History of paintings of women on earth and heaven. Heavenly love and earthly love

Titian. Heavenly Love and Earthly Love, ca. 1514

The subject of the painting is of great interest and still causes controversy among art critics. The very fact that the title of the painting has changed many times speaks of its significance and unusualness.
Following Giorgione, Titian wrote in the 1510s a number of allegorical and mythological scenes, the characters of which appear against the backdrop of complete harmony and tranquility of nature. These include one of his most famous works of these years - Earthly Love and Heavenly Love.

In the Borghese Gallery catalog the painting had various names: “Beauty, Embellished and Unadorned” (1613), “Three Types of Love” (1650), “Divine and Secular Women” (1700), and, finally, “Heavenly Love and Earthly Love” (1792 and 1833).
Which name do you think is more appropriate?

HISTORY OF THE PICTURE.

The painting was commissioned by Niccolò Aurelio, Secretary of the Council of Ten of the Venetian Republic. The coats of arms depicted on the sarcophagus and silver platter belong to the Venetian Aurelio family and the Paduan Bagarotto family, therefore, apparently, the painting was painted in honor of the wedding of Nicolo Aurelio and Laura Bagarotto in 1514.

The wedding was celebrated in Venice on May 17, 1514, and the painting was most likely his wedding gift to the bride. Modern name the painting was not given by the artist himself.
The work was purchased in 1608 by the art patron Scipione Borghese, after which it began to be exhibited alongside other exhibits from the Borghese collection at the Galleria Borghese in Rome. In 1899, financial tycoon Rothschild made an offer to buy the painting for 4 million lire, but his offer was rejected.

ARTIST'S INTENTION.

“Earthly and Heavenly Love” is one of Titian’s first works, in which the artist’s originality is clearly revealed. The plot of the painting still seems mysterious. Titian's goal is to convey a certain state of mind.
Against the backdrop of a sensual landscape, on a beautiful summer evening, by a well, the water of which a little cupid muddies with his hand, two women are sitting opposite each other.

One, very young, with dreamy eyes, with her head bowed to her shoulder, seems to give herself up to the kisses of the sky, anticipating love. Another, superbly dressed beauty, calm and confident, holds her hand on the lid of the bowl.
Cupid, located between the earthly Venus and the heavenly Venus, lowered his plump hand into the sarcophagus fountain, turning dead water into living water.

Some researchers believe that the painting depicts the meeting of Medea and Venus from “The Dream of Polyphemus,” a literary allegory written in the 15th century by Francesco Colonna. Others see in this painting a portrait of the artist’s beloved, the beautiful Violanta, depicted both in clothes and naked.
But whatever the original subject, literary, symbolic or allegorical, it was soon forgotten, because it had no significance in comparison with the artistic power of the canvas.

In the woman on the left, some art historians see an allegorical figure of Shyness, who hides her wealth in a closed bowl. You can see from her eyes that she is listening to the splash of water, or perhaps to those seductive words with which the naked beauty addresses her.

What is especially striking about it is the character of some kind of massiveness and density. Medea's heavy dress should restrain her impulses and make her movements slow.
appears before us beautiful world, full of harmony, vitality and sensual charm. These women, naked and clothed, are its embodiment, sitting on the edge of a sarcophagus filled with water, from which little Cupid catches rosehip flowers - a symbol of earthly love. Leaning towards each other, these two beautiful figures form a semblance of an invisible arch, giving everything depicted mystery and grandeur.

The naked body of Venus also does not speak of speed or passion, but reflects a calm nature, alien to rebellion. In the composition itself, in this preponderance of one (left) part of the picture over the other, the same tendency towards heaviness, towards some kind of “materiality” is reflected.
The poetic unity of the picture is greatly contributed by the landscape. The dark green crowns of the trees and heavy wet clouds over the still water harmonize most miraculously with the beauty of the women.
The warm rays of the setting sun spread throughout the landscape, and the hot breath of nature is everywhere.

The artist offers a choice of two ways to live: rapturously dreaming or calmly possessing. Two loves: heavenly and earthly. Titian would paint this picture immediately after tragic death Giorgione. He has another 70 years of life ahead of him, which (judging by his biography) he will live in calm possession.

