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) is 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.

Teaching craftsmanship (1445-1467)

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).

"Madonna of the Eucharist"

Early work (1470-1480)

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: "The 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.”

"Adoration of the Magi" (circa 1475)

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.

"Portrait of an unknown person with a medal of Cosimo de Medici the Elder"

Giuliano Medici

Portrait of a young woman

Stay in Rome (1481-1482)

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 painted the ceiling and the altar wall under Julius II in 1508-1512, it 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.

"The Temptation of Christ"

"The Call of Moses"

Secular works of the 1480s

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 - "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":

Here is Spring, and Venus is coming, and Venus is winged

The messenger is coming ahead, and, Zephyr after, before them

Flora-mother walks and, scattering flowers on the way,

It fills everything with colors and a sweet smell ...

Winds, goddess, run before you; with your approach

The clouds are leaving from heaven, the earth is a masterful lush

A flower carpet is being laid, sea waves are smiling,

And the azure sky shines with spilled light.

The allegorical nature of "Spring" causes numerous discussions regarding the interpretation of the picture.

In 1483, the Florentine merchant Antonio Pucci commissioned four elongated paintings from Botticelli with scenes of a love story from Boccaccio's Decameron about Nastagio degli Onesti.

"History of Nastagio degli Onesti" from Boccaccio's Decameron. 2nd episode

Novel about Nastagio degli Onesti, a banquet in a pine forest.

Novel about Nastagio degli Onesti

The painting “Venus and Mars” (circa 1485) is dedicated to the theme of love.

"Venus and Mars"

Also, around 1485, Botticelli creates the famous painting "The Birth of Venus". “... What distinguishes the work of Sandro Botticelli from the manner of his contemporaries - the masters of the Quattrocento, and, by the way, painters of all times and peoples? This is a special melodiousness of the line in each of his paintings, an extraordinary sense of rhythm, expressed in the finest nuances and in the beautiful harmony of his “Spring” and “The Birth of Venus”. The coloring of Botticelli is musical, the leitmotif of the work is always clear in it. Few people in the world of painting have such a sound of plastic line, movement and an excited, deeply lyrical, far from mythological or other plot schemes. The artist himself is the director and composer of his creations. He does not use stilted canons, which is why his paintings excite the modern viewer so much with their poetry and the primacy of worldview.

"Birth of Venus"

In 1480-1490, Botticelli performed a series of pen illustrations for Dante's Divine Comedy. “Sandro drew exceptionally well and so much that long after his death, every artist tried to get his drawings”

Dante Alighieri

Religious paintings from the 1480s

“Adoration of the Magi” (1478-1482), “Madonna and Child Enthroned” (Bardi altarpiece) (1484), “Annunciation” (1485) - the religious works of Botticelli of this time are the highest creative achievements of the painter.

"Madonna and Child Enthroned"

Adoration of the Magi

Annunciation

In the early 1480s, Botticelli created the Madonna Magnificat (1481-1485), a painting that became famous during the artist's lifetime, as evidenced by numerous copies. It is one of Botticelli's tondos. Such circle-shaped paintings were very popular in 15th-century Florence. The background of the painting is a landscape, as in Madonna with a Book (1480-1481), Madonna and Child with Six Angels and John the Baptist (circa 1485), Madonna and Child with Five Angels (1485-1490).

"Madonna Magnificat"

Madonna and Child with Six Angels and John the Baptist

In 1483, together with Perugino, Ghirlandaio and Filippino Lippi, he painted frescoes in the villa of Lorenzo the Magnificent near Volterra.

Around 1487, Botticelli wrote "Madonna with a Pomegranate". The Madonna holds a pomegranate in her hand, which is a Christian symbol (the Sistine Madonna of Raphael originally had a pomegranate instead of a book in her hand).

Later works (1490-1497)

In 1490, the Dominican monk Girolamo Savonarola appeared in Florence, in whose sermons there was a call for repentance and renunciation of a sinful life. Botticelli was fascinated by these sermons, and even, according to legend, watched how his paintings were burned at the stake of vanity. Since then, Botticelli's style has changed dramatically, it becomes ascetic, the range of colors is now restrained, with a predominance of dark tones.

The artist's new approach to creating works is clearly visible in The Coronation of Mary (1488-1490), Lamentation of Christ (1490) and a number of images of the Madonna and Child. The portraits created by the artist at this time, for example, the portrait of Dante (circa 1495), are devoid of landscape or interior backgrounds.

The change in style is especially noticeable when comparing “Judith leaving the tent of Holofernes” (1485-1490) with a picture created about twenty-five years earlier on the same subject.

In 1491, Botticelli participated in the work of the commission to consider the projects for the facade of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore.

The only late painting on a secular theme was The Calumny of Apelles (circa 1495).

"Judith Leaving Holofernes' Tent"

"Slander"

King-judge Midas as an allegory of Stupidity, surrounded by similar Suspicion and Ignorance

Slander, hair-pulling Innocence, accompanied by her companions - Cunning and Lies

Truth, which personifies purity with its nakedness, and Repentance, which, with its inquiring and malicious look, is rather Envy

Last works (1498-1510)

In 1498, Savonarola was captured, accused of heresy, and sentenced to death. These events deeply shocked Botticelli.

In 1500, he created The Mystic Nativity, the only work signed and dated by him, where there is an inscription made in Greek: “I, Alessandro, painted this picture at the end of 1500 in the turmoil of Italy, half the time after the time when [said in chapter] the eleventh of John, about the second mount of the Apocalypse, at the time when the devil was released for three and a half years. Then he was shackled according to the twelfth, and we will see him [trampled on the ground] as in this picture.

Among the last few works of the artist of this period are scenes from the stories of the Roman women Virginia and Lucretia, as well as scenes from the life of St. Zenobius.

"Mystical Christmas"

Baptism of St. Zenobius and his appointment to the post of bishop

Scenes from the life of Saint Zenobius

Scenes from the life of Saint Zenobius

Three Miracles of Saint Zenobius

Scenes from the life of Saint Zenobius

In 1504, the painter participates in the work of the commission of artists, which was supposed to choose a place to install Michelangelo's "David".

