“His purely personal art reflected the face of the age. In it, as in a focus, everything that preceded that moment of culture was combined, and everything that then constituted the “present” (A. Benois).
The real name of the artist is Alessandro Mariano Di Vanni Di Amedeo Filipepi. He was born in a simple family - his father was a leather tanner, but he was raised by his older brother Antonio, who was a wonderful jeweler. Because of his fullness, he was nicknamed "Botticello" (keg), this nickname passed to Sandro. But there is an opinion that Botticelli received this nickname for the features of his figure. However, this has nothing to do with his work.
Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510)- the famous Italian artist of the Early Renaissance, a representative of the Florentine school. The first thing that catches your eye when looking at Botticelli's paintings is their spirituality and subtle coloring. It is believed that Botticelli created about 50 paintings.
Sandro studied like all the children of his time, and then became an apprentice in the jewelry workshop of his brother Antonio. But he did not stay in it for a long time and around 1464 he became an apprentice to Filippo Lippi, one of the famous artists of the time.
Influence of Filippo Lippi
The work of Filippo Lippi had a very great influence on Botticelli, and with a close look at the paintings of these artists, this influence is obvious. For example, a three-quarter turn of the face, the decorativeness of the pattern of draperies, hands, a tendency to detail, the lyricism of the created images. But the main thing is color. It kind of glows softly. Here, for comparison, are the paintings by F. Lippi and S. Botticelli.
F. Lippi. Altar of the Novitiate. Uffizi (Florence)
S. Botticelli "Madonna and Child with Two Angels" (1465-1470)
An interesting fact: at first Botticelli was a student of Lippi, and then the son of Lippi became a student of Botticelli.
The artists collaborated until 1467, and then their paths diverged: Filippo left for Spoleto, Botticelli stayed in Florence and opened his workshop there in 1470.
Works on religious and mythological themes (early works)
Botticelli was close to court Medici and humanist circles in Florence. And this was of great importance, because. The Medici, an oligarchic family, are known as patrons of the most prominent artists and architects of the Renaissance. Representatives of this family from the 13th to the 18th centuries. repeatedly became the rulers of Florence.
From the works of S. Botticelli of the second half of the 15th century. I would like to highlight a few.
S. Botticelli. Diptych about the story of Judith
Judith- an Old Testament character, a Jewish widow who saved her hometown from the invasion of the Assyrians. Judith is considered a symbol of the struggle of the Jews against the oppressors, a symbol of patriotism. When the Assyrian troops besieged her hometown, she dressed up and went to the camp of the enemies, where she attracted the attention of the commander. When he fell asleep, she cut off his head with a sharp sword, calmly walked past the sleeping soldiers and returned to her saved hometown.
The diptych consists of 2 paintings: "The Return of Judith" and "Finding the Body of Holofernes".
It is the scene of the return of Judith that Botticelli depicts in this picture.
S. Botticelli "Return of Judith" (1472-1473)
Judith is accompanied by her maid. The girl holds a huge sword in her hand, her face is concentrated and sad, her feet are bare, she goes home with a decisive step - the maid barely keeps up with her quick step, holding the basket with the head of King Holofernes in her hand.
Botticelli does not show Judith as a beautiful and seductive girl (as many artists portrayed her), he prefers the heroic moment in the life of Judith.
S. Botticelli "Saint Sebastian" (1474)
Sebastian (Sebastian)- Roman legionnaire, Christian saint, revered as a martyr. He was the head of the Praetorian Guard under the emperors Diocletian and Maximian. He secretly professed Christianity. Two of his friends (brothers Mark and Marcellinus) were condemned to death for their faith in Christ. Relatives and wives of the condemned begged them to renounce their faith and save their lives, and at one moment Mark and Marcellin began to hesitate, but Sebastian came to support the condemned, his speech inspired the brothers and convinced them to remain faithful to Christianity. Those who heard Sebastian saw seven angels and a young man who blessed Sebastian and said: "You will always be with me."