If we already talk about love in front of this picture, then only about earthly love, about love for all nature, for all life as a whole, in which these two beautiful women have the meaning of parts of the whole, and not “heroines”.

The depicted area is shrouded in the twilight of a voluptuous night; - only high on the castle tower and the white glow of dawn burns out in the clouds. A mysterious moment of calm, respite.
The bustle of people retreats to peace, travelers hurry home, and the hour of Venus comes, holding a lamp in her hand to shine in the darkness, the hour of Eros, stirring up the magic pond and turning its dark waters into a wonderful potion.

The royal girl listens to all the rustling in the grass, to the splash of water, to the rustle of foliage thickened in the fading light, to distant cries and singing, and it seems to her that she is being called somewhere, she imagines the gods of love pleasures, she listens to the vows of future embraces and conceptions.
THEY SAY:
That the painting depicts Titian’s beloved woman, Violanta, the daughter of the artist Palma the Elder, whose name is associated famous portrait Venetian golden-haired beauty from Vienna "Violante (La Bella Gatta)", attributed to the brush of Titian or Palma the Elder.

Titian's young chosen one, Violante, is depicted in the painting in two incarnations - in the form of earthly Love and heavenly Love. The lady, traditionally considered the earthly Venus, has all the attributes of a bride: blue and white clothes, myrtle branches in her hand.
Her dress is belted with a sash with a buckle: the emblem of marriage. In front of her on the parapet there is a bowl with precious stones: symbol of completeness and well-being family life. Heavenly love is naked, it has nothing to hide...

SO WHAT DO YOU THINK THE ARTIST WANTED TO SAY?

Text with illustrations.http://maxpark.com/community/6782/content/2521020

Once upon a time there lived greatest master Renaissance Titian. He wrote a lot - religious subjects, mythological ones, and portraits. Sometimes everything was in one picture at once. As, for example, in the case of “Earthly love and heavenly love.” The mixture of symbols and the absence of an author's title ensured the painting's fame as one of the most mysterious in the history of not only Titian himself, but also world painting.

Titian. Heavenly love and earthly love. OK. 1514
Canvas, oil. 118 × 279 cm
Galleria Borghese, Rome. Wikimedia Commons
Clickable - 6009px × 2385px

Plot

Let's start with the fact that there is nothing exactly certain in the story with the plot and title of this painting. The modern name appeared much later than the painting itself, and there is no agreement among fellow art critics about who is depicted and why. The two main versions do not cancel one another; rather, on the contrary, they complement the mosaic of meanings.

So, let's start with the earthly. It is believed that the painting was painted by order of the secretary of the Council of Ten, Nicolo Aurelio, who was going to marry Laura Bagarotto. The painting was supposed to be a gift to his young wife. There is an abundance of wedding symbolism in the picture. The girl is dressed in a white dress; on her head is a myrtle wreath (a plant of Venus, symbolizing love and fidelity); she covers the cup with her hand (in such vessels grooms presented wedding gifts to Venetian brides); she is wearing a belt and gloves (the first is a symbol of marital fidelity, the second is an attribute of a wedding dress, which grooms gave as a betrothal gift as a sign of the seriousness of their intentions).

The painting received its name 150 years after it was painted.

If you suddenly thought that Laura Bagarotto looked like the woman in the painting, then you were mistaken. If this had been a portrait, then the nude Venus would have been painted from Laura, which in those days would have damaged the reputation of a decent woman. Titian created an idealized image of the newlywed.

Titian. Venus of Urbino. 1538
Venere di Urbino
Canvas, oil. 119 × 165 cm
Uffizi, Florence. Wikimedia Commons

“Venus of Urbino” (1538), which 300 years later would inspire Edgar Manet’s scandalous “Olympia”

We see that Venus is equal. That is, both the earthly, bodily, and the heavenly, spiritual are equally important for a person. After all, through both the first and the second one can know the truth. Earthly Venus holds flowers at her hem, which means a combination of several types of love.