Botticelli “withdrew from work and eventually grew old and impoverished so much that, if he had not been remembered when he was still alive, Lorenzo dei Medici, for whom, not to mention many other things, he worked a lot in a small hospital in Volterra , followed by his friends, and many wealthy people, admirers of his talent, he could have died of hunger. ”May 17, 1510, at the age of 66, Sandro Botticelli died. The painter was buried in the cemetery of the Church of All Saints in Florence.

Botticelli Sandro(Botticelli, Sandro)

Botticelli Sandro(Botticelli, Sandro) (1445-1510), one of the most prominent artists of the Renaissance. Born in Florence in 1444 in the family of a leather tanner Mariano di Vanni Filipepi (Botticelli's nickname, meaning "barrel", actually belonged to his older brother). After an initial apprenticeship with a jeweler, ca. 1462 Botticelli entered the workshop of one of the leading painters of Florence, Fra Filippo Lippi. Filippo Lippi's style had a huge influence on Botticelli, manifested mainly in certain types of faces, ornamental details and color. In his works of the late 1460s, the fragile, planar linearity and grace, adopted from Filippo Lippi, are replaced by a more powerful interpretation of figures and a new understanding of the plasticity of volumes. Around the same time, Botticelli began to use energetic ocher shadows to convey flesh color - a technique that became a characteristic feature of his painting style. These changes appear in their entirety in Botticelli's earliest documented painting, Allegory of Power (c. 1470, Florence, Uffizi Gallery) and in a less pronounced form in two early Madonnas (Naples, Capodimonte Gallery; Boston, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum). Two famous paired compositions The Story of Judith (Florence, Uffizi), also among the early works of the master (c. 1470), illustrate another important aspect of Botticelli's painting: a lively and capacious narrative, in which expression and action are combined, revealing the dramatic essence with complete clarity plot. They also reveal an already begun change in color, which becomes brighter and more saturated, in contrast to the pale palette of Filippo Lippi, which prevails in Botticelli's earliest painting, the Adoration of the Magi (London, National Gallery).

Paintings by Botticelli:

Among the works of Botticelli, only a few have reliable dates; many of his paintings have been dated based on stylistic analysis. Some of the most famous works date back to the 1470s: the painting of St. Sebastian (1473), the earliest depiction of a naked body in the work of the master; Adoration of the Magi (c. 1475, Uffizi). Two portraits of a young man (Florence, Pitti Gallery) and a Florentine lady (London, Victoria and Albert Museum) date from the early 1470s. Somewhat later, perhaps in 1476, a portrait of Giuliano de' Medici, Lorenzo's brother, was made (Washington, National Gallery). The works of this decade demonstrate the gradual growth of Botticelli's artistic skill. He used the techniques and principles set forth in Leon Battista Alberti's first outstanding theoretical treatise on Renaissance painting (On Painting, 1435–1436) and experimented with perspective. By the end of the 1470s, the stylistic fluctuations and direct borrowings from other artists inherent in his early works disappeared in the works of Botticelli. By this time, he already confidently mastered a completely individual style: the figures of the characters acquire a strong structure, and their contours surprisingly combine clarity and elegance with energy; dramatic expressiveness is achieved by combining active action and deep inner experience. All these qualities are present in the fresco of St. Augustine (Florence, Ognisanti Church), written in 1480 as a paired composition to the fresco of Ghirlandaio St. Jerome.

Items around St. Augustine, - a music stand, books, scientific instruments - demonstrate Botticelli's skill in the still life genre: they are depicted with accuracy and clarity, revealing the artist's ability to grasp the essence of form, but at the same time they are not striking and do not distract from the main thing. Perhaps this interest in still life is associated with the influence of Netherlandish painting, which was admired by the Florentines of the 15th century. Of course, Netherlandish art influenced Botticelli's interpretation of the landscape. Leonardo da Vinci wrote that "our Botticelli" showed little interest in the landscape: "... he says that this is an empty occupation, because it is enough just to throw a sponge soaked in colors on the wall, and it will leave a spot in which one can discern a beautiful landscape" . Botticelli generally contented himself with using conventional motifs for the backgrounds of his paintings, varying them by incorporating Netherlandish painting motifs such as Gothic churches, castles and walls to achieve a romantic-painterly effect.

In 1481, Botticelli was invited by Pope Sixtus IV to Rome, along with Cosimo Rosselli and Ghirlandaio, to paint frescoes on the side walls of the newly rebuilt Sistine Chapel. He completed three of these frescoes: Scenes from the life of Moses, Healing of a leper and the temptation of Christ, and Punishment of Korah, Dathan and Abiron. In all three frescoes, the problem of presenting a complex theological program in clear, light and lively dramatic scenes is masterfully solved; while making full use of compositional effects.

After returning to Florence, perhaps in late 1481 or early 1482, Botticelli painted his famous paintings on mythological themes: Spring, Pallas and the Centaur, the Birth of Venus (all in the Uffizi) and Venus and Mars (London, National Gallery), belonging to the number the most famous works of the Renaissance and representing the true masterpieces of Western European art. The characters and plots of these paintings are inspired by the works of ancient poets, primarily Lucretius and Ovid, as well as mythology. They feel the influence of ancient art, a good knowledge of classical sculpture or sketches from it, which were widespread in the Renaissance. Thus, the graces from Spring go back to the classical group of three graces, and the pose of Venus from the Birth of Venus goes back to the Venus Pudica type (Venus bashful).

Some scholars see these paintings as a visual embodiment of the main ideas of the Florentine Neoplatonists, especially Marsilio Ficino (1433–1499). However, adherents of this hypothesis ignore the sensual principle in the three paintings depicting Venus and the glorification of purity and purity, which is undoubtedly the theme of Pallas and the Centaur. The most plausible hypothesis is that all four paintings were painted on the occasion of the wedding. They are the most remarkable surviving works of this genre of painting, which celebrates marriage and the virtues associated with the birth of love in the soul of a pure and beautiful bride. The same ideas are the main ones in four compositions illustrating the story of Boccaccio Nastagio degli Onesti (located in different collections), and two frescoes (Louvre), painted around 1486 on the occasion of the marriage of the son of one of the closest associates of the Medici.