Sebastian was arrested and interrogated, after which the emperor Diocletian ordered him to be taken outside the city, tied and pierced with arrows. Thinking he was dead, the executioners left him alone, but none of his vital organs were damaged by the arrows, and his wounds, although deep, were not fatal. A widow named Irina came at night to bury him, but found that he was alive and was leaving him. Many Christians urged Sebastian to flee Rome, but he refused and appeared before the emperor with new proof of his faith. By order of Diocletian, he was stoned to death, and his body was thrown into the Great Cloaca. The saint appeared in a dream to the Christian Lukina and ordered her to take his body and bury it in the catacombs, and the woman complied with this command.
In the painting by Botticelli, Sebastian is calm, he is not afraid of death; it seems that the arrows piercing his body do not excite the hero at all. He carried his faith patiently and humbly through all suffering.
S. Botticelli "The Adoration of the Magi" (c. 1475). Uffizi Gallery (Florence)
In the image of the Magi, Botticelli depicted three members of the Medici family: Cosimo the Elder, kneeling before the Virgin Mary, and his sons Piero di Cosimo (a kneeling sorcerer in a red robe in the center of the picture) and Giovanni di Cosimo next to him. By the time the picture was painted, all three were already dead, Florence was ruled by Cosimo's grandson, Lorenzo Medici. He is also depicted in the painting along with his brother Giuliano.
A self-portrait of Botticelli himself is made in the form of a blond youth in a yellow robe at the right edge of the picture.
D. Vasari spoke of this picture in the following way: “It is impossible to describe all the beauty that Sandro put into the image of the heads turned in a wide variety of positions - either in front, then in profile, then in a half turn, then, finally, bowed, and then even like in any other way - it is also impossible to describe all the variety in the facial expressions of young men and old people with all the deviations by which one can judge the perfection of his skill - after all, even in the suites of three kings he introduced so many distinctive features that it is easy to understand who serves one, and who serves another. Truly, this work is the greatest miracle, and it has been brought to such perfection in color, drawing and composition that every artist is still amazed at him.
At this time, Botticelli paints wonderful portraits.
S. Botticelli "Portrait of an Unknown Man with the Medal of Cosimo Medici the Elder" (c. 1475). Uffizi (Florence)
The picture is painted on a wooden board in tempera. A technique unique for the Renaissance was used: a round niche was made in the board, where a pastille was inserted - a copy of the medal cast in honor of Cosimo de Medici around 1465, molded from plaster and covered with gold paint.
The artist's innovation lies in the fact that he depicted the young man almost in front (previously depicted bust strictly in profile), with clearly drawn out hands (this has not been done before) and with a landscape in the background (previously the background was neutral).
S. Botticelli "Portrait of a young woman" (1476-1480). Berlin gallery
Botticelli creates this portrait in accordance with the principles of F. Lippi, his teacher - he returns to a strict profile with an elegant silhouette and a rigid frame, niche or window. The portrait is idealized, close to the collective image.
Who was the model? It is difficult to give an answer. And the assumptions are: Simonetta Vespucci (secret love and model of Botticelli and beloved Giuliano Medici); mother or wife of Lorenzo de' Medici (the Magnificent).
In Rome (1481-1482)
By this time, Botticelli had become a very famous artist not only in Florence, but also abroad. His orders were very numerous. Pope Sixtus IV, who built the chapel in his Roman palace, also wanted Sandro Botticelli to paint it. In 1481, Botticelli arrived in Rome. Together with Ghirlandaio, Rosselli and Perugino, he frescoed the walls of the papal chapel in the Vatican, which is known as the Sistine Chapel. She will gain worldwide fame after, in 1508-1512. the ceiling and altar wall will be painted by Michelangelo.
Botticelli created three frescoes for the chapel: “The Punishment of Korea, Daphne and Aviron”, “The Temptation of Christ” and “The Calling of Moses”, as well as 11 papal portraits.
S. Botticelli "The Temptation of Christ" (1482)
Three episodes from the Gospel - the temptation of Christ - are captured in the upper part of the fresco. On the left, the devil, disguised as a hermit, persuades the fasting Jesus to turn stones into bread and satisfy his hunger. In the center, the devil is trying to get Jesus to jump off the top of the Temple in Jerusalem to test God's promise of angelic protection. On the right, the devil on top of the mountain promises Jesus earthly riches and power over the world if he rejects God and worships him, the devil. Jesus sends the devil away, and angels come to minister to the Son of God.