Titian was called Divine for his talent

Context

The painting received its current title in 1693. Prior to this, art historians, based on various options interpretations of the plot and symbolism called the painting “Beauty, embellished and unembellished.” Until the 20th century, no one paid much attention to wedding symbols. And the coat of arms of the Venetian family was not noticed on the well. But especially attentive researchers saw that the owner of the coat of arms was Nicolo Aurelio. His marriage to Laura Bagarotto, a young widow from Padua, was the subject of speculation. The reason for this is the bride’s difficult past.

Titian loved women very much, especially experienced ones and in body

"Allegory of Prudence" (1565−1570). Portraits of Titian, his son Orazio and nephew Marco are paired with the heads of a wolf, lion and dog, representing the past, present and future

Permission for the marriage of a high-ranking Venetian official with the widow and daughter of state criminals was discussed by a commission headed by the Doge, and it was received. It is possible that the painting, commissioned from the most prestigious artist in Venice, was supposed to add respectability to the marriage in the eyes of fellow citizens.

According to one version, the well is a marble sarcophagus. The relief on the marble depicts the beating of Adonis by the jealous Mars - the young man died at the hands of the god of war. This is not only an indication of the tragically ended love of the goddess Venus, but also a reminder of the sad past of Laura Bagarotto.

The fate of the artist

Venetian Renaissance titan, nicknamed Divine. Titian glorified life and sensual beauty. Largely thanks to him, colorism became what we know it today. If it were not for his genius, the artist’s works would be called insolence and blasphemy. But no one could remain indifferent to the power of Titian's talent. His paintings are full of life, strength, dynamics. Canvases with religious subjects literally shine and glorify God. Portraits depict complex psychological types. And mythological stories are full of bliss and a sense of peace and harmony in merging with nature.

Self-portrait, 1567

In 1527, Rome was captured and sacked. Art responded to this with mechanized subjects and dark colors. Darkness is coming, there is no salvation - approximately such sentiments reigned in Italian art. Titian continued to paint a strong man, a fighter.

He lived indecently for his era long life. And he died either from the plague or from old age - there is no consensus. The second version is supported by the fact that the artist was buried not in a plague cemetery, but with all due honors in the Venetian Cathedral of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari.

For several centuries, Titian's painting was considered only an allegory. However, the artist wrote differently: he deliberately mixed symbols with specific details. After all, the goal was not at all abstract - to smooth out the scandal in the secular circles of Venice.

Titian "Heavenly Love and Earthly Love." Borghese Gallery

The painting was painted around 1514. The painting received the title “Heavenly Love and Earthly Love” in 1693. The women depicted on it with identical faces were identified with the two hypostases of the goddess of love, known to Renaissance intellectuals from the works ancient philosophers. However, the title of Titian's masterpiece was first mentioned in 1613 as "Beauty, Embellished and Unadorned." It is unknown what the artist or the customer called the canvas.

Only in the 20th century did researchers pay attention to the abundance of wedding symbols and the coat of arms of the Venetian family on the canvas. They concluded that the owner of the coat of arms, the secretary of the Council of Ten Nicolo Aurelio, commissioned the painting from Titian on the occasion of his marriage in 1514 to Laura Bagarotto, a young widow from Padua. As the Venetian chronicler of that time, Marin Sanudo, noted, this wedding was “discussed everywhere” - the newlywed had too difficult a past.

In 1509, at the height of the military conflict between the Venetian Republic and the Holy Roman Empire, Laura's first husband, the Paduan aristocrat Francesco Borromeo, took the side of the emperor. Padua was subordinate to Venice, so Borromeo was arrested and probably executed by the Council of Ten as a traitor. Many of Laura's relatives were imprisoned and exiled. Her father Bertuccio Bagarotto, a university professor, was hanged in front of his wife and children on the same charge, which in his case was unjust.

Permission for the marriage of a high-ranking Venetian official with the widow and daughter of state criminals was discussed by a commission headed by the Doge, and it was received. Through the efforts of the groom, Laura’s previously confiscated rich dowry was returned the day before the wedding. The painting, commissioned from the most prestigious and by no means cheap artist in Venice, was probably supposed to add respectability to the marriage in the eyes of fellow citizens.

1. Bride. According to art critic Rona Goffin, this is unlikely to be a portrait of Laura Bagarotto, because then the naked lady was painted from her, which in those days would have damaged the reputation of a decent woman. This is an idealized image of a newlywed.