The magical grace, beauty, imaginative richness and brilliant execution inherent in mythological paintings are also present in several of Botticelli's famous altarpieces painted during the 1480s. Among the best are the Bardi Altarpiece depicting the Virgin and Child with St. John the Baptist (1484) and the Annunciation of Cestello (1484–1490, Uffizi). But in the Annunciation of Cestello, the first signs of mannerisms already appear, which gradually grew in Botticelli's later works, leading him away from the fullness and richness of nature of the mature period of creativity to a style in which the artist admires the peculiarities of his own manner. The proportions of the figures are violated to enhance psychological expressiveness. This style, in one form or another, is characteristic of the works of Botticelli of the 1490s and early 1500s, even for the allegorical painting Slander (Uffizi), in which the master exalts his own work, associating it with the creation of Apelles, the greatest of ancient Greek painters. Two paintings painted after the fall of the Medici in 1494 and influenced by the sermons of Girolamo Savonarola (1452–1498), the Crucifixion (Cambridge, Massachusetts, Fogg Art Museum) and the Mystical Nativity (1500, London, National Gallery), represent the embodiment of an unshakable faith Botticelli in the revival of the Church. These two paintings reflect the artist's rejection of the secular Florence of the Medici era. Other works by the master, such as Scenes from the Life of a Roman Woman Virginia (Bergamo, Accademia Carrara) and Scenes from the Life of a Roman Woman Lucretia (Boston, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum), express his hatred of the tyranny of the Medici.

Few drawings by Botticelli himself have survived, although it is known that he was often commissioned for sketches for fabrics and prints. Of exceptional interest is his series of illustrations for Dante's Divine Comedy. The deeply thought-out graphic commentaries on the great poem have largely remained unfinished.

About 50 paintings are entirely or largely by Botticelli. He was the head of a flourishing workshop, working in the same genres as the master himself, in which products of different quality were created. Many of the paintings are written by Botticelli's own hand or made according to his plan. Almost all of them are characterized by pronounced flatness and linearity in the interpretation of form, combined with frank mannerism. Botticelli died in Florence on May 17, 1510.

There is no painting more poetic than the painting of Sandro Botticelli (Botticelli, Sandro). The artist was recognized for the subtlety and expressiveness of his style. The brightly individual style of the artist is characterized by the musicality of light, quivering lines, the transparency of cold, refined colors, the animation of the landscape, and the whimsical play of linear rhythms. He always sought to infuse the soul into new pictorial forms.

Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi was born on March 1, 1445 to Mariano and Smeralda Filipepi. Like many people in the area, his father was a tanner. The first mention of Alessandro, as well as of other Florentine artists, we find in the so-called "portate al Catasto", that is, the cadastre, where income statements were made for taxation, which, in accordance with the decree of the Republic of 1427, the head of each Florentine was obliged to do. families. In 1458, Mariano Filipepi indicated that he had four sons: Giovanni, Antonio, Simone and thirteen-year-old Sandro, and added that Sandro was "learning to read, he is a sickly boy." Alessandro received his name-nickname Botticelli ("barrel") from his older brother. The father wanted the youngest son to follow in the footsteps of Antonio, who had been working as a goldsmith since at least 1457, which would mark the beginning of a small but reliable family business.

According to Vasari, there was such a close relationship between jewelers and painters at that time that to enter the workshop of one meant to get direct access to the craft of others, and Sandro, who was pretty adept at drawing - the art necessary for accurate and confident "blackening", soon became interested in painting. and decided to dedicate himself to it, while not forgetting the most valuable lessons of jewelry art, in particular, clarity in outline drawing. Around 1464, Sandro entered the workshop of Fra Filippo Lippi from the monastery of Carmine, the most excellent painter of that time, which he left in 1467 at the age of twenty-two.

Early period of creativity

Filippo Lippi's style had a huge influence on Botticelli, manifested mainly in certain types of faces, ornamental details and color. In his works of the late 1460s, the fragile, planar linearity and grace, adopted from Filippo Lippi, are replaced by a more powerful interpretation of figures and a new understanding of the plasticity of volumes. Around the same time, Botticelli began to use energetic ocher shadows to convey flesh color - a technique that became a characteristic feature of his style. These changes are shown in full force in the earliest documented painting for the Merchant Court, Allegory of Strength. (c.1470, Florence, Uffizi Gallery) and in a less pronounced form in two early Madonnas (Naples, Capodimonte Gallery; Boston, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum). Two famous paired compositions The Story of Judith (Florence, Uffizi), also among the early works of the master (c. 1470), illustrate another important aspect of Botticelli's painting: a lively and capacious narrative, in which expression and action are combined, revealing the dramatic essence with complete clarity plot. They also reveal an already begun change in color, which becomes brighter and more saturated, in contrast to the pale palette of Filippo Lippi, which prevails in Botticelli's earliest painting, the Adoration of the Magi (London, National Gallery).

Probably already in 1469, Botticelli can be considered an independent artist, since in the cadastre of the same year Mariano stated that his son was working at home. By the time of his father's death, the Filipepis owned considerable property. He died in October 1469, and the very next year Sandro opened his own workshop.

In 1472, Sandro entered the Guild of St. Luke. Botticelli receives orders mainly in Florence.

Rise of the Master

In 1469, power in Florence passed to the grandson of Cosimo the Old - Lorenzo Medici, nicknamed the Magnificent. His court becomes the center of Florentine culture. Lorenzo, a friend of artists and poets, a refined poet and thinker himself, becomes Botticelli's patron and customer.

