Sandro Botticelli (Alessandro Mariano Di Vanni Di Amedeo Filipepi) (1445-1510) - famous Italian artist early Renaissance.
Botticelli, nicknamed Sandro, was born in Florence into the family of a leather tanner. He was brought up by his older brother Antonio, a goldsmith nicknamed Botticello (barrel), from whom this nickname passed on to Sandro.
From 1465 to 1467, Botticelli worked as an apprentice in the workshop of Fra Filippo Lippi. His early works are close to the paintings of the teacher, whose work is filled with tender, lyrical images.In 1470, Botticelli opened his own workshop, which expanded as the artist’s popularity grew, students entered it, and in 1472 he joined the Guild of St. Luke.
In 1474, Botticelli travels to Pisa to examine the frescoes of the Camposanto cemetery, paints the fresco of the Assumption of the Madonna in the Pisa Cathedral, which was not completed (died in 1583).
In the same year, he created St. Sebastian (1474, Berlin, State Museums) to decorate the pilaster of the central nave of the church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Florence. The saint's suffering is more spiritual than physical. At the same time, Botticelli gives an anatomically accurate interpretation of the naked body.
"St. Sebastian"
Around 1473
Wood, tempera 195 x 75 cm
Berlin. Art Gallery
Probably originally located in Santa Maria Maggiore in Florence
"The Return of Judith"
1472-1473
Wood, tempera 31 x 24 cm
Florence. Uffizi Gallery
Customer: Rudolfo Sirigatti, part of a diptych, cf. "Discovery of the Beheaded Holofernes", also located in the Uffizi.
In 1470-1471, Botticelli created four paintings on the theme “Adoration of the Magi”, cf. National Gallery, London and Uffizi, Florence
Having achieved honor thanks to “St. Augustine,” Botticelli, commissioned by the Silk Workshop, wrote “The Wedding of the Madonna” with a choir of angels for the monastery of San Marco (Florence, Uffizi). Two famous paired compositions “The Story of Judith” (Florence, Uffizi), also related to early works masters (circa 1470), illustrate his gift as a storyteller, the ability to combine expression and action, revealing the dramatic essence of the 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.
Around 1475, the artist painted “The Adoration of the Magi” for Gaspare di Zanobi, his first real masterpiece. The customer belonged to a corporation of money changers and was in close relations with the Medici family, the de facto rulers of the city.
Perhaps it was Zanobi who introduced the artist to the Medici court, so that some of the characters in the Adoration of the Magi are considered portraits of individuals from this family. On April 26, 1478, during the Francesco Pazzi conspiracy, Giuliano Medici was killed in the city cathedral during mass. His brother Lorenzo managed to escape. By order of Lorenzo, many of Pazzi's entourage were immediately arrested and hanged from the windows of the Palazzo Vecchio. For the edification of possible rebels, Botticelli was commissioned to paint portraits of the conspirators on the walls of the Palazzo.
Although the order was of such a strange nature, it greatly contributed to the artist’s success. From that moment on, Botticelli began to enjoy the patronage of the Medici, especially from Lorenzo Pierfrancesco, cousin of Lorenzo the Magnificent, who in 1476, having inherited a huge fortune from his father, acquired a magnificent villa in Castello and entrusted the master with its decoration.
The second half of the 70s and 80s was the period of the artist’s creative heyday.
In Castello, Botticelli painted his two most famous paintings: “Becna” and “Birth of Venus”
"Spring (Primavera)"
Around 1485-1487
Wood, tempera 203 x 314 cm
Florence. Uffizi Gallery
The exact design of Botticelli's "Spring" (circa 1482) has always been the subject of an infinite number of hypotheses, although characters here are quite identifiable: on the right - Zephyr (warm western wind) pursues the nymph, the goddess of flowers Flora scatters flowers all over the earth; on the left, three Graces, clasping their hands, begin to dance; Mercury disperses the clouds with his winged rod; in the center of the picture - Venus and Cupid are watching what is happening. The subtle symbolic subtext in the picture is partly readable: here again there are orange trees in the background (a symbol of marriage), Flora is an image of the flowering and fruiting of nature, Mercury is the god of the planet of the same name, visible in the sky in the spring months, Graces are the nymphs of harmony, beauty, and feminine virtues , Venus is the true queen of the world, the law of which is love itself (Cupid throws arrows of love).