2. Dress. As shown by radiographic analysis, Titian first painted it in red. However, at the top of Laura's trousseau list was a wedding dress made of white satin, and Rona Goffin suggested that the artist decided to depict this particular dress. A belt, a symbol of marital fidelity, and gloves are also attributes of a wedding dress: grooms gave these things as a gift for betrothal as a sign of the seriousness of their intentions.

3. Wreath. Evergreen myrtle is a plant of Venus, symbolizing love and fidelity. Wreaths woven from it were an attribute of weddings in Ancient Rome.

4. Bowl. As Rona Goffin wrote, grooms traditionally presented wedding gifts to Venetian brides in similar vessels.

5. Rabbits. The symbol of fertility next to the figure of the bride is a wish for the newlyweds to have numerous offspring.

6. Nude. According to most researchers, including Italian Renaissance art expert Federico Zeri and British Titian specialist Charles Hope, this is the goddess Venus. She and the newlywed are so similar because in ancient poetry the bride was often compared to the goddess of love. Venus blesses an earthly woman for marriage.

7. Landscape. According to Dzeri, behind the backs of the characters two contrasting symbols associated with marriage are shown: the road up the mountain is the difficult path of prudence and unshakable fidelity, the plain is the bodily pleasures of marriage.

8. Cupid. The son of Venus, the winged god of love here is the mediator between the goddess and the bride.

9. Fountain. It bears the coat of arms of the Aurelio family. According to art historian Walter Friedländer, this is the tomb of Venus's lover Adonis, described in the 15th century novel “Hypnerotomachy of Polyphilus” - a sarcophagus (symbol of death) from which water flows (symbol of life). The relief on the marble depicts the beating of Adonis by the jealous Mars: according to the novel, the young man died at the hands of the god of war. This is not only an indication of the tragically ended love of the goddess, but also a reminder of the sad past of Laura Bagarotto.

10. Lamp. The antique lamp in Venus’s hand, according to Federico Zeri, symbolizes the flame of divine, sublime love.

Titian considered one of greatest painters Renaissance. The artist was not yet thirty years old when he was recognized as the best in Venice. One of his most famous paintings is “Heavenly Love and Earthly Love” ( Amor Sacro and Amor Profano). It conceals many hidden symbols and signs, which art historians are still struggling to decipher.

Most researchers are of the opinion that this painting was supposed to be a gift for the wedding of the Secretary of the Council of Ten of the Venetian Republic, Nicolo Aurelio, and Laura Bagarotto. One of the indirect confirmations of this version is the coat of arms of Aurelio, which can be seen on the front wall of the sarcophagus.

It was not only Titian who filled his canvases with hidden symbolism. In the painting of another Renaissance artist Sandro Botticelli

The painting was commissioned by Niccolò Aurelio, Secretary of the Council of Ten of the Venetian Republic. An indirect fact confirming the identity of the customer is the presence of the coat of arms of Niccolo Aurelio on the front wall of the sarcophagus. Aurelio married a young widow, Laura Bagarotto. The wedding was celebrated in Venice on May 17, 1514, and the painting was most likely his wedding gift to the bride. The modern name of the painting was not given by the artist himself, but began to be used at least two centuries after its creation.

Against the backdrop of a sunset landscape, a richly dressed Venetian woman, holding a needlework box with her left hand, and a naked Venus, holding a bowl of fire, sit at the source. According to S. Zuffi, dressed girl represents love in marriage; The color of her dress (white), the belt, the gloves on her hands, the myrtle wreath crowning her head, her flowing hair and roses indicate marriage. In the background there is a pair of rabbits - a wish for large offspring. This is not a portrait of Laura Bagarotto, but an allegory of a happy marriage.

A marble sarcophagus turned into a spring is a mysterious detail. Marble, a symbol of death, is quite strange to find in a picture filled with wishes for a happy family life. The scene of violence on the sarcophagus apparently recalls the unjust execution of Laura's father, Bertuccio Bagarotto, which occurred in 1509. The basin standing on the sarcophagus is decorated with the heraldic signs of the Bagarotto family. Pure water in the source symbolizes the birth of a new life.