Among the works of Botticelli, only a few have reliable dates; many of his paintings have been dated based on stylistic analysis. Some of the most famous works date back to the 1470s: the painting of St. Sebastian (1473), the earliest depiction of a naked body in the work of the master; Adoration of the Magi (c.1475, Uffizi). Two portraits - a young man (Florence, Pitti Gallery) and a Florentine lady (London, Victoria and Albert Museum) - date from the early 1470s. Somewhat later, perhaps in 1476, a portrait of Giuliano de' Medici, Lorenzo's brother, was made (Washington, National Gallery). The works of this decade demonstrate the gradual growth of Botticelli's artistic skill. He used the techniques and principles set forth in Leon Battista Alberti's first outstanding theoretical treatise on Renaissance painting (On Painting, 1435-1436) and experimented with perspective. By the end of the 1470s, stylistic fluctuations and direct borrowing from other artists, inherent in his early works, disappeared in the works of Botticelli. By this time, he already confidently mastered a completely individual style: the figures of the characters acquire a strong structure, and their contours surprisingly combine clarity and elegance with energy; dramatic expressiveness is achieved by combining active action and deep inner experience. All these qualities are present in the fresco of St. Augustine (Florence, Ognisanti Church), written in 1480 as a paired composition to the fresco of Ghirlandaio St. Jerome. Items around St. Augustine, - a music stand, books, scientific instruments - demonstrate Botticelli's skill in the still life genre: they are depicted with accuracy and clarity, revealing the artist's ability to grasp the essence of form, but at the same time they are not striking and do not distract from the main thing. Perhaps this interest in still life is associated with the influence of Netherlandish painting, which was admired by the Florentines of the 15th century. Of course, Netherlandish art influenced Botticelli's interpretation of the landscape. Leonardo da Vinci wrote that "our Botticelli" showed little interest in the landscape: "... he says that this is an empty exercise, because it is enough just to throw a sponge soaked in colors on the wall, and it will leave a spot in which one can discern a beautiful landscape" . Botticelli generally contented himself with using conventional motifs for the backgrounds of his paintings, varying them by incorporating Netherlandish painting motifs such as Gothic churches, castles and walls to achieve a romantic-painterly effect.

The artist writes a lot on orders from Lorenzo de' Medici and his relatives. In 1475, on the occasion of the tournament, he paints a banner for Giuliano Medici. And once he even captured his customers in the form of the Magi in the painting "The Adoration of the Magi" (1475-1478). Here you can also find the artist's first self-portrait. The most fruitful period in the work of Botticelli begins. Judging by the number of his students and assistants registered in the cadastre, in 1480 Botticelli's workshop was widely recognized.

In 1481, Botticelli was invited by Pope Sixtus IV to Rome, along with Cosimo Rosselli and Ghirlandaio, to paint frescoes on the side walls of the newly rebuilt Sistine Chapel. He completed three of these frescoes: Scenes from the life of Moses, Healing of a leper and the temptation of Christ, and Punishment of Korah, Dathan and Abiron. In all three frescoes, the problem of presenting a complex theological program in clear, light and lively dramatic scenes is masterfully solved; while making full use of compositional effects.

After returning to Florence, perhaps in late 1481 or early 1482, Botticelli painted his famous paintings on mythological themes: Spring, Pallas and the Centaur, the Birth of Venus (all in the Uffizi) and Venus and Mars (London, National Gallery), belonging to the number the most famous works of the Renaissance and representing the true masterpieces of Western European art. The characters and plots of these paintings are inspired by the works of ancient poets, primarily Lucretius and Ovid, as well as mythology. They feel the influence of ancient art, a good knowledge of classical sculpture or sketches from it, which were widespread in the Renaissance. So, the graces from Spring go back to the classical group of three graces, and the pose of Venus from the Birth of Venus - to the Venus Pudica type (Venus bashful).

Some scholars see these paintings as a visual embodiment of the main ideas of the Florentine Neoplatonists, especially Marsilio Ficino (1433-1499). However, adherents of this hypothesis ignore the sensual principle in the three paintings depicting Venus and the glorification of purity and purity, which is undoubtedly the theme of Pallas and the Centaur. The most plausible hypothesis is that all four paintings were painted on the occasion of the wedding. They are the most remarkable surviving works of this genre of painting, which celebrates marriage and the virtues associated with the birth of love in the soul of a pure and beautiful bride. The same ideas are the main ones in four compositions illustrating the story of Boccaccio Nastagio degli Onesti (located in different collections), and two frescoes (Louvre), painted around 1486 on the occasion of the marriage of the son of one of the closest associates of the Medici.

Crisis of the Soul Crisis of Creativity

In the 1490s, Florence experienced political and social upheavals - the expulsion of the Medici, the short-term rule of Savonarola with his accusatory religious and mystical sermons directed against papal prestige and the wealthy Florentine patriciate.

Torn apart by contradictions, the soul of Botticelli, who felt the beauty of the world discovered by the Renaissance, but was afraid of her sinfulness, could not stand it. Mystical notes begin to sound in his art, nervousness and drama appear. In the Annunciation of Cestello (1484-1490, Uffizi), the first signs of mannerisms already appear, which gradually increased in Botticelli's later works, leading him away from the fullness and richness of nature of the mature period of creativity to a style in which the artist admires the peculiarities of his own manner. The proportions of the figures are violated to enhance psychological expressiveness. This style, in one form or another, is characteristic of the works of Botticelli of the 1490s and early 1500s, even for the allegorical painting Slander (Uffizi), in which the master exalts his own work, associating it with the creation of Apelles, the greatest of ancient Greek painters.

In the painting "The Wedding of the Mother of God" (1490), a severe, intense obsession is visible in the faces of the angels, and in the swiftness of their postures and gestures - almost Bacchic self-forgetfulness.

After the death of the patron master Lorenzo Medici (1492) and the execution of Savonarola (1498), his character finally changed. The artist refused not only the interpretation of humanistic themes, but also the plastic language characteristic of him earlier. His latest paintings are distinguished by asceticism and conciseness of color scheme. His works are imbued with pessimism and hopelessness. One of the famous paintings of this time, "Abandoned" (1495-1500), depicts a weeping woman sitting on the steps against a stone wall with tightly closed gates.

