Jewish righteous woman from a painting by Botticelli. The most famous paintings by Botticelli

Most likely, not everyone knows the name of Sandro Botticelli, the great Italian artist, representative of the early Renaissance, but almost everyone knows his work The Birth of Venus. It is marked by spiritualized poetry, admiring the beauty of the female face and body, which reign over time and space.

For quite a long time, his work was unfairly forgotten, but already in the 19th century, French artists imitated the mystical Italian in many ways and created a new image, to which we still experience admiration and admiration for the wonderful gift of the artist.

Biography of the painter

Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi was born in the middle of the 15th century in Florence, the birthplace of the southern Renaissance, in the family of a craftsman - a tanner. Shortly after the death of his father, his business passed to the older brother of little Alessandra, nicknamed "The Barrel" (Botticelli) because of his beer belly or strong penchant for drinking wine.

All four younger ones received a funny nickname from their older brother. Thanks to the efforts of his older brothers, the future famous artist was educated in a Dominican monastery.

One of the first professions received by Sandro was the respected and highly demanded profession of a jeweler at that time. She taught the artist the correct application of golden and silver hues to the landscapes of her paintings. By the way, some researchers of Renaissance art believe that the name "Botticelli" means a silversmith.

The middle brother Antonio became a famous jeweler, and Alessandro decided to devote his life to painting. In 1470, the young artist received his first commission from the monastery of St. Dominic: he was commissioned to depict an allegory of Power for a gallery of Christian virtues. The painting was placed in the courtroom of the Chamber of Commerce. A year later, the young painter was talked about all over Italy.

His Saint Sebastian, written for the church of Saint Mary Margiore, is truly virtuous, through the beautiful features of the face of the young Christian Sandro showed his soul, pure and innocent. All the works of the artist are permeated with ardent faith and unostentatious love for God. They combine unsurpassed skill and spiritual fullness and ease.

In the same year, he showed himself to be a skilled restorer, restoring a completely lost fresco in the Chapel of the Coronation of the Mother of God.

In 1470, the painter became close to the noble Medici family, who surrounded themselves with famous poets, musicians, philosophers and painters. The so-called "medical circle" preached the philosophy of Plato, i.e. subjective idealism.

They believed in an immortal soul, endowed with talents and abilities that the soul can retain even after death and transfer to a new owner. This explains the emergence of brilliant works of art, as well as intuitive knowledge.

The best works of the artist

One of the best works of Sandro Botticelli is the Adoration of the Magi, created after 1470. It is dedicated to the most important holiday of Christians - the birth of Jesus Christ.

Painting by Sandro Botticelli "Adoration of the Magi"

In the images of the Eastern Magi who came to bow to the Messiah, the painter depicted members of the Medici family, as well as himself, standing in the lower right corner of the work. The bright and light tones of the picture seem to be filled with air and inspire awe and divine joy.

One of the most mysterious works of the artist is the painting "Spring", dating from 1475-1480. The painting was created for Lorenzo de' Medici, a close friend and philanthropist of Sandro Botticelli.

Painting by Sandro Botticelli "Spring"

The picture was painted in a completely new style for that time, successfully combining antiquity, Christianity, and new features of the Renaissance.

Antique style is shown by representatives of the myths and legends of Ancient Greece: God Zephyr, a light wind, kidnaps a nymph - the mistress of fields and meadows Chloris. Three graceful graces in the form of nymphs or naiads are reminiscent of the three Christian virtues: chastity, humility and pleasure, as well as eternal love.

Mercury, the god of trade, roads and fraud, picks an apple from a tree and involuntarily reminds us of Paris, who gave the apple to the goddess of beauty and love, Aphrodite. And the goddess herself seems to be flying, without touching the ground with her feet, her image is light and airy, and at the same time seductive and captivating, reminiscent of passionate love and carnal passion.

In the center of the canvas is the Madonna - the Queen of Heaven, the Mother of God, elevated to the rank of Gods, and shining with her virtue and beauty throughout the Universe. For everyone, the Virgin Mary is considered the model of all women, the ideal of all knights, the “Beautiful Lady”, who inspires all people of art to create her image.

By this mixture of myths and eras, the painter shows us that people in all eras love and dream, suffer and strive for happiness equally in all eras. Both the standards of art and the norms of beauty do not change, for Eternal beauty always attracts all hearts.

A wonderful work filled with light, joy and peacefulness. Looking at him, you feel that little cupids in reality send their love arrows to all hearts. For a long time you can’t take your eyes off the figures on the canvas, frozen at the will of the artist, so alive and as if frozen for a moment in graceful poses.