Perhaps the painting should be interpreted in the light of Neoplatonic philosophy. In this vein, Venus can be seen as the personification of humanistic thought, which distinguishes sensual love (Zephyrus persistently pursuing the nymph) from spiritual love, represented by the Graces and Mercury.
"Birth of Venus" 1484-1486
Florence, Uffizi Gallery
The Birth of Venus, along with Spring and Pallas and the Centaur, were commissioned by Botticelli Lorenzo Pierfrancesco de' Medici for the Villa Castello near Florence. All three paintings are large format and are innovative in the history of painting, since for the first time a secular theme was executed with the same dignity and respect-inspiring scale that had previously been awarded only to works on religious themes.
Beautiful, like an ancient Greek marble statue and with the face of the Madonna, Botticelli’s Venus is a symbol of ideal and spiritualized beauty. She emerged from the sea and is carried to the shore on a large shell by the breath of Zephyr and Chloe, while Ora, the personification of spring, approaches her to envelop her in a cover embroidered with flowers. As noted by some researchers, the relationship between the poses and gestures of the goddess and Ora refers us to the iconography of the baptism of Christ by John the Baptist and gives a mythological plot symbolic meaning. Thus, Botticelli shows that he is intimately familiar with cultural environment of his era and, in particular, with Neoplatonism, which saw in ancient myths a foreshadowing of the ideas of Christianity. The most plausible hypothesis is that all four paintings were painted on the occasion of a wedding. They are the most remarkable surviving works of this genre of painting, which glorifies marriage and the virtues associated with the birth of love in the soul of an immaculate and beautiful bride. The same ideas are central to four compositions illustrating G. Boccaccio’s story “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.
With one hand slightly covering her chest and the other on her bosom, the pose of Venus is reminiscent of the ancient statue of Venus Pudica (from Latin - modest, chaste, bashful), which is also known as the statue of Venus de Medici (Medicean), as it comes from the collection Medici. The white dress of Ora, a nymph who personifies spring here, the time of flowering and renewal, is covered with live and decorated with embroidered lilies, with a belt of roses, like Flora’s in “Spring”; around her neck is a garland of myrtle, a symbol dedicated to Venus eternal love. On the right in the picture are orange trees in bloom (orange is a symbol of the divine origin of Venus and the flower of marriage). In the picture, another attribute of Venus is pale pink flowers that fly in the wind: according to myth, white roses were turned red by drops of the blood of the goddess, who injured her legs while searching for her dead lover Adonis.
Although the painting is traditionally called “The Birth of Venus,” it does not show the birth itself. According to Greek myth, Venus arose from the foam of the sea, formed from the fall into the sea of the genital organ of Uranus, cut off by Zeus. Most likely, Botticelli was inspired here by A. Poliziano’s contemporary poem “Dancing for the Tournament,” which says that Venus sailed to the shore on a large shell.
Venus detail EUR
"Minerva and the Centaur"
Around 1482-1483
Tempera on canvas 207 x 148 cm
Florence. Uffizi Gallery
"Venus and Mars"
Around 1483
Wood, tempera 69 x 173.5 cm
London. National Gallery
The painting from Botticelli's mythological "series" - "Mars and Venus" (London, National Gallery) - may have been commissioned from the artist by the Vespucci family, close to the Medici, since several wasps are visible on the very edge on the right ("vespa" in Italian - wasp, she - heraldic symbol of the family). The plot of the triumph of love was often played out in art, and such paintings were often given as gifts on the occasion of betrothal. While Mars is resting, little satyrs play with his weapons and armor - now they are completely safe. Perhaps this painting also adorned the head of the marriage bed or adorned the wall of the wedding cassone. One can also see an allegory in the picture: Venus (humanistic thought) has a beneficial effect on strife and uncontrollable elements, pacifying rough nature (Mars). In addition, in accordance with humanistic views, Harmony is born from the union of Venus and Mars - love and struggle.