The naked girl symbolizes love, which is transformed into eternal, heavenly, this is indicated by the burning lamp in her raised hand.

Notes

Literature

In Russian

• Batkin L. M. The Italian Renaissance: Issues and People. - M.: RSUH, 1995. - P. 195-196. - 448 p.
• Benois, A. N. Heavenly love, earthly love// History of painting. - St. Petersburg. , 1912-1917. - T. II.
• Dzeri F. (English) Russian . Titian. Earthly love and heavenly love. - White City, 2006. - 48 p. - (One hundred great paintings). - 5000 copies. - ISBN 5-7793-0415-7.
• Zuffi S. it. Large atlas of painting. art. 1000 years. - M.: Olma-Press, 2004. - 432 p. - ISBN 5-224-04316-6.
• Krivtsun O. A. Aesthetics: A Textbook. - M.: Aspect Press, 2000. - 434 p. - ISBN 5756702105.
• Makarova N. I. Titian: “Earthly and heavenly love” // Ideas and ideals. - 2009. - No. 2..

• Argan G. C. L"Amor sacro e l"Amor profano di Tiziano Vecellio. - Milano: Bompiani, 1950.
• Bonicatti M. Aspetti dell "Umanesimo nella pittura veneta dal 1455 al 1515. - Roma: Cremonese, 1964.
• Calvesi M. it. Un amore per Venere e Proserpina // Art e Dossier it. - 1989. - No. 39.
• Clerici G. P. Tiziano e l"Hypnerotomachia Poliphili e una nuova interpretazione del quadro della Galleria Borghese (L"Amor Sacro e l"Amor Profano) // Bibliofilia XX. - 1918. - No. 19.
• Cozzi G. (English) Russian . Tiziano e Venezia. Atti del Convegno di Studi. - Vicenza: Neri Pozza, 1980.
• Friedlander W. La tintura delle rose.. - The Art Bulletin. - 1938. - Vol. XVI. - P. 320-324.
• Gentili A. Da Tiziano a Tiziano. mito e allegoria nella cultura veneziana del Cinquecento. - Milano: Feltrinelli, 1980.
• Gibellini C. Tiziano. - Milano: Rizzoli, 2003. - (I Classici dell'arte).
• Gnoli U. Amor Sacro e Profano? // Rassegna d'Arte. - 1902. - Vol. II.
• Goffen R. Titian's ‘Sacred and Profane Love’ and Marriage// The Expanding Discourse: Feminism and Art. - New York: Harper Collins, 1992.
• Titian's Sacred and Profane Love: Individuality and Sexulity in a Renaissance Marriage Picture// Studies of History of Art. - 1993. - Vol. XXV.
• Hope C. Problems of interpretations in Titian's erotic paintings// Tiziano e Venezia. Atti del convegno di studi. - Vicenza: Neri Pozza, 1980.
• Hourticq L. La Fontaine d'amour de Titien // Gazette des Beaux-Arts. - 1917. - Vol. XII.
• Mayer A. L. Aurelio Nicolò: the Commisioner of Titian's Sacred and Profane Love // ​​The Art Bulletin. - 1939. - Vol. XXI.
• Ozzola L. Venere e Elena. L"amor sacro e l"amor profano // L"Arte. - 1906. - Vol. IX.
• Panofsky E. Immagini simboliche. Studi sull "arte del Rinascimento. - Milano: Feltrinelli, 1978.
• Peterson E. Tizians amor sagro e profano und Willkurlichkeiten moderner Kunsterklaurung // Die Galerien Europas. - 1907. - Vol. 2.
• Poppelreuter J. de . Sappho und die Najade Titians, Himmlische und irdische Liebe // Repertorium für Kunstwissenschaft. - 1913. - Vol. XXXVI.
• Ricciardi M. L. L"Amor sacro e profano. Un ulteriore tentativo di sciogliere l"enigma // Notizie da Palazzo Albani. - 1986. - Vol. XV.
• Robertson G. Honour, Love and Truth: An Alternative Reading of Titian's Sacred and Profane Love // ​​Renaissance Studies. - 1988. - Vol. 2.
• Valcanover F.ru it. Tiziano. - Milano: Mondadori Arte, 2008. - ISBN 978-88-370-6436-5.