Gem of Creation

The world-famous painting "The Birth of Venus" was painted in 1484 and is currently in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.

Painting by Sandro Botticelli "The Birth of Venus"

Among the boundless expanse of the azure sky and the turquoise sea, a beautiful Venus appeared from the sea foam, standing on a mother-of-pearl shell. The god of the western wind, Zephyr, with his breath helps the eternally young goddess land on the shore, and the goddess Ora grants her a priceless cloak embroidered with flowers and herbs.

All earthly nature awaits the appearance of the goddess of Love and Beauty, white roses fly to her feet, and the picture is illuminated by the rays of the rising sun. The association of early morning and the birth of the goddess indicates that love and tenderness are always young and in demand by people.

It is not known who the artist's model was, but the face of the goddess with amazingly beautiful features is meek, a little sad and humble. Long golden curls fluttering in the wind. And the pose of the woman resembles the pose of the famous sculpture of Venus the Bashful, created in the 5th century BC.

last years of life

In the late 1490s, Luigi Medici died, and the reign of this dynasty came to an end. The sworn enemy of this family, the Dominican monk Girolamo Sovanarola, came to power, who had previously angrily reproached the ruling dynasty for luxury and debauchery.

Some researchers of Renaissance art believe that Sandro Botticelli became a "convert" because the style of his work is changing dramatically.

But the power of the monk Sovanarola was fleeting, in 1498 he was accused of heresy and executed by burning at the stake. But by this time the glory of the great painter fades. Contemporaries write that he "was poor and withered", could not walk and stand straight, so he worked very little. The works created in the last years of her life are “Mystical Nativity”, “Abandoned”, frescoes dedicated to the holy Roman women, the first Christian women Lucretia and Virginia.

After 1504, the artist completely stopped touching the brush, and if it were not for the help of his friends and relatives, he simply would have died of hunger.

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.

(Continued - series 1)

Sandro Botticelli (Italian Sandro Botticelli, March 1, 1445 - May 17, 1510) is the nickname of the Florentine artist Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi (Italian: Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi), who brought Quattrocento art to the threshold of the High Renaissance.

Self-portrait, not finished

A deeply religious man, Botticelli worked in all the major churches of Florence and in the Sistine Chapel of the Vatican, but he remained in the history of art primarily as the author of large-format poetic canvases on subjects inspired by classical antiquity - "Spring" and "The Birth of Venus".

For a long time, Botticelli was in the shadow of the giants of the Renaissance who worked after him, until he was rediscovered in the middle of the 19th century by the British Pre-Raphaelites, who revered the fragile linearity and spring freshness of his mature canvases as the highest point in the development of world art.

Born in the family of a wealthy citizen Mariano di Vanni Filipepi. Received a good education. The nickname Botticelli ("keg") passed to Sandro from his broker brother, who was a fat man. He studied painting with the monk Filippo Lippi and took over from him that passion in depicting touching motifs that distinguishes Lippi's historical paintings. Then he worked for the famous sculptor Verrocchio. In 1470 he organized his own workshop.

He adopted the subtlety and precision of lines from his second brother, who was a jeweler. For some time he studied with Leonardo da Vinci in the workshop of Verrocchio. The original feature of Botticelli's own talent is his inclination towards the fantastic. He was one of the first to introduce ancient myth and allegory into the art of his time, and he worked with special love on mythological subjects. Especially spectacular is his Venus, who swims naked on the sea in a shell, and the gods of the winds shower her with a rain of roses, and drive the shell to the shore.

The best creation of Botticelli is considered to be the frescoes he began in 1474 in the Sistine Chapel of the Vatican. Presumably Botticelli was an adherent of Savonarola. According to legend, already in old age, he burned his youthful painting at the stake of vanity. The Birth of Venus was the last such painting. Diligently studied Dante; The fruit of this study was the engravings on copper attached to the edition of Dante's Inferno (Magna's edition) published in Florence in 1481.

Completed many paintings commissioned by the Medici. In particular, he painted the banner of Giuliano Medici, brother of Lorenzo the Magnificent. In the 1470s-1480s, the portrait becomes an independent genre in the work of Botticelli ("Man with a Medal", ca. 1474; "Young Man", 1480s). Botticelli became famous for his delicate aesthetic taste and such works as The Annunciation (1489-1490), The Abandoned Woman (1495-1500), etc. In the last years of his life, Botticelli, apparently, left painting.