In the foreground, a young man healed of leprosy comes to the high priest of the Temple to declare his cleansing. In his hands is a sacrificial cup and sprinkler. The high priest symbolizes Moses, who brought the law, and the young man represents Jesus, who shed his blood and gave his life in the name of mankind, and then was resurrected.
Some of the foreground figures are portraits of the author's contemporaries.
Botticelli's secular paintings
The most famous and most mysterious work of Botticelli is "Spring" ("Primavera").
S. Botticelli "Spring" (1482). Uffizi Gallery (Florence)
The picture shows a clearing in an orange garden, all dotted with flowers. Flowers, according to botanists, are reproduced with photographic accuracy, but among them are not only spring, but also summer, and even winter flowers.
Three characters of the first group: the god of the west wind Zephyr, he pursues Chloris, depicted at the moment of transformation into Flora - flowers are already flying out of her mouth; the goddess of flowers Flora herself scatters roses with a generous hand.
The central group is formed in solitude by Venus, the goddess of gardens and love. Above Venus is Cupid with a blindfold, directing an arrow into the middle Harita.
To the left of Venus is a group of three Harit, who dance, holding hands.
The last group is formed by Mercury with his attributes: a helmet, winged sandals. Botticelli portrayed him as a garden guard with a sword.
All characters almost do not touch the ground, they seem to hover above it.
There are many interpretations of the painting. They can be conditionally divided into philosophical, mythological, religious, historical and exotic.
Around 1485, Botticelli creates another famous painting, The Birth of Venus.
S. Botticelli "The Birth of Venus" (1482). Uffizi (Florence)
It is believed that the model for Venus was Simonetta Vespucci.
The picture illustrates the myth of the birth of Venus (Greek Aphrodite. Read in the article “Olympic gods”). The naked goddess floats to the shore in the shell flap, driven by the wind. On the left side of the picture, Zephyr (west wind) in the arms of his wife Chlorida (Rom. Flora) blows on a shell, creating a wind filled with flowers. On the shore, the goddess is met by one of the graces.
In the pose of Venus, the influence of classical Greek sculpture is clearly visible. Body proportions are based on the canon of harmony and beauty.
The work of Sandro Botticelli is distinguished by a special melodiousness of the line in each of his paintings, a sense of rhythm and harmony, but they are especially pronounced in his "Spring" and "The Birth of Venus". The artist never used stencil techniques, so his paintings excite the modern viewer.
Religious paintings by S. Botticelli of the 1480s
The religious works of Botticelli of this time are the highest creative achievements of the painter.
"Madonna Magnificat"(1481-1485) became famous during the lifetime of the artist. The painting depicts the Coronation of the Mother of God by two angels in the guise of youths. Three other angels hold an open book in front of her, in which Mary enters a doxology beginning with the words: Magnificat anima mea Dominum ("My soul magnifies the Lord"). On Mary's lap is the baby Jesus, and in her left hand she holds a pomegranate, a symbol of God's mercy.
Later works by Sandro Botticelli
In the 1490s, the artist was in a difficult moral state. The death of Lorenzo the Magnificent, the capture of Florence by French troops and the apocalyptic views of Savonarola, with whom Botticelli sympathized, all this strongly influenced his consciousness. His paintings of this period are full of drama, melancholy and hopelessness ("Abandoned", "Lamentation of Christ", "Slander", etc.).
S. Botticelli "Abandoned" (c. 1495). Rome, Pallavicini collection
A lonely young woman is depicted in great grief and confusion. A crouched figure against the background of a blank wall - and there is nothing else in this unusual and strange picture, even for Sandro. Who is this woman? Her face could explain something to us, but her face is just not visible. Worn out dresses hint at a long, lonely and hopeless journey. Shirts are spread out on the steps like corpses... "Abandoned" is so ambiguous that its true meaning is wider than any specific plot.