Frescoes Sistine Chapel (1481-1482)
"Wall Decoration"
1481-82
fresco
Sistine Chapel, Vatican
In the painting The Adoration of the Magi (1475-1478, Florence, Uffizi Gallery), Botticelli, under the guise of the Magi and their retinue, depicts representatives of the Medici family and shows himself in the foreground.
"Adoration of the Magi"
1481-1482
Wood, tempera 70.2 x 104.2 cm
Washington. National Gallery of Art
"Portrait of Simoneta Vespucci"
Around 1476-1480
47.5 x 35 cm
Wood, tempera
Berlin. Art Gallery
Controversial identification, work done in Botticelli's workshop
In the 1490s, the artist became increasingly pessimistic. The death of Lorenzo the Magnificent (1449-1492), the capture of Florence by French troops and the apocalyptic views of Savonarola (1452-1498), which Botticelli sympathized with, all of this produced a revolution in his consciousness.Melancholy and hopelessness can be read in the painting Abandoned (c. 1495, Rome, Pallavicini collection), based on biblical story. It shows a lonely young woman in great grief and confusion.
Abandoned
1495g, tempera on panel,
private collection, Rome (Coll.Pallavicini), Italy
Silent silence... Perhaps a moment ago, the area in front of the closed doors was full of movement. The young woman was eager, knocking on the closed gate. I rushed up the steps. She tore her clothes. She screamed. She called someone. An ominous silence reigned near the massive walls, built from cyclopean blocks. Despair won. Despair set in.Which scary way The artist must go through so that after “Spring” - a hymn to the joy of life - to create “Abandoned” seventeen years later. Truly a symbol of the collapse of fate. In its expression, compositional structure, rhythm, and color, this painting was almost five centuries ahead of its era. It seems that the painting is a reflection of the state of the artist’s soul. His experiences and thoughts. Summing up some half-century-old notes. Botticelli’s own confusion at the hopelessness of his own life efforts in the conditions of a difficult and tragic time...
Drama is also evident in other paintings by Botticelli of this period: Lamentation (1495-1500, Munich, Alte Pinakothek), Slander (c. 1495, Florence, Uffizi Gallery), the subject of which was the story of the Roman writer of the 2nd century. BC.
"Lamentation of Christ"
1495,
tempera on panel, 107 x 71 cm,
Poldi Pezzoli Museum, Milan
"Lamentation of Christ"
About 1500
Wood, tempera 140 x 207 cm
Munich. Old Pinakothek
From the Church of San Paolino in Florence
"Slander"
Around 1495
Wood, tempera 62 x 91 cm
Florence. Uffizi Gallery
Libel, 1495 Uffizi, Florence
The plot is simple and allegorical: King Midas, sitting on the throne, is whispered into his donkey ears by two figures - allegorical images of Ignorance and Suspicion. Slander - beautiful girl with the appearance of innocence - and its instigator, Envy, drags the accused to the king. Near Slander, its companions are Cunning and Deception, supporting it and exalting it. In the distance, the artist depicts the figures of Repentance - an old woman dressed in mourning clothes, and naked Truth, looking up.In 1496 he painted St. Francis for the bedroom of the monastery of Santa Maria di Monticelli
Saint Francis of Assisi with angels
around 1475-1480
London National Gallery
In 1492-1500 he created a series of illustrations for Divine Comedy Dante, where one drawing is dedicated to each song. Drawings on large sheets parchment executed in a fine linear manner (Berlin, Engraving Cabinet state museums; Rome, Vatican Library).
Portrait of Dante
1495g, tempera, canvas, 54.7 x 47.5 cm
private collection, Geneva, Switzerland
Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) - Italian poet, creator of Italian literary language, the last poet of the Middle Ages and at the same time the first poet of modern times. The pinnacle of Dante's work is the poem "The Divine Comedy" (1307-21, published in 1472) in three parts (HELL, PURGATORY, PARADISE)Botticelli creates this grandiose cycle of illustrations from 1492 to 1500. The drawings are made with a metal pin on large sheets of parchment. One drawing is dedicated to each song. Several drawings for “Paradise” are not finished, and for the XXX1 song “Purgatory” the master completed two versions of the drawing. Most of the illustrations that Botticelli made for the Divine Comedy were hidden from people for many centuries. And only at the dawn of the current millennium they were collected and systematized.