In 1504, the artist participated in the commission that determined the place for the installation of the statue of David by Michelangelo, but his proposal was not accepted. It is known that the artist's family had a house in the Santa Maria Novella quarter and income from a villa in Belsguardo. Sandro Botticelli is buried in the family tomb in the Ognissanti Church (Chiesa di Ognissanti) in Florence. According to the will, he was buried near the grave of Simonetta Vespucci, who inspired the most beautiful images of the master.

1469 Sandro Botticelli Vierge a l "Enfant et deux anges Detrempe sur panneau 100x71 cm

1470 Sandro Botticelli Vierge a l "Enfant et le petit saint Jean Detrempe sur panneau 93x69 cm Paris, musee du Louvre

Spring, (between 1477 and 1478), Uffizi, Florence

Birth of Venus, (c. 1484), Uffizi, Florence

1481 Sandro Botticelli Annonciation Fresque detachee 243x555 cm Florence, Galleria degli Uffizi

Detail

Detail

1482 Sandro Botticelli Pallas et le Centaure dst 207x148 cm Florence, Galleria degli Uffizi

1482 Sandro Botticelli Vierge en adoration devant l "Enfant avec le petit saint Jean Detrempe sur panneau 95 cm

1497 Sandro Botticelli La Calomnie Detrempe sur panneau 62x91 cm Florence, Galleria degli Uffizi

1498 Francesco Rosselli Supplice de Savonarole Detrempe sur panneau 101x117 cm Florence, Museo di San Marco

1500 Sandro Botticelli Episodes de la vie de Virginie Detrempe sur panneau 53x165 cm

1500 Sandro Botticelli Repos durant la fuite en Egypte Detrempe sur panneau 130x95 cm Paris, musee Jacquemart

Fully

Botticelli Sandro [actually Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi, Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi] (1445, Florence - May 17, 1510, Florence), Italian painter of the Early Renaissance, representative of the Florentine school. Sandro Botticelli is one of the most prominent artists of the Italian Renaissance. He created images-allegories captivating in their sublimity and presented the world with the ideal of female beauty. Born in the family of a leather tanner Mariano di Vanni Filipepi; nickname "Botticello" - "barrel" - inherited from his older brother Giovanni. Among the first information about the artist is an entry in the cadastre of 1458, made by the father about the ill health of his youngest son. Upon graduation, Botticelli became an apprentice in the jewelry workshop of his brother Antonio, but did not stay there for a long time and around 1464 he became an apprentice to the monk Fra Filippo Lippi from the monastery of Carmine, one of the most famous artists of that time.

Filippo Lippi's style had a huge influence on Botticelli, manifested mainly in certain types of faces (in a three-quarter turn), decorative and ornamental patterns of draperies, hands, in a penchant for detail and soft, brightened color, in its "wax" glow. There is no exact information about the period of Botticelli's studies with Filippo Lippi and about their personal relationship, but it can be assumed that they got along well with each other, since a few years later Lippi's son became a student of Botticelli. Their collaboration continued until 1467, when Filippo moved to Spoleto and Botticelli opened his workshop in Florence. In the works of the late 1460s, the fragile, planar linearity and grace, adopted from Filippo Lippi, are replaced by a more voluminous interpretation of the figures. Around the same time, Botticelli began to use ocher shadows to convey flesh color - a technique that became a noticeable feature of his style. The early works of Sandro Botticelli are characterized by a clear construction of space, a clear light and shade modeling, and an interest in everyday details (“Adoration of the Magi”, about 1474–1475, Uffizi).

From the end of the 1470s, after Botticelli's rapprochement with the court of the rulers of Florence, the Medici and the circle of Florentine humanists, the features of aristocracy and refinement intensified in his work, paintings appeared on ancient and allegorical themes, in which sensual pagan images are imbued with sublime and at the same time poetic, lyrical spirituality (“Spring”, circa 1477-1478, “The Birth of Venus”, circa 1482-1483, both in the Uffizi). The animation of the landscape, the fragile beauty of the figures, the musicality of light, quivering lines, the transparency of exquisite colors, as if woven from reflexes, create in them an atmosphere of dreaminess and slight sadness.