“The growing religious exaltation reaches tragic heights in his two monumental Lamentations of Christ,” writes N.A. Belousova, “where the images of Christ’s loved ones, surrounding his lifeless body, are full of heartbreaking sorrow. Instead of fragile incorporeality - clear, generalized volumes, instead of exquisite combinations of faded shades - powerful colorful harmonies, where, in contrast to dark harsh tones, bright spots of cinnabar and carmine-red color sound especially pathetic. "

In 1495, the artist completed the last of the works for the Medici, writing in a villa in Trebbio several works for a side branch of this family.

In 1498, the Botticelli family, as the cadastral entry shows, owned considerable property: they had a house in the Santa Maria Novella quarter and, in addition, received income from the Belsguardo villa, located outside the city, outside the gates of San Frediano.

After 1500, the artist rarely picked up a brush. His only signature work of the early sixteenth century is The Mystical Nativity (1500, London, National Gallery). The attention of the master is now focused on the image of a wonderful vision, while the space performs an auxiliary function. This new trend in the relationship of figures and space is also characteristic of the illustrations for the Divine Comedy by Dante, made with a pen in a magnificent manuscript.

In 1502, the artist received an invitation to go to the service of Isabella d'Este, Duchess of Mantua. However, for unknown reasons, this trip did not take place.

Although he was already an elderly man and left painting, his opinion continued to be reckoned with. In 1504, together with Giuliano da Sangallo, Cosimo Rosselli, Leonardo da Vinci and Filippino Lippi, Botticelli participated in the commission that was supposed to choose a place for the installation of David, just sculpted by the young Michelangelo. Filippino Lippi's decision was considered the most successful, and the marble giant was placed on the plinth in front of the Palazzo della Signoria. In the memoirs of contemporaries, Botticelli appears as a cheerful and kind person. He kept the doors of his house open and willingly received his friends there. The artist did not hide the secrets of his skill from anyone, and he had no end to his students. Even his teacher Lippi brought his son Filippino to him.

Analysis of some works

"Judith", ca 1470

It is a work that is clearly related to Lipley's late work. It's a kind of reflection on what a feeling is. The heroine is depicted in the trembling light of dawn after accomplishing her feat. The breeze pulls at her dress, the excitement of the folds hides the movement of the body, it is not clear how she maintains her balance and maintains an even posture. The artist conveys the sadness that gripped the girl, that feeling of emptiness that replaced active action. Before us is not some definite feeling, but a state of mind, a striving for something obscure, either in anticipation of the future, or out of regret for what has been done, a consciousness of the futility, futility of history and the melancholy dissolution of feeling in nature, which has no history, where everything happens without the help of the will.

"Saint Sebastian" 1473

The figure of the saint is devoid of stability, the artist lightens and lengthens its proportion, so that the beautiful form of the saint's body can be compared only with the blueness of the empty sky, which seems even more inaccessible due to the remoteness of the landscape. The clear form of the body is not filled with light, the light surrounds the matter, as if dissolving it, and the line makes certain shadows and light against the sky. The artist does not exalt the hero, but only mourns the desecrated or defeated beauty, which the world does not understand, because its source is beyond worldly notions, beyond natural space, as well as historical time.

"Spring" c.1478

Its symbolic meaning is varied and complex, its idea can be understood in different ways. Its conceptual meaning is fully accessible only to specialist philosophers, moreover, to initiates, but it is clear to everyone who is able to feel the beauty of a grove and a flowering meadow, the rhythm of figures, the attractiveness of bodies and faces, the smoothness of lines, the thinnest. chromatic combinations. If the meaning of conventional signs is no longer reduced to fixing and explaining reality, but is used to overcome and encrypt it, then what is the point of all the wealth of positive knowledge that was accumulated by Florentine painting in the first half of the century and which led to grandiose theoretical constructions of Pierrot? And therefore, perspective as a way of depicting space loses its meaning, light as a physical reality does not make sense, it is not worthwhile to deal with the transfer of density and volume as specific manifestations of materiality and space. The alternation of parallel trunks or the pattern of leaves in the background of "Spring" have nothing to do with perspective, but it is precisely in comparison with this background, devoid of depth, that the smooth development of the linear rhythms of the figures, contrasting with the parallelism of the trunks, acquires special significance, just like subtle color transitions get a special sound in combination with dark tree trunks that stand out sharply against the sky foyer.

Frescoes in the Sistine Chapel 1481- 1482

Botticelli's frescoes are written on biblical and gospel subjects, but are not interpreted in a "historical" plan. For example, scenes from the life of Moses are meant to be a type of the life of Christ. The themes of other paintings also have a figurative meaning: "The Cleansing of a Leper" and "The Temptation of Christ" contain a hint of Christ's fidelity to the law of Moses and, consequently, the continuity of the Old and New Testaments. "Punishment of Korah, Dathan and Aviron" also alludes to the continuity of God's law (which is symbolically expressed by the arch of Constantine in the background) and the inevitability of punishment for those who transgress it, which is unequivocally linked in the mind of the viewer with heretical teachings. In some things one can see a hint of contemporary faces and circumstances of the artist. But, by linking together historically different events, Botticelli destroys the spatio-temporal unity and even the meaning of the narrative itself. Separate episodes, despite the time and space separating them, are soldered to each other by stormy upsurges of linear rhythm that occur after long pauses, and this rhythm, which has lost its melodic, smooth character, full of sudden outbursts and dissonances, is now entrusted with the role of a carrier of drama that cannot be more expressed through the actions or gestures of individual characters.

"Birth of Venus" c.1485

This is by no means a pagan chanting of female beauty: among the meanings inherent in it, the Christian idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe birth of the soul from water during baptism appears. The beauty that the artist seeks to glorify is, in any case, spiritual beauty, not physical beauty: the naked body of the goddess means naturalness and purity, the uselessness of jewelry. Nature is represented by its elements (air, water, earth). The sea, agitated by the breeze blown by Aeolus and Boreas, appears as a bluish-green surface, on which the waves are depicted in identical schematic signs. The shell is also symbolic. Against the background of a wide sea horizon, three rhythmic episodes develop with varying intensity - winds, Venus emerging from a shell, a maid accepting her with a veil decorated with flowers (a hint of the green cover of nature). Three times the rhythm is born, reaches its maximum tension and goes out.

