could not withstand the humid air. Sometimes the Venetians painted frescoes, but they have hardly survived. We know that Giorgione worked in fresco technique and painted the German courtyard, a quarter where visiting merchants from the northern countries of Europe, conventionally called Germans, lived. But these frescoes have not survived. We can only guess what they were. We even know that Veronese painted frescoes in some Venetian churches, in particular in the church of San Sebastiano, but after ten years he himself had to replace the damaged painting, withered due to the humid air, with large panels painted on canvas in oil, and attach them to the walls. All monumental painting in Venice are panels painted in oil on canvas and inserted into frames attached to the walls and ceilings in the temples and palaces of the city, such as the Doge's Palace.

Brilliant medieval mosaics, full of gold, were often reproduced by the Venetians in the 15th and 16th centuries. in his oil painting. The Mother of God with the saints, for example in the scenes of “Sacra Conversazione” (“Holy Conversation”), will be depicted against the background of apses decorated with gold, Byzantine ornaments and Byzantinizing elements of temple decoration. The mosaics of San Marco and other temples have long been undisputed examples of craftsmanship, beauty and luxury. And the first features of new artistic thinking, the first sprouts of the Renaissance appeared in Venice only in the middle of the 15th century.

Antonio Vivarini. Polyptych “The Passion of Christ” (Fragment). 1430-1435 Wood, tempera. Galleria Franchetti, Ca d'Oro, Venice.

One of the most beautiful cities in the world is Venice.
The heyday of Venice began with the Renaissance. During this period, Venice was a major trading city, a “republic of merchant kings.” Venice did not wage civil wars, succeeded in trade, and the religious cult here was not as strict as in other cities. Social life developed very intensively: solemn ceremonies, festivals, brilliant outfits. Venice also had its own school of painting, in which decorative principles, elegance, richness of colors and an abundance of pictorial effects predominated. Venice gave the world many famous painters, among whom were Bernardo Belotto (nicknamed Canaletto), Antonio Canaletto, Francesco Guardi - the greatest masters of landscape, “portrait painters of Venice”, glorifiers of its ancient palazzos, churches, canals...
This is what Venice looked like in the 17th and 18th centuries of the last millennium.

Russian artists also paid attention to this beautiful city. Among them are Albert Alexandrovich Benois, Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky.
Albert Aleksandrovich Benois, after graduating from the Special School of Architecture, traveled around the French Riviera, Corsica, and Italy. Throughout his trip, he painted the most skillful watercolors, but most of all Albert Benoit was seduced by Italy and, first of all, Venice, this unique human miracle.
Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky also visited Italy. And like many masters, he was attracted to Venice. Many painters depicted the sea in their paintings, but only he devoted his entire talent to marine painting.
Venice in the works of Russian artists.

Speaking about Venice, one cannot fail to note how lovingly the Venetians themselves treat their city. With what pride they bear the responsibilities of hospitable hosts of this beautiful city. Ancient streets and canals, arches and bridges, all of this, although marked with the stamp of time, still attracts artists and tourists from all countries to Venice.
Let's talk about some of them, just like the Venetians themselves, who are in love with this unique city.

Ruben Bore. Born in 1949 in Tashkent. From early childhood he began to show interest in art; at the age of 4 he began to draw. In 1965, Ruben graduated from the Tashkent Art School, after which he entered the Academy of Arts. Repin and graduated from it in 1976.

The artist traveled a lot throughout Europe, expanding his knowledge and gaining the necessary experience. In 1987, Ruben Bore was invited as a designer and restorer of works by old masters to Milan, and in 1996, he was invited to The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
He exhibited a lot. His bright, poetic works, full of sunshine, optimism and color, were exhibited in Tokyo and Paris, Rome and Philadelphia, Israel.
In 1998, Ruben Bore opened an art gallery in Rome, where he still works today with his son Alberto, and in 1999 he opened another gallery in New York, run by his son Eduard.
The artist currently lives in Paris, where he continues to create his magnificent paintings.

Another artist depicting Venice in his paintings is Todd Williams. Todd Williams studied painting and illustration at the Kansas City Art Institute.
A distinctive feature of his works is the spontaneity of brush strokes and creative virtuosity. There is a lot of air in the artist’s paintings. It seems to saturate the surface of the canvas with atmosphere and light, leading the viewer into the depths of the picture.

Todd Williams's work is exhibited in many museums and galleries, such as: Gilcrease Museum, the Great Plains Art Museum, Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, The Maynard Dixon Museum, Cincinnati's Great American Artists Exhibition, and the Oil Painters of America National and Regional Exhibitions.

Born in Naples on August 13, 1961. masters with extraordinary expressiveness of painting technique characterize his work much more vividly and dynamically than any art historian and critic. By the age of 34, the artist had achieved wide fame and popularity, thanks to his extraordinary vision and undoubted talent as a painter.
Regardless of the author's choice of composition theme - neoclassical ladies or gentlemen in the living room, female nudes, landscape or floral still lifes - his brushwork is skilled, dexterous, and constructive.
A special sense of light and color palette reflects the reality chosen by the master; this feeling subtly permeates the composition as a whole.
Fiore is also competent in drawing sketches, which are necessary for a well-thought-out and precisely constructed diagram of the motif depicted on the canvas. Excited by the “concreteness” of things, the master skillfully combines in his painting realistic detailing of the subject with masterly use of the brush; this talent determines the striking distinctive feature of his “personal” painting style.