The easel portraits of the artist (portrait of a man with a medal, 1474, Uffizi Gallery, Florence; portrait of Giuliano Medici, 1470s, Bergamo; and others) are characterized by a combination of subtle nuances of the inner state of the human soul and a clear detailing of the characters portrayed. Thanks to the Medici, Botticelli became closely acquainted with the ideas of the humanists (a significant number of them were part of the Medici circle, a kind of elite intellectual center of the Renaissance Florence), many of which were reflected in his work. For example, mythological paintings (“Pallas Athena and the Centaur”, 1482; “Venus and Mars”, 1483 and others) were, of course, painted by the artist Botticelli by order of the cultural elite and were intended to decorate the palazzos or villas of noble Florentine customers. Until the time of the work of Sandro Botticelli, mythological themes in painting were found in decorative ornaments of wedding cassone and objects of applied art, only occasionally becoming an object of painting.

In 1481, Sandro Botticelli received an honorary commission from Pope Sixtus IV. The pontiff had just completed the construction of the Sistine Chapel of the Vatican Palace and wished that the best artists would decorate it with their frescoes. Along with the most famous masters of monumental painting of that time - Perugino, Cosimo Rossellini, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Pinturicchino and Signorelli - Botticelli was also invited at the direction of the pope. In the frescoes made by Sandro Botticelli in 1481–1482 in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican (“Scenes from the Life of Moses”, “The Punishment of Korea, Dathan and Abirona”, “The Healing of a Leper and the Temptation of Christ”), the majestic harmony of the landscape and ancient architecture is combined with internal plot tension , sharpness of portrait characteristics. In all three frescoes, the artist masterfully solved the problem of presenting a complex theological program in clear, light and lively dramatic scenes; while making full use of compositional effects.

Botticelli returned to Florence in the summer of 1482, perhaps due to the death of his father, but most likely on the business of his own studio, busy with work. Between 1480 and 1490, his fame reached its peak, and he began to receive such a huge number of orders that it was almost impossible to cope with them himself, so most of the paintings of the Madonna and Child were completed by his students, diligently, but not always brilliantly. who copied the style of their master. During these years, Sandro Botticelli painted several frescoes for the Medici at the Villa Spedaletto in Volterra (1483-84), a picture for the niche of the altar in the Bardi Chapel at the Church of Santo Spirito (1485) and several allegorical frescoes at the Villa Lemmi. 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 Madonna and Child with Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist (1485) and the Cestello Annunciation (1489–1490, Uffizi).

In the 1490s, during the era of social unrest that shook Florence and the mystical-ascetic sermons of the monk Savonarola, notes of drama, moralizing and religious exaltation appear in the art of Botticelli (“Lamentation of Christ”, after 1490, Poldi Pezzoli Museum, Milan; “Slander” , after 1495, Uffizi). The sharp contrasts of bright color spots, the internal tension of the drawing, the dynamics and expression of images testify to an unusual change in the artist's worldview - towards greater religiosity and even a kind of mysticism. However, his drawings for Dante's Divine Comedy (1492–1497, Engraving Cabinet, Berlin, and the Vatican Library), while sharply emotionally expressive, retain the lightness of the line and the clarity of the Renaissance images.

In the last years of the artist's life, his fame was waning: the era of new art was advancing and, accordingly, new fashion and new tastes. In 1505, he joined the city committee, which was supposed to determine the installation site of the statue by Michelangelo - his "David", but other than this fact, other information about the last years of Botticelli's life is unknown. It is noteworthy that when in 1502 Isabella dEste was looking for a Florentine artist for herself and Botticelli gave his consent to work, she rejected his services. Vasari in his "Biographies ..." painted a depressing picture of the last years of the artist's life, describing him as a poor man, "old and useless", unable to stand on his feet without the help of crutches. Most likely, the image of a completely forgotten and poor artist is the creation of Vasari, who was prone to extremes in the biographies of artists.

Sandro Botticelli died in 1510; thus ended the Quattrocento, the happiest era in Florentine art. Botticelli died at the age of 65 and was buried in the cemetery of the Florentine church of Ognissanti. Until the 19th century, when his work was rediscovered by the Pre-Raphaelite artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti and the art critics Walter Pater and John Ruskin, his name was virtually forgotten for the history of art. In Botticelli, they saw something akin to the preferences of their era - spiritual grace and melancholy, "sympathy for humanity in its unstable states", features of morbidity and decadence. The next generation of researchers of Botticelli painting, for example Herbert Horn, who wrote in the first decades of the 20th century, distinguished something else in it - the ability to convey the plasticity and proportions of the figure - that is, signs of an energetic language characteristic of the art of the early Renaissance. Before us are quite different assessments. What defines the art of Botticelli? The 20th century did a lot to get closer to understanding it. The master's paintings were organically included in the context of his time, connected with the artistic life, literature and humanistic ideas of Florence. Botticelli's painting, attractive and mysterious, is consonant with the worldview not only of the early Renaissance, but also of our time.