"Annunciation"1489-1490

the artist brings into the scene, usually so idyllic, unusual confusion, the Angel bursts into the room and swiftly falls to his knees, and behind him, like jets of air cut through during flight, his clothes, transparent as glass, barely visible, rise up. His right hand with a large hand and long nervous fingers is stretched out to Mary, and Mary, as if blind, as if in oblivion, stretches out her hand towards him. It seems as if internal currents, invisible but clearly tangible, flow from his hand to Mary's hand and make her whole body tremble and bend.

"Mystic Christmas" 1500 g

Perhaps the most ascetic, but at the same time the most pointed and polemical of all the works of his last period. And it accompanies it with an apocalyptic inscription, which predicts great troubles for the coming age. He depicts an unthinkable space in which the figures in the foreground are smaller than the more distant ones, because the "primitives" did so, the lines do not converge at one point, but zigzag across the landscape, as if in a Gothic miniature inhabited by angels.

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The real name of Sandro Botticelli is Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi. It is difficult to name a Renaissance artist whose name would be more associated with the history of Florence. He was born in the family of a tanner Mariano Vanni Filipepi. After the death of his father, the elder brother becomes the head of the family, a wealthy exchange businessman, nicknamed Botticelli (barrel), this nickname stuck to him either for his excessive addiction to wine, or because of his fullness.

At the age of fifteen or sixteen, the gifted boy enters the workshop of the famous Philippi Lippi. Having mastered the technique of fresco painting, Alessandro Botticelli (the nickname of his brother became a kind of pseudonym for the artist) enters the most famous art workshop in Florence, Andrea Verocchio. In 1469, Sandro Botticelli was introduced to Tomaso Soderini, a prominent statesman of the Republic of Florence, who brought the artist together with the Medici family.

The lack of privileges provided by wealth and nobility taught Sandro from his youth to rely only on his own energy and talent in everything. The streets of Florence with their marvelous architecture and temples with statues and frescoes of the founders of the Renaissance, Giotto and Masaccio, became a real school for the "whimsical head" - young Sandro.

Seeking freedom and creativity, the painter finds it not in traditional church subjects, but where he is "overwhelmed by love and passion." Carried away and able to please, he very soon finds his ideal in the image of a teenage girl, inquisitively knowing the world. Botticelli was considered a singer of refined femininity. The artist gives all his Madonnas, as sisters, the same penetrating, thinking, charmingly irregular face.

The artist fuses together his observations of life with the impressions of ancient and modern poetry. Thanks to the mythological genre, Italian painting becomes secular and, breaking through the walls of churches, enters people's homes as an everyday source of enjoyment of the beautiful.

For the Medici family, Botticelli completed his most famous and major orders. Sandro never left Florence for long. An exception is his trip to Rome to the papal court in 1481-1482 for painting as part of a group of artists from the Sistine Chapel library. Returning, he continues to work in Florence. At this time, his most famous works were written - Spring, the Birth of Venus.

The political crisis in Florence, which broke out after the death of Lorenzo the Magnificent, and the militant preacher Savonarola came to spiritual power in the city, could not but affect the artist's work. Having lost moral support in the person of the Medici family, a deeply religious and suspicious person, he fell into spiritual dependence on an exalted religious and intolerant preacher. Secular motifs have almost completely disappeared from the master's work. The beauty and harmony of the world, which so excited the artist, no longer touched his imagination.

His works on religious themes are dry and overloaded with details, the artistic language has become more archaic. The execution of Savonarola in 1498 caused a deep mental crisis in Botticelli.

In the last years of his life, he completely stopped writing, considering this occupation sinful and vain.

Simonetta was one of the most beautiful women in Florence. She was married, but many young men from wealthy families dreamed of a beauty, showed her signs of special attention. She was loved by the brother of the ruler of Florence, Lorenzo Medici - Giuliano. According to rumors, Simonetta reciprocated the handsome, very gentle young man. Husband, Senor Vespucci, given the nobility and influence of the Medici family, was forced to endure such a situation. But the people of Florence, thanks to the beauty of Simonetta, her sincerity, loved the girl very much.
A young woman stands with her profile turned to us, her face clearly visible against the background of the wall. The woman is held straight and stern, with a full sense of her own dignity, and her eyes look resolutely and a little sternly into the distance. This young, light-eyed Florentine cannot be denied beauty, charm, charm. The curve of her long neck and the soft line of sloping shoulders captivate with their femininity.
Fate was harsh for Simonetta - she dies of a serious illness in her prime, at 23 years old.

The painting "Spring" introduces the viewer into an enchanted, magical garden, where the heroes of ancient myths dream and dance.
Here, all ideas about the seasons are shifted. On the branches of the trees are large orange fruits. And next to the juicy gifts of the Italian summer - the first green of spring. Time has stopped in this garden to capture the eternal beauty of poetry, love, harmony in an instant.
In the middle of a flowering meadow stands Venus - the goddess of love and beauty; she is presented here as an elegant young girl. Her thin, gracefully curved figure stands out like a bright spot against the background of the dark mass of the bush, and the branches bent over it form a semicircular line - a kind of triumphal arch, created in honor of the queen of this spring holiday, which she overshadows with a blessing gesture of her hand. Cupid hovers over Venus - a playful little god, with a bandage on his eyes and, not seeing anything in front of him, he randomly shoots a burning arrow into space, designed to ignite someone's heart with love. To the right of Venus, her companions are dancing - the three graces - blond creatures in transparent white clothes that do not hide the shape of the bodies, but slightly soften it with whimsically swirling folds.
Near the dancing graces stands the messenger of the gods Mercury; he is easily recognizable by the traditional caduceus wand, with which, according to mythology, he could generously bestow people, and by the winged sandals, which gave him the ability to move from one place to another with lightning speed. A knight's helmet is put on his dark curls, a red cloak is thrown over his right shoulder, a sword with a sharply curved blade and a magnificent hilt is slung over the cloak. Looking up, Mercury raises a caduceus over his head. What does his gesture mean? What gift did he bring to the realm of spring? Perhaps he disperses the clouds with his wand so that not a single drop disturbs the garden, enchanted in its flowering.
From the depths of the thicket, past the leaning trees, the wind god Zephyr flies, embodying the elemental principle in nature. This is an unusual creature with bluish skin, blue wings and hair, wearing a cloak of the same color. He is chasing the young nymph of the fields Chloe. Looking back at her pursuer, she almost falls forward, but the hands of the violent wind catch and hold her. From the breath of the Zephyr, flowers appear on the lips of the nymph, breaking off, they mix with those with which Flora is strewn.
There is a wreath on the head of the goddess of fertility, a flower garland around her neck, a branch of roses instead of a belt, and all her clothes are woven with colorful flowers. Flora - the only one of all the characters goes directly to the viewer, she seems to be looking at us, but she does not see us, she is immersed in herself.
In this thoughtful melodic composition, where the fragile charm of the new Botticelli type resounded in different ways in the exquisitely transparent images of the dancing Graces, Venus and Flora, the artist offers thinkers and rulers his own version of a wise and just world order, where beauty and love rule.