S. Botticelli "Lamentation of Christ" (1495)
Three Marys and John the Theologian bowed in grief over the lifeless body of Christ. All day long they stood at the cross, watching its torment and death. Joseph of Arimathea, having come to Pilate, asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered the body to be handed over. Joseph is depicted with a crown of thorns in his hand. Taking the body, Joseph wrapped it in a clean shroud and laid it in his new coffin, which he carved in the rock - in the coffin that Joseph, anticipating his own death, prepared for himself.
Botticelli placed all the figures very close to each other and at the edges of the picture. They seem to form a cross and unity over the body of Christ.
John the Theologian clung to the Virgin Mary, because Christ bequeathed to his beloved disciple to treat her like a mother. Mary Magdalene hugs her legs, and Mary, the mother of James the Younger, the head of Christ...
Botticelli died on May 17, 1510. He was buried in the cemetery of the Church of All Saints in Florence.
In the work of Botticelli, the features of sublime poetry, sophistication, sophistication, spirituality, and beauty are vividly embodied. This is one of the most emotional and lyrical artists of the Renaissance.
Madonna and Child - Sandro Botticelli. Around 1467. Panel, tempera. 51 x 71 cm
Among the many paintings created by Sandro Botticelli on classical biblical themes, most of all paintings depict the Madonna with the baby Jesus in her arms. This theme is extremely popular in art and has allowed many famous artists to reveal their talent. But this picture stands somewhat apart from all the images of the biblical scene by Botticelli.
You should start with the unusual color of the canvas. Unlike most of his paintings, which are characterized by rich, but somewhat muted, delicate and delicate colors, this one is characterized by incredibly rich blue tones. In the background, spectacular architectural forms in the form of a wide rounded arch with an opening are painted in white and a slightly turquoise shade of blue.
The cloak of the Mother of God has a more saturated color. He creates a kind of lower frame of the canvas, while the arch becomes the frame of the most delicate family portrait.
In this picture, not only the intense blue color is surprising. Madonna's face is very delicate, porcelain-pale, with beautiful, but slightly irregular features. One gets the distinct impression that it was written from nature and reflects the appearance of a real woman - it does not contain a stylization of the image characteristic of the recognizable faces of the characters in Botticelli's paintings.
The blond Madonna attracts attention not only with porcelain, delicate skin, but also with an unusual hairstyle, decorated with rich trimmings and frills made of light fabric, like on a cap. The lightest veil falls on the woman's shoulders, transparent, airy and barely noticeable. Madonna is dressed in a red underdress with many folds and gathers. Here the artist did not deviate one iota from the canons - according to church rules, the Mother of God is always depicted in clothes that combine red and blue shades. Baby Christ is dressed in a snow-white toga wrapped around his plump tender body.
In the background you can see the landscape, as if framed by the outlines of a powerful arch. It is quite traditional for paintings of this period. The landscape depicts a rather tall, lonely tree on the edge of a cliff and a fantastic castle with thin towers stretching upwards with very long spiers. The landscape is made in a very restrained and noble muted color scheme, which includes green and brown shades. Thanks to a modest choice of tones, this image does not compete with the intense colors of the foregrounds, especially with the blue chiton of Our Lady.
But of particular interest is the interpretation of the image of the Madonna and the infant Christ. In most paintings on this subject, both characters have rigid static poses, and the child looks unnatural, like a miniature copy of an adult. In the same picture, we have a young, lovely mother playing with her baby, who lovingly stretches out his plump arms to her. A touching gesture - the hand of the Madonna, gently touching the plump cheek of the baby - makes this picture very lively, natural and unusually impressive.
This often happens in the life of an amateur: just discovered America, just started to rejoice and be proud, and then bam - it turns out that it was discovered long before you! Well, first things first.
Every city has a must see place. In Paris, this is, of course, the Louvre, in Rome - the Coliseum, in St. Petersburg - the Hermitage, and in Florence - the Uffizi Gallery.
Of course, there is a lot to see in Florence, and besides the gallery, see David alone!