Sandro Botticelli, whose works are an invaluable heritage that embodies the reflections of bygone times, is an outstanding painter of the Renaissance, a striking figure against the background of the painters of the period of Lorenzo the Magnificent.

Biography of the Italian artist

Botticelli's real name is Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi. Botticelli's nickname was inherited from his older brother and means "barrel" in translation.

The Florentine Sandro Botticelli, whose works are admired by the whole world, was born in 1445 in the family of a leather tanner and was the youngest son. Father Mariano Filipepi and his wife Zmeralda rented an apartment, their own workshop gave a very modest income, so the tanner dreamed of successfully attaching his sons and leaving his craft. In 1458, Sandro worked as an apprentice in a jewelry workshop owned by his brother. Having become proficient in this subtle art, which requires confidence and accuracy in drawing, he soon became interested in painting and two years later he enrolled as an apprentice to the Florentine painter Fra Filippo Lippi, from whom he studied until the age of 22.

The first lessons of Botticelli

Valuable jewelry lessons were useful to the artist in the future: the famous works of Sandro Botticelli are characterized by the clarity of contour lines and the professional use of gold, which was used in its pure form to depict the background or as an admixture to paints. The time spent in the mentor's workshop was productive and fun for the young man. The student became a follower of his teacher and imitated him in everything. The latter, reciprocating such sincere devotion and the desire to absorb the knowledge gained as much as possible, tried to give Botticelli everything that was in his power. The style of the first teacher had a huge impact on the style of writing Botticelli's paintings, especially on the ornamental details, color and type of faces.

Further, Sandro, thirsting for new knowledge, became a visitor to the workshop of Andrea Verrocchio, an Italian sculptor and painter, a versatile person who led a team of young talented artists. The atmosphere of creative search, which dominated among people of art, is clearly expressed in the first works of the Florentine master: “Madonna and Child with Two Angels” and “Madonna in the Rosary”. It is in them that the experience gained by Botticelli from his teachers is clearly traced. In 1467, the Florentine decided to open his own workshop.

The main works of Sandro Botticelli: "Allegory of Strength"

The artist completed his first order in 1470 for the hall of the Commercial Court, a city institution that considered cases of economic offenses. It was the painting "Allegory of Strength", depicting a figure seated on a deep throne. Being the embodiment of conviction and moral strength, Botticelli's "Strength" expresses instability and internal fragility with its pose.

The year 1472 for Sandro was marked by enrollment in the association of artists - the Guild of St. Luke, which gave the painter the opportunity to maintain a workshop on a legal basis, surrounding himself with assistants. One of Botticelli's students was the son of a former teacher, Filippino Lippi.

Fame of the Florentine painter

By 1475, Sandro Botticelli, whose works are mostly written on biblical and mythological themes, became a widely known and sought-after master. The artist painted paintings for churches, created frescoes, gradually replacing the grace and planar linearity adopted from Filippo with a new understanding of volumes and a more powerful interpretation of figures. Unlike his first teacher, whose works are characterized by a pale palette, the painter enriched his canvases with bright colors, which gradually acquired more and more saturation. Also, Sandro Botticelli, whose paintings embody the spirit of the Renaissance, began to use ocher shadows to convey flesh color - a technique that became a feature of his style of writing canvases.

Famous works of Sandro Botticelli

Photos of the Italian artist's paintings convey the enormous talent of the Florentine, who left a bright mark on the creative heritage of his country. Many of Sandro Botticelli's works date back to the 1470s, although not all of them are accurately dated. The time of writing most of them was determined by conducting a stylistic analysis.

This time period includes such canvases as "The Adoration of the Magi" (1475), "St. Sebastian" (1473), "Portrait of a Florentine Lady" (1470) and "Portrait of a Young Man" (1470). Approximately in 1476, a portrait of Lorenzo the Magnificent's brother, Giuliano Medici, who was killed during the conspiracy of 1478, was painted. Botticelli was in close contact with the Medici family - the undisputed rulers of Florence. It was for Giuliano that the artist painted the banner for the 1475 tournament.