Goddess of fertility - Flora.

Spring itself!

An amazing picture, creates an atmosphere of dreaminess, light sadness. The artist for the first time portrayed the naked goddess of love and beauty Venus from ancient myth. The beautiful goddess, born from sea foam, under the breeze of the wind, standing in a huge shell, glides over the surface of the sea to the shore. A nymph hurries towards her, preparing to throw a flower-decorated veil over the goddess's shoulders. Immersed in thought, Venus stands with her head bowed and her hand supporting the hair flowing along her body. Her delicate spiritualized face is full of that unearthly hidden sadness. The lilac-blue cloak of Zephyr, delicate pink flowers, falling under the breath of the wind, create a rich, unique color scheme. The artist plays with the elusive play of feelings in the picture, he makes all nature - the sea, trees, winds and air - echo the melodious outlines of the body and the contagious rhythms of the movements of his golden-haired goddess.

With stormy aegean, the cradle swam through the bosom of Thetis in the midst of foamy waters.

The creation of a different sky, a face unlike people, rises

In a charming pose, looking lively, she is a young virgin. entails

Zephyr in love sinks to the shore, and their skies rejoice in their flight.

They would say: the true sea is here, and the shell with foam - as if alive,

And it can be seen - the shine of the eyes of the goddess is poured; before her with a smile the sky and verses.

There, in white, Horas walk along the shore, the wind ruffles their golden hair.

As she came out of the water, you could see, she, holding her right hand

Her hair, another covering her nipple, at her feet are flowers and herbs

They covered the sand with fresh greenery.

(From the poem "Giostra" by Angelo Poliziano)

Beautiful Venus

Botticelli interprets the myth of the formidable god of war Mars and his beloved, the goddess of beauty Venus, in the spirit of an elegant idyll, which should have pleased Lorenzo the Magnificent, the ruler of Florence, and his entourage.
Naked Mars, freed from his armor and weapons, sleeps, spread out on a pink cloak and leaning on his shell. Leaning on a scarlet pillow, Venus rises, fixing her gaze on her lover. Myrtle bushes close the scene to the right and left, only small gaps in the sky are visible between the figures of small satyrs playing with the weapons of Mars. These goat-legged creatures with sharp long ears and tiny horns frolic around lovers. One climbed into the shell, the other put on an oversized helmet, in which his head sank, and grabbed the huge spear of Mars, helping to drag his third satyr; the fourth put a golden twisted shell to the ear of Mars, as if whispering to him dreams of love and memories of battles.
Venus really owns the god of war, for her sake the weapon was left, which became unnecessary to Mars and turned into an object of fun for little satyrs.
Venus here is a loving woman guarding the dream of her lover. The pose of the goddess is calm, and at the same time, there is something fragile in her small pale face and too thin hands, and her gaze is full of almost imperceptible sadness and sadness. Venus embodies not so much the joy of love as its anxiety. The lyricism characteristic of Botticelli helped him create a poetic female image. Amazing grace emanates from the movement of the goddess; she is reclining, her bare foot outstretched, peeking out from under transparent clothes. The white dress, trimmed with gold embroidery, emphasizes the graceful proportions of a slender, elongated body and enhances the impression of purity and restraint in the appearance of the goddess of love.
The posture of Mars testifies to anxiety that does not leave him even in a dream. The head is strongly thrown back. On the energetic face, the play of light and shadow highlights the half-open mouth and the deep, sharp crease that crosses the forehead.
The picture was painted on a wooden board measuring 69 X 173.5 cm, it may have served as a decoration for the back of the bed. It was made in honor of the betrothal of one of the representatives of the Vespucci family.

The picture was painted in the period of the highest flowering of the artist's talent. The small frontal picture shows a young man in modest brown clothes and a red cap. For the Italian portrait of the 15th century, this was almost a revolution - until that moment, everyone who commissioned their portrait was depicted in profile or, from the second half of the century, in three-quarters. A pleasant and open young face looks from the picture. The young man has large brown eyes, a well-defined nose, plump and soft lips. Beautiful curly hair framing her face comes out from under the red cap.

The use of mixed media (the artist used both tempera and oil paints) made it possible to make the contours softer, and the light and shade transitions more saturated in color.

Botticelli, like all Renaissance artists, painted the Madonna and Child many times, in a variety of subjects, poses. But all of them are distinguished by their special femininity, softness. With tenderness, the baby clung to the mother. It should be said that, unlike Orthodox icons, in which the images are made flat, as if emphasizing the incorporeality of the Mother of God, in Western European paintings the Madonnas look alive, very earthly.