Illustrations for The Divine Comedy
HELL
Artist: Sandro Botticelli
Illustration for The Divine Comedy (Hell), 1480
Completion date: 1480
Style: Early Renaissance
Genre: illustration
Technique: pen, metal needle
Material: parchment
Gallery: Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana
Hell, Canto XVIII, 1480
Paradise, Canto VI, 1490Purgatory, 1490
In 1501 he completed work on Nativity (London, National Gallery) - the only work dated and signed by Botticelli himself. The film combines scenes of “Nativity” and “Adoration of the Magi.”
"Christmas"
1500
Tempera on canvas 108.5 x 75 cm
London. National Gallery.
Botticelli “retired from work and eventually grew old and impoverished so much that if he had not been remembered while he was still alive by Lorenzo de’ Medici, for whom he, not to mention many other things, worked a lot in a small hospital in Volterra , and behind him his friends, and many wealthy people, admirers of his talent, he could have died of hunger.“Sandro does not go in the retinue of others, but, having united in himself very much that was scattered, he reflects with amazing completeness the ideals of his time. Not only do we like him, but great success He also used it among his contemporaries. His purely personal art reflected the face of the century. In it, as if in a focal point, everything that preceded that moment of culture and everything that then constituted the “present” were combined.”
Original post and comments at
OK. 1495 Botticelli. Poldi Pezzoli Museum, Milan
“In the church of Sita Maria Maggiore in Florence, near the Panciatica Chapel, there is an excellent Lamentation of Christ written by him with small figures.”
Botticelli increasingly reveals the darker side of life. He lived under the same roof with his brother Simone, a convinced “pianoni” (literally “crybaby” - the so-called followers of Savonarola), and was strongly influenced by Fra Girolamo, which could not but leave a deep mark on his painting.
This is reflected in his appeal to religious subjects and in the most dramatic depth and expression of the artist’s interpretation of them. The feeling of tragedy grows in his soul, reaching its apogee in “Pieta” (this Italian term is used to call the plot “Mourning of the Dead Christ”).
This is eloquently evidenced by two altar images, “The Entombment” from the Munich Pinakothek and “The Lamentation of Christ.” The artist experiences Christian drama primarily as human grief, as endless grief for an innocent victim who has gone through the path of suffering and shameful execution on the cross. This feeling overwhelms the master’s soul, and although the theme of “Lamentation” has its own deep dogmatic meaning, it is precisely this feeling that dominates in both of his “Pieta” compositions. The power of experience captures each of the characters and unites them into a pathetic whole. The content is conveyed in the language of line and color, which by this time had undergone a sharp change in the master’s work.
The paintings date from around 1495 and were located in the churches of San Paolino and Santa Maria Maggiore respectively.
Sandro Botticelli / Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi (Part 1)Sandro Botticelli (Alessandro Mariano Di Vanni Di Amedeo Filipepi) (1445-1510) - famous Italian artist of the early Renaissance.
Botticelli, nicknamed Sandro, was born in Florence into the family of a leather tanner. He was brought up by his older brother Antonio, a goldsmith nicknamed Botticello (barrel), from whom this nickname passed on to Sandro.
From 1465 to 1467, Botticelli worked as an apprentice in the workshop of Fra Filippo Lippi. His early works are close to the paintings of his teacher, whose work is filled with gentle, lyrical images.
In 1470, Botticelli opened his own workshop, which expanded as the artist’s popularity grew, students entered it, and in 1472 he joined the Guild of St. Luke.
In 1474, Botticelli travels to Pisa to examine the frescoes of the Camposanto cemetery, paints the fresco of the Assumption of the Madonna in the Pisa Cathedral, which was not completed (died in 1583).
In the same year, he created St. Sebastian (1474, Berlin, State Museums) to decorate the pilaster of the central nave of the church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Florence. The saint's suffering is more spiritual than physical. At the same time, Botticelli gives an anatomically accurate interpretation of the naked body.
"St. Sebastian"
Around 1473
Wood, tempera 195 x 75 cm
Berlin. Art Gallery
Probably originally located in Santa Maria Maggiore in Florence
"The Return of Judith"
1472-1473
Wood, tempera 31 x 24 cm
Florence. Uffizi Gallery
Customer: Rudolfo Sirigatti, part of a diptych, cf. "Discovery of the Beheaded Holofernes", also located in the Uffizi.