Personality of Botticelli's style

In the works of the period of the 1470s, one can trace the gradual growth of the artistic skill of the Florentine author: borrowed styles from other artists and stylistic fluctuations disappeared in his canvases. Botticelli developed his own style of writing: the characters in his paintings are characterized by a strong structure, the contours are characterized by vigor, elegance and clarity, and dramatic imagery is achieved by a combination of a strong inner mood and active action.

These components are present in the fresco "St. Augustine" (1480). The artist was strong in still life painting. The objects present in his paintings are depicted accurately and clearly, expressing the author's ability to correctly capture the essence of the form. However, they do not come to the fore, focusing the viewer's attention on key characters. As a background, Sandro Botticelli, whose paintings are presented in the world's most famous galleries, used Gothic churches, castle walls, thus achieving a picturesque romantic effect.

Frescoes for the Sistine Chapel

Sandro Botticelli, whose works lead the audience to complete delight, mainly received his orders in Florence. One of the most famous paintings - "Saint Sebastian", was written for the oldest church in the city, Santa Maria Maggiore. The canvas, solemnly placed on one of the church columns in January 1474, firmly established itself in the artistic panorama of Florence. In 1481, Sandro Botticelli, along with Domenico Ghirlandaio and Cosimo Rosselli, received an invitation from Pope Sixtus IV to Rome to paint frescoes on the side walls of the newly erected Sistine Chapel.

In the completed works Healing a Leper and Tempting Christ, Punishment of Korah and Scenes from the Life of Moses, the author masterfully solved the problem of interpreting a complex theological program: making full use of compositional effects, he interpreted it with lively, clear, light dramatic scenes.

Mythological trend in the paintings of Botticelli

Returning to Florence in 1482, Sandro buried his father. After a short break, he again took up painting. This time was the peak of Botticelli's fame: clients flocked to his workshop, so some of the orders were performed by the master's students, while he himself took on complex and prestigious orders.

At this time, the world saw the famous works of Sandro Botticelli: "Pallas and the Centaur", "Spring", "Venus and Mars", "The Birth of Venus", which are among the most valuable works of the Renaissance and are true masterpieces of Western European art. The plots of these canvases, in which the influence of ancient art and excellent knowledge of classical sculpture are clearly felt, are inspired by mythology.

"Birth of Venus"

The "Birth of Venus" symbolizes the myth of the union of matter and the life-giving spirit that breathes life into it. The perfection of the human race is embodied in the figure of Ora, holding out the cloak of modesty to the goddess - a historical moment that the Italian master Sandro Botticelli captured very clearly and soulfully.

The paintings, the list of which is quite extensive, at the later stages began to be characterized by signs of some mannerism, so to speak, self-admiration of their own skill. To increase psychological expressiveness, it goes to the violation of the proportions of the figures. It is known that Botticelli often ordered sketches for prints and fabrics, but only a small part of these drawings has survived to our time.

Famous paintings of the Italian

The canvas "The Wedding of the Mother of God" (1490) is saturated with exciting anxiety, anxiety of feelings and bright hopes. The angels depicted in the picture convey anxiety, in a gesture of St. Jerome shows confidence and dignity. In the work, one feels a certain departure from the perfection of proportions, an increase in tension, an increase in the sharpness of color - a certain change in the style inherent in Sandro Botticelli.

The works, photos of the canvases express the desire for deep drama, which is clearly seen in the painting “Abandoned”, the plot of which is taken from the Bible: Tamar, who was expelled by Ammon. The artistic personification of this historical fact carries a universal meaning: understanding of the weakness of a woman, sympathy for loneliness and the despair she restrains, a blank barrier in the form of a thick wall and locked gates.

The last years of the life of the Italian artist

In 1493, Botticelli buried his beloved brother Giovanni, while Florence said goodbye to Lorenzo the Magnificent. In the city - the former cradle of humanistic thought - Savonarody's revolutionary speeches were heard. came in the life of Sandro Botticelli. Pictures, the description of which is characterized by deep sadness and longing, express a complete decline in the mood of the author. Savonarody's sermons about the coming end of the world led the people in February 1497 to build a huge bonfire in the central square, in which they burned valuable works of art. Some artists also succumbed to mass psychosis, among whom was Botticelli. In flames, he burned several of his sketches, although there is no exact evidence of this act. Soon Savonarola was accused of heresy and publicly executed.

Towards the end of his life, Botticelli was very lonely, became infirm and very ill. According to contemporaries, the artist was able to move only with the help of crutches. His former glory remained in the past, orders ceased to arrive: times changed, a new era of art took its place. The artist has never been married and had no children. Sandro Botticelli died all alone in 1510.