This, you guessed it, is not the real David, but the real one here he is
The fact that the Uffizi Gallery is an obligatory item on any tourist route in Florence creates certain difficulties for getting into it. Our recommendation: book tickets online in advance herehttp://www.florence-museum.com/booking-tickets.php . The printed reservation must be exchanged for tickets at the gallery office opposite the main entrance. Well, then you have to defend a tiny queue of the same advanced tourists as you (compared to the huge neighboring queue of non-advanced ones).
Finally, you are inside. Not every normal person can try to go around the whole gallery at once, so you need to look first of all at the very best! For us, the canvases of the great painter of the Florentine era became such “the most”renaissanceSandro Botticelli.
His real name is Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi. Botticelli or in a rough translation “from the kind of barrels” is rather a nickname that the thin Sandro “inherited” after his older brother, a fat man and a really real “barrel” (such is the special Florentine logic).
In the Uffizi Gallery, several rooms are dedicated to his works. "The Birth of Venus", "Spring", portraits of Dante and Giuliano Medici - these works of Botticelli are known almost from school.
But one thing is reproduction in a textbook, and here are the originals, here they are, at arm's length. Unforgettable impression! Looking at the paintings, I come to a completely unexpected conclusion for myself that all the “main female roles” in most of the Botticelli paintings presented in the Uffizi Gallery are given to the same “actress”! It looks like most of his paintings really depict the same woman! The wife standing next to him comes to the same conclusion. Can't be? Judge for yourself
As we found out later, the secret of the stranger in the paintings of Botticelli was discovered back in the 16th century by the Italian painter Giorgio Vasari.
Vasari lived in Florence almost thirty years after Botticelli's death. As an artist, Vasari did not succeed, although at one time he was a student of Michelangelo himself. But he actually became the founder of modern art history, writing the main work of his life - collection 178Biographies of Italian Renaissance Artists Lives of the most famous painters, sculptors and architects». It was in this work, published in 1568, that Giorgio Vasari put forward a hypothesis regarding the name of the woman that Sandro Botticelli sang in almost all of his works. According to Vasari, this woman is Simonetta Vespucci, the first beauty of Florence in the second half of the 15th century.
Contemporaries considered her beauty a divine gift, the embodiment of a perfect plan, and for her beauty the girl received the nickname of the Incomparable and Beautiful Simonetta.
In April 146916-year-old Simonetta married her peer Marco Vespucci, a distant relative in the future of the famous Florentine navigatorAmerigo Vespucci And,after which the new continent discovered by Columbus will be named (another example of peculiar logic). I did not find a portrait of Marco Vespucci, but Amerigo - here he is
Of course, Simonetta Vespucci was unavailable to Botticelli:
- But what does she care about me - she was in Paris,
- Marcel Marceau himself told her something!
After all, he is a simple, albeit fashionable painter, but she is the wife of one of the bankers of the Medici family ruling in Florence, the one whose location was sought by all Florentine noble men, including the ruler of the city, Lorenzo the Magnificent (here is his bust from the collection of the Uffizi Gallery)
as well as his younger brother Giuliano (here is his portrait by Botticelli):
With all this, Sandro, if desired, could admire Simonetta Vespucci every day - their house was adjacent to the Palazzo Vespucci. Did Simonetta know of Sandro's existence? If she knew, then most likely she hardly attached any significance to this knowledge. But for Botticelli, she was the perfect woman. This is at least confirmed by the fact that the "Birth of Venus", and "Spring", and "Venus and Mars", as well as "Portrait of a Young Woman" were written by the artist after the death of Simonetta, who died suddenly on April 26, 1476 at the age of 23. at the height of the tuberculosis epidemic in Florence. Thus, Botticelli again and again returns to the image of Simonetta even 9 years after her death. Although to her image? After all, there are no lifetime photographs of Simonetta for known reasons, and clearly attributed portraits have not been preserved. Most likely, Sandro painted some, in the words of the poet Mikhail Kuzmin, “a symbol of fleeting youth for eternity”, embodied for him in Simonetta.
Sandro Botticelli never married, having lived a long life, died at the age of 65 and, in accordance with his will, was buried in Florence in the Church of All Saints (Chiesa di Ognissanti), in which Simonetta Vespucci was previously buried. We found this church, though just before its closing.