In 1470-1471, Botticelli created four paintings on the theme “Adoration of the Magi”, cf. National Gallery, London and Uffizi, Florence
Having achieved honor thanks to “St. Augustine,” Botticelli, commissioned by the Silk Workshop, wrote “The Wedding of the Madonna” with a choir of angels for the monastery of San Marco (Florence, Uffizi). Two famous paired compositions “The Story of Judith” (Florence, Uffizi), also among the master’s early works (circa 1470), illustrate his gift as a narrator, the ability to combine expression and action, revealing the dramatic essence of the 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.
Around 1475, the artist painted “The Adoration of the Magi” for Gaspare di Zanobi, his first real masterpiece. The customer belonged to a corporation of money changers and was in close relations with the Medici family, the de facto rulers of the city.
Perhaps it was Zanobi who introduced the artist to the Medici court, so that some of the characters in the Adoration of the Magi are considered portraits of individuals from this family. On April 26, 1478, during the Francesco Pazzi conspiracy, Giuliano Medici was killed in the city cathedral during mass. His brother Lorenzo managed to escape. By order of Lorenzo, many of Pazzi's entourage were immediately arrested and hanged from the windows of the Palazzo Vecchio. For the edification of possible rebels, Botticelli was commissioned to paint portraits of the conspirators on the walls of the Palazzo.
Although the order was of such a strange nature, it greatly contributed to the artist’s success. From that moment on, Botticelli began to enjoy the patronage of the Medici, especially from Lorenzo Pierfrancesco, cousin of Lorenzo the Magnificent, who in 1476, having inherited a huge fortune from his father, acquired a magnificent villa in Castello and entrusted the master with its decoration.
The second half of the 70s and 80s was the period of the artist’s creative heyday.
In Castello, Botticelli painted his two most famous paintings: “Becna” and “Birth of Venus”
"Spring (Primavera)"
Around 1485-1487
Wood, tempera 203 x 314 cm
Florence. Uffizi Gallery
The exact design of Botticelli's "Spring" (circa 1482) has always been the subject of an infinite number of hypotheses, although the characters here are quite identifiable: on the right - Zephyr (the warm west wind) pursues the nymph, the goddess of flowers Flora scatters flowers throughout the earth; on the left, three Graces, clasping their hands, begin to dance; Mercury disperses the clouds with his winged rod; in the center of the picture - Venus and Cupid are watching what is happening. The subtle symbolic subtext in the picture is partly readable: here again there are orange trees in the background (a symbol of marriage), Flora is an image of the flowering and fruiting of nature, Mercury is the god of the planet of the same name, visible in the sky in the spring months, Graces are the nymphs of harmony, beauty, and feminine virtues , Venus is the true queen of the world, the law of which is love itself (Cupid throws arrows of love).
Perhaps the painting should be interpreted in the light of Neoplatonic philosophy. In this vein, Venus can be seen as the personification of humanistic thought, which distinguishes sensual love (Zephyrus persistently pursuing the nymph) from spiritual love, represented by the Graces and Mercury.
"Birth of Venus" 1484-1486
Florence, Uffizi Gallery
The Birth of Venus, along with Spring and Pallas and the Centaur, were commissioned by Botticelli Lorenzo Pierfrancesco de' Medici for the Villa Castello near Florence. All three paintings are large format and are innovative in the history of painting, since for the first time a secular theme was executed with the same dignity and respect-inspiring scale that had previously been awarded only to works on religious themes.
Beautiful, like an ancient Greek marble statue and with the face of the Madonna, Botticelli’s Venus is a symbol of ideal and spiritualized beauty. She emerged from the sea and is carried to the shore on a large shell by the breath of Zephyr and Chloe, while Ora, the personification of spring, approaches her to envelop her in a cover embroidered with flowers. As noted by some researchers, the relationship between the poses and gestures of the goddess and Ora refers us to the iconography of the baptism of Christ by John the Baptist and gives the mythological plot a symbolic meaning. Thus, Botticelli shows that he is closely familiar with the cultural environment of his era and, in particular, with Neoplatonism, which saw in ancient myths a foreshadowing of the ideas of Christianity. The most plausible hypothesis is that all four paintings were painted on the occasion of a wedding. They are the most remarkable surviving works of this genre of painting, which glorifies marriage and the virtues associated with the birth of love in the soul of an immaculate and beautiful bride. The same ideas are central to four compositions illustrating G. Boccaccio’s story “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.