"Decameron" - from the Greek "ten" and "day". This is a book consisting of the stories of a group of noble youths from Florence who left to escape the plague to a country villa. Settled in a church, they tell ten stories for ten days to amuse themselves in forced exile.
Sandro Botticelli, commissioned by Antonio Pacchi, painted a series of paintings based on a story from the Decameron - "The Story of Nastagio degli Onesti" for his son's wedding.
The story tells how a rich and well-born young man Nastagio fell in love with an even more well-born girl, unfortunately endowed with an absurd character and exorbitant pride. To forget the proud, he leaves his native Ravenna and leaves for the nearby town of Chiassi. Once, while walking with a friend through the forest, he heard loud screams and a woman's cry. And then I saw with horror how a beautiful naked girl was running through the forest, followed by a rider on a horse with a sword in his hand, threatening the girl with death, and the dogs were tearing the girl from both sides...

Nastagio was frightened, but, taking pity on the girl, he overcame his fear and rushed to help her and, grabbing a branch from a tree, went to the rider. The rider shouted: "Don't bother me, Nastagio! Let me do what this woman deserves!" And he said that once, a very long time ago, he loved this girl very much, but she caused him a lot of grief, so that from her cruelty and arrogance he killed himself. But she did not repent, and soon she herself died. And then those from above imposed such a punishment on them: he constantly catches up with her, kills, and takes out her heart, throwing it to the dogs. After some time, she crawls away, as if nothing had happened, and the chase begins again. And so every day, at the same time. Today, Friday, at this hour, he always catches up with her here, on other days - in another place.

Nastagio thought and understood how to teach his beloved a lesson. He called all his relatives and friends to this forest, at this hour, next Friday, he ordered rich tables to be arranged and set. When the guests arrived, he put his beloved proud woman with her face right where the unfortunate couple should appear from. And soon there were exclamations, crying, and everything repeated ... The horseman told the guests everything, as Nastagio had told before. The guests looked at the execution in amazement and horror. And the girl Nastagio thought and realized that the same punishment could await her. Fear suddenly gave rise to love for the young man.
Shortly after Nastagio's cruel performance, the girl sent an attorney with consent to the wedding. And they lived happily, in love and harmony.

The composition is two-dimensional. The Annunciation is the most fantastic story of all gospel stories. The "Annunciation" - the good news - is unexpected and fabulous for Mary, like the very appearance of a winged angel in front of her. It seems that another moment, and Mary will collapse at the feet of the archangel Gabriel, ready to cry himself. The drawing of the figures depicts violent tension. Everything that happens is in the nature of anxiety, gloomy despair. The picture was created in the last period of Botticelli's work, when his hometown of Florence fell out of favor with the monks, when all of Italy was threatened with death - all this put a gloomy shade on the picture.

Through the mythological plot, Botticelli conveys in this picture the essence of the moral qualities of people.
King Midas sits on the throne, two insidious figures - Ignorance and Suspicion - whisper dirty slander into his donkey's ears. Midas listens with his eyes closed, and in front of him stands an ugly man in black - this is Malice, which always guides the actions of Midas. Slander is nearby - a beautiful young girl with an appearance of pure innocence. And next to her are two beautiful constant companions of Slander - Envy and Falsehood. They weave flowers and ribbons into the girl's hair so that Slander will always be favorable to them. Malice draws Slander, who was the favorite of the king, to Midas. She herself, with all her might, pulls the Victim to the court - a half-naked unfortunate young man. It is easy to understand what the judgment will be.
On the left, two more unnecessary figures stand alone - Repentance - an old woman in dark "funeral" clothes and Truth - naked, and knowing everything. She turned her gaze to God and stretched out her hand.

The Magi are the wise men who, having heard the good news about the birth of the infant Christ, hastened to the Mother of God and her great son with gifts and wishes of goodness and long-suffering. All space is filled with sages - in rich clothes, with gifts - they all yearn to witness a great event - the birth of the future Savior of mankind.
The sage bowed down on his knees before the Mother of God and reverently kisses the hem of little Jesus' garment.

Before us is Giuliano Medici - the younger brother of the ruler of Florence - Lorenzo the Magnificent. He was tall, slender, handsome, agile and strong. He was passionately fond of hunting, fishing, horses, loved to play chess. Of course, he could not outshine his brother in politics, diplomacy or poetry. But Giuliano loved Lorenzo very much. The family dreamed of making a cardinal out of Giuliano, but this intention was not realized.
Giuliano led a lifestyle that corresponded to the requirements of the time and the position of the Medici. The Florentines long remembered his robe of silver brocade adorned with rubies and pearls when, as a youth of sixteen, he performed at one of these festivals.
The most beautiful girls in Florence fell in love with him, but Giuliano accompanied only one everywhere - Simonetta Vespucci. Although the girl was married, this did not stop her from reciprocating the charming Giuliano. Giuliano's love for Simonetta was sung in a poem by Poliziano, and their early death turned their relationship into a romantic legend.
Like Simonetta, Giuliano passed away early. But not from illness, but was killed during an attack on Florence by adherents of the Pope - the Pazzi family. Right in the cathedral, in the crowd, during the service, the insidious killers attacked the patriots of Florence, creating a stampede. Of course, they wanted to kill Lorenzo first of all, but he managed to escape, but Giuliano was not lucky, he was killed by an evil, insidious hand.
In the portrait, the artist created a spiritual image of Giuliano Medici, marked by sadness and doom. The head of a young man with dark hair is turned in profile and stands out against the background of the window. The young man's face is significant and beautiful: a high clean forehead, a thin hooked nose, a sensual mouth, a massive chin. The eyes are covered with a heavy semicircle of the eyelids, in the shadow of which the glance barely flickers. The artist emphasizes the pallor of his face, the bitter fold of his lips, a slight wrinkle crossing the bridge of his nose - this enhances the impression of hidden sadness. penetrating the face of Giuliano. The simplicity of the color scheme, consisting of red, brown and gray-blue, corresponds to the overall restraint of the composition and the image itself.

Details Category: Fine arts and architecture of the Renaissance (Renaissance) Posted on 13.10.2016 19:14 Views: 3498

“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 walks 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. The relatives and wives of the condemned begged them to renounce their faith and save their lives, and at one point 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, or else like in any other way - it is also impossible to describe all the diversity 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 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 depicted 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 life 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 the 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.