A mini tour of the church was conducted for us by a black (!) Franciscan monk.
This is such a love story.
But in the end, I would like to tell you another no less romantic, but also instructive story about love.
In the painting by Botticelli "The Birth of Venus" in the upper left corner, we can see such a strange couple: a floating young man with puffed out cheeks and a girl who wrapped her cavalier not only with her arms, but also with her legs!
This young man is Zephyr, the god of the western spring wind, in the picture he drives the shell with the newly born Venus to the shore. And the girl is the legal wife of Zephyr, the Greek goddess of flowers, Chloris, whom the Romans called Flora.
Chlorida at first avoided Zephyr's persistent courtship and ignored him in every possible way. Here she is running away from the Zephyr in love in the right corner in Botticelli's painting "Spring".
In the end, such a wild passion seized Zephyr that, having broken the Olympic record for catching up with girls, he overtook Chloris and seized her by force. Oh how! The result was that in the girl there arose no less, but a stronger, such a wild, wild, reciprocal passion for Zephyr that she clung to him with her whole body and never parted with him again, tightly wrapping her husband already with all her existing limbs. .
And since then, Zephyr has always been with his wife Chlorida-Flora. And day and night, and on vacation, and at work, and at a concert, and at a banquet, and at football, and in a bathhouse at a meeting with classmates!
As they say, what they fought for, they ran into! So learn HISTORY!
Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510) is one of the most prominent Florentine artists who worked during the Early Renaissance. The nickname Botticelli, which translated into Russian means a barrel, originally belonged to the older brother of the artist Giovanni, who had a large physique. The real name of the painter is Alessandro Filipepi.
Childhood, youth and skill training
Botticelli was born in the family of a tanner. The first mention of him was discovered 13 years after the birth of the boy, in 1458. Young Botticelli was an extremely sickly child, but he made every effort to learn to read. Around the same period, Sandro began to earn extra money in the workshop of his other brother Antonio.
Botticelli's craft was not destined to be engaged, and he understood this after some time of work as an apprentice. In the early 60s of the 15th century, Sandro began studying with one of the greatest artists of that era, Fra Filippo Lippi. The style of the master affected the young Botticelli, which later manifested itself in the early works of the artist.
Already in 1467, the young Florentine artist opened a workshop, and among his first works are "Madonna with babies and two angels", "Madonna of the Eucharist" and some other paintings.
The beginning of an independent creative path
Sandro completed his first project already in 1470, and his work was intended for the courtroom. Botticelli's business went as well as possible, and soon he became a sought-after master, the fame of which gradually began to reach the royal palace.
Botticelli created his first own masterpiece in 1475. They became the painting, called "The Adoration of the Magi". The customer was a fairly wealthy and influential banker with connections with the then rulers of the city, with whom he introduced a talented guy. Since then, the creator was close to the ruling Medici family and carried out orders specifically for them. The main works of this period can be called the painting "Spring" and "The Birth of Venus".
Invitation to Rome and the peak of glory
Rumors about a young but very talented artist quickly spread all the way to Rome, where Pope Sixtus IV called him in the early 80s. Botticelli was commissioned, in collaboration with other famous personalities of his time, to carry out the design of the newly erected structure, known to this day - the Sistine Chapel. Sandro took part in the creation of several famous frescoes, including The Youth of Moses and The Temptation of Christ.
The very next year, Botticelli returned to his native Florence, the probable cause of which was the death of his father. Although at the same time he was literally overloaded with orders in his hometown.
In the mid-80s of the 15th century, Botticelli was at the peak of his fame: there were so many orders that the artist simply did not have time to paint all the pictures on his own. Most of the work was done by the students of the outstanding creator, and Botticelli himself was engaged only in the creation of the most complex elements of the compositions. Among the most famous works of the artist, which were created by him in the 80s, are "Annunciation", "Venus and Mars" and "Madonna Magnificat".
Late creativity
Serious trials in life befell the creator in the 90s, when he lost his beloved brother, from whom he got such a funny nickname. A little later, the artist began to doubt whether all his activities were justified.