The artist’s paintings are varied in theme, but regardless of the chosen subject, the past and present come to life in his works with the same power of perception, absorbing the experience and sensuality of this painter, a student and follower of the great masters of the past.
Raffaele Fiore - a gifted, graceful painter, portrait and landscape painter, having learned the lessons of the old schools, becomes a "hyper-realistic" artist in the modern sense. His works are known and popular both in his native Italy and far beyond its borders.
Fiore is one of the rare, fortunate artists who have a natural talent for inner vision, deeply penetrating into the essence and nature of the world around us, which is reflected in every work of the master.
Every year, Raffaele Fiore's collections are exhibited at the most famous and important international exhibitions of contemporary fine art.
It would be possible to continue displaying paintings by artists depicting Venice. Their creations are as picturesque and lyrical as the ancient city itself. But perhaps users themselves will try to search for images of Venice on the Internet and introduce us to their favorite works.

"Departure of the Doge of Venice for betrothal to the Adriatic Sea."
1730s.

After the gloomy Milan, flooded by the Spanish military, the “blessed mistress of the Adriatic,” as this amazing city was then called, appeared before travelers in all its glory, emerging from the depths of the sea with its canals and bridges, the splendor of palace facades made of marble lace and a festive multilingual crowd. All this stunned the young man on the very first day of their arrival. The city has not yet recovered from the recently ended carnival, when all residents, young and old, temporarily fall into crazy fun, forgetting about everything in the world. Even the last poor person or beggar did not deny himself the pleasure of putting on a carnival costume and putting on a mask, drinking and having fun with everyone until you drop, day and night. The carnival mask equalized everyone, and for a while people became almost members of a single family, equally enjoying life.
The Venice Carnival was widely known, and guests from other cities and countries came to it. As a rule, the day before, a large landing of prostitutes landed in the lagoon, and real work awaited them in the days of the upcoming crazy bacchanalia. According to tradition, it all began with a pig “bullfight” - pigs brought in advance were kept in special pens in the courtyard of the Doge’s Palace, and to the sound of bells, as if on command, they were all released into the wild at once. In Piazza San Marco and the surrounding streets there was general pandemonium and a hunt was underway for pigs squealing in fear. This festival itself received the name “carnival” from the Italian word carne- meat, when the meat-eater begins before Lent, it is time for general gluttony and drunkenness.

Alexander Makhov. "Caravaggio".

Alexander Nikolaevich Mordvinov.
"View of Venice".
1851.

Valentin Aleksandrovich Serov.
"St. Mark's Square in Venice."
1887.

Venice, capital city of the province of Venice and the region of Veneto, Northern Italy. Large port on the Adriatic Sea. 348.2 thousand inhabitants (1960). Located on 118 islands separated by canals (about 400 bridges). Bridges connect Venice to the mainland. In Venice and its suburbs there are shipyards, electrical engineering, production of turbines, boilers, weapons, non-ferrous metallurgy, oil refining, chemical, textile industries. Handicraft production of glass art, mosaics, lace, etc. Venice was founded in 452. In the Middle Ages - the oligarchic Venetian Republic. The architectural ensemble of Venice took shape in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The city center is formed by St. Mark with the Cathedral of St. facing it. Mark (10th-11th centuries) and the buildings of the Procuration (15-16th centuries). The ensemble of the center of Venice also includes the bell tower, the Doge's Court (14-15 centuries), the Library of San Marco (16 century), overlooking the Piazzetta. Along the banks of the Grand Canal there are palaces (Ca' d'Oro, Rezzonico, Pesaro, etc.).

Encyclopedic Dictionary. "Soviet Encyclopedia". 1963.

Vasily Ivanovich Surikov.
"Venice. St. Mark's Cathedral."
1884.

Blok wrote about Venice (1909):

Cold wind from the Lagoon,
Gondolas are silent coffins.
This night I am sick and young -
Prostrated at the lion pillar.

On the tower, with a cast iron song,
The giants strike the midnight hour.
Mark drowned in the lunar lagoon
Your own patterned iconostasis...

Blok spoke about Venice in a letter to his mother:

“I have absorbed a lot here, living in Venice is already completely like in my own city, and almost all the customs, galleries, churches, sea, canals are my own for me, as if I had been here for a very long time... The water is all green. This is all known from books, but it is very new, however – the novelty is not striking, but soothing and refreshing.”

Gumilyov - about Venice (1912):

...Lion on a column, and bright
The lion's eyes are burning,
Holds the Gospel of Mark,
Like seraphim, winged...

Now Akhmatova - about Venice (1912. In this year she was Gumilyov’s wife):

Golden dovecote by the water,
Affectionate and achingly green;
The salty breeze sweeps
Narrow traces of black boats...

...Like on an ancient faded canvas,
The dull blue sky is freezing...
But it’s not cramped in this cramped space,
And it’s not stuffy in the damp and hot weather.

Yuri Annenkov. "Diary of my meetings." Moscow, “Fiction”. 1991.

Vasily Ivanovich Surikov.
"Venice. Palazzo Doge."
1900.