It all coincided with extremely important events that led to the overthrow of the Medici dynasty. Savonarola came to power, fiercely criticizing the wastefulness and venality of the former rulers. He was also dissatisfied with the papacy. The power of this ruler was provided by popular support, Botticelli also went over to his side, but Savonarola did not rule for long: just a few years later he was deposed from the throne and burned alive at the stake.
Sad events deeply hurt the painter. Many at that time said that Botticelli was one of the "converts", which could be judged from the latest works of the creator. It was this decade that became decisive in the life of the artist.
Last years of life and death
In the last 10-12 years of his life, the glory of the great painter began to gradually fade away, and Botticelli could only remember about his former popularity. Contemporaries who found him in the last years of his life wrote about him that he was completely poor, moved on crutches and no one cared about him in the slightest. Botticelli's last works, including the "Mystical Nativity" of 1500, were not popular, and no one turned to him about commissioning new paintings. Indicative was the case when the then queen, when choosing artists to fulfill her order, in every possible way rejected the proposals of Botticelli.
The once famous painter died in 1510, all alone and poor. He was buried in a cemetery near one of the Florentine churches. Together with the creator himself, the fame of him completely died, which was revived only in the final decades of the 19th century.
There are several paintings that people associate with the Renaissance. These paintings are world famous and have become real symbols of that time. To write most of the paintings, the artists invited people whose names have not reached us as sitters. They just looked like the characters the artist wanted, that's all. And therefore, no matter how much we are interested in their fate, now almost nothing is known about them.
Sandro Botticelli and his "Venus" by Simonetta Vespucci
An example of this is the famous painting by Michelangelo, which adorns the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, "The Creation of Adam", or the creation of the same author - the statue of David. Now it is no longer known who served as a model for the creation of these works.
The same is with the famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci "Mona Lisa". Now there are many rumors that Lisa Gerardini was the type to write, but in this version there is more doubt than certainty. And the very mystery of the picture is more likely connected with the very personality of Leonard da Vinci than with his model.
However, against the backdrop of all this uncertainty, the history of the creation of the famous painting by Sandro Botticelli "The Birth of Venus" and the model that served as the prototype of Venus is quite clear. She was Simonetta Vespucci, a recognized beauty of that era. Unfortunately, the picture was not painted from nature, because by this time Botticelli's muse was already dead.
Botticelli was born in Florence and all his life he was patronized by the most influential family in the city of that time - the Medici. Simonetta also lived in the same city, her maiden name was Cattaneo, she was the daughter of a Genoese nobleman. Simonetta, at the age of sixteen, married Marco Vespucci, who fell in love with her without memory and was well received by her parents.
All the men of the city went crazy with the beauty and kind nature of Simonetta, even the brothers Giuliano and Lorenzo Medici fell under her charm. As a model for the artist Sandro Botticelli, Simonetta was offered by the Vespucci family itself. For Botticelli, this was a fatal meeting, he fell in love with his model at first sight, she became his muse. At the same time, at the jousting tournament held in 1475, Giuliano de Medici performed with a flag, which also depicted a portrait of Simonetta by Botticelli's hand with an inscription in French meaning "Incomparable". After his victory in this tournament, Simonetta was declared the "Queen of Beauty", and the fame of her as the most beautiful woman in Florence spread throughout Europe.
And as mentioned above, unfortunately Simonetta died soon after, in 1476 at the age of only 23, presumably from tuberculosis. Botticelli could never forget her and lived alone all his life, he died in 1510.
Without a doubt, the artist respected Simonetta's marriage and did not show his love in any way, except for writing many paintings with her image. So on the famous canvas "Venus and Mars" he depicted heroes whose resemblance to Simonetta and the author himself in the role of Mars is not questioned by anyone.
And in 1485, Botticelli painted the famous painting “The Birth of Venus”, which he dedicated to the memory of his beloved, nine years after her death. Botticelli's love was so great that he asked to be buried in the tomb where Simonetta Vespucci was buried, "at the feet" of her burial.
It is known that Botticelli wrote more than 150 works, but most of them were destroyed by representatives of the Catholic Church, who accused the work of paganism and secularism. The Birth of Venus was miraculously saved, rumored to have been protected by Lorenzo de' Medici in memory of his brother and love for Simonetta.
Sandro Botticelli (Italian Sandro Botticelli, real name Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi (Italian Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi; March 1, 1445 - May 17, 1510) was a great Italian Renaissance painter, a representative of the Florentine school of painting.
Botticelli was born to Mariano di Giovanni Filipepi, a tanner, and his wife, Smeralda, in the Santa Maria Novella quarter of Florence. The nickname "Botticelli" (keg) passed to him from his older brother Giovanni, who was a fat man.
Botticelli did not come to painting right away: at first he was a student of the goldsmith master Antonio for two years (there is a version that the young man got his last name from him). In 1462 he began to study painting with Fra Filippo Lippi, in whose studio he stayed for five years. In connection with the departure of Lippi to Spoleto, he moved to the workshop of Andrea Verrocchio.
The first independent works of Botticelli - several images of the Madonnas - in terms of the manner of execution demonstrate closeness to the works of Lippi and Masaccio, the most famous are: “Madonna and Child, two angels and young John the Baptist” (1465-1470), “Madonna and Child and two angels” ( 1468-1470), Madonna in the Rose Garden (circa 1470), Madonna of the Eucharist (circa 1470).
From 1470 he had his own workshop near the Church of All Saints. The painting "Allegory of Strength" (Fortitude), written in 1470, marks the acquisition of Botticelli's own style. In 1470-1472 he wrote a diptych about the history of Judith: "Return of Judith" and "Finding the body of Holofernes".
In 1472, the name Botticelli was first mentioned in the "Red Book" of the company of St. Luke. It also indicates that a student of Filippino Lippi works for him.
At the feast in honor of the saint on January 20, 1474, the painting "Saint Sebastian" was placed with great solemnity on one of the pillars in the Florentine church of Santa Maria Maggiore, which explains its elongated format.
Around 1475, the painter painted the famous painting “Adoration of the Magi” for the wealthy citizen Gaspare del Lama, in which, in addition to representatives of the Medici family, he also depicted himself. Vasari wrote: “Truly, this work is the greatest miracle, and it has been brought to such perfection in color, drawing and composition that every artist is still amazed at him.”
At this time, Botticelli becomes famous as a portrait painter. The most significant are the "Portrait of an Unknown Man with a Cosimo Medici Medal" (1474-1475), as well as portraits of Giuliano Medici and Florentine ladies.
In 1476, Simonetta Vespucci dies, according to a number of researchers, a secret love and a model for a number of paintings by Botticelli, who never married.
The rapidly spreading fame of Botticelli went beyond Florence. Since the late 1470s, the artist has received numerous commissions. “And then he won for himself ... in Florence and beyond its borders such fame that Pope Sixtus IV, who built a chapel in his Roman palace and wished to paint it, ordered to put him at the head of the work.”
In 1481, Pope Sixtus IV summoned Botticelli to Rome. Together with Ghirlandaio, Rosselli and Perugino, Botticelli frescoed the walls of the papal chapel in the Vatican, which is known as the Sistine Chapel. After Michelangelo paints the ceiling and the altar wall under Julius II in 1508-1512, she will gain worldwide fame.
Botticelli created three frescoes for the chapel: “The Punishment of Korea, Daphne and Aviron”, “The Temptation of Christ” and “The Calling of Moses”, as well as 11 papal portraits.
Botticelli attended the Platonic Academy of Lorenzo the Magnificent, where he met with Ficino, Pico and Poliziano, thereby falling under the influence of Neoplatonism, which was reflected in his paintings of secular subjects.
The most famous and most mysterious work of Botticelli is "Spring" (Primavera) (1482).
The painting, together with Pallas and the Centaur (1482-1483) by Botticelli and Madonna and Child by an unknown author, was intended to decorate the Florentine palace of Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco, a representative of the Medici family.
The creation of the canvas of the painter was inspired, in particular, by a fragment from Lucretius's poem "On the Nature of Things":
This is part of a Wikipedia article used under the CC-BY-SA license. Full text of the article here →