With one hand slightly covering her chest and the other on her bosom, the pose of Venus is reminiscent of the ancient statue of Venus Pudica (from Latin - modest, chaste, bashful), which is also known as the statue of Venus de Medici (Medicean), as it comes from the collection Medici. The white dress of Ora, a nymph who personifies spring here, the time of flowering and renewal, is covered with live and decorated with embroidered lilies, with a belt of roses, like Flora’s in “Spring”; around her neck is a garland of myrtle, dedicated to Venus and a symbol of eternal love. On the right in the picture are orange trees in bloom (orange is a symbol of the divine origin of Venus and the flower of marriage). In the picture, another attribute of Venus is pale pink flowers that fly in the wind: according to myth, white roses were turned red by drops of the blood of the goddess, who injured her legs while searching for her dead lover Adonis.
Although the painting is traditionally called “The Birth of Venus,” it does not show the birth itself. According to Greek myth, Venus arose from the foam of the sea, formed from the fall into the sea of the genital organ of Uranus, cut off by Zeus. Most likely, Botticelli was inspired here by A. Poliziano’s contemporary poem “Dancing for the Tournament,” which says that Venus sailed to the shore on a large shell.
Venus detail EUR
"Minerva and the Centaur"
Around 1482-1483
Tempera on canvas 207 x 148 cm
Florence. Uffizi Gallery
"Venus and Mars"
Around 1483
Wood, tempera 69 x 173.5 cm
London. National Gallery
The painting from Botticelli's mythological "series" - "Mars and Venus" (London, National Gallery) - may have been commissioned from the artist by the Vespucci family, close to the Medici, since several wasps are visible on the very edge on the right ("vespa" in Italian - wasp, she - heraldic symbol of the family). The plot of the triumph of love was often played out in art, and such paintings were often given as gifts on the occasion of betrothal. While Mars is resting, little satyrs play with his weapons and armor - now they are completely safe. Perhaps this painting also adorned the head of the marriage bed or adorned the wall of the wedding cassone. One can also see an allegory in the picture: Venus (humanistic thought) has a beneficial effect on strife and uncontrollable elements, pacifying rough nature (Mars). In addition, in accordance with humanistic views, Harmony is born from the union of Venus and Mars - love and struggle.
Frescoes of the Sistine Chapel (1481-1482)
"Wall Decoration"
1481-82
fresco
Sistine Chapel, Vatican
In the painting The Adoration of the Magi (1475-1478, Florence, Uffizi Gallery), Botticelli, under the guise of the Magi and their retinue, depicts representatives of the Medici family and shows himself in the foreground.
"Adoration of the Magi"
1481-1482
Wood, tempera 70.2 x 104.2 cm
Washington. National Gallery of Art
"Portrait of Simoneta Vespucci"
Around 1476-1480
47.5 x 35 cm
Wood, tempera
Berlin. Art Gallery
Controversial identification, work done in Botticelli's workshop
In the 1490s, the artist became increasingly pessimistic. The death of Lorenzo the Magnificent (1449-1492), the capture of Florence by French troops and the apocalyptic views of Savonarola (1452-1498), which Botticelli sympathized with, all of this produced a revolution in his consciousness.
Melancholy and hopelessness can be read in the painting Abandoned (c. 1495, Rome, Pallavicini collection), based on a biblical story. It shows a lonely young woman in great grief and confusion.
Abandoned
1495g, tempera on panel,
private collection, Rome (Coll.Pallavicini), Italy
Silent silence... Perhaps a moment ago, the area in front of the closed doors was full of movement. The young woman was eager, knocking on the closed gate. I rushed up the steps. She tore her clothes. She screamed. She called someone. An ominous silence reigned near the massive walls, built from cyclopean blocks. Despair won. Despair set in.
What a terrible path an artist must go through in order to create “Abandoned” seventeen years later after “Spring” - a hymn to the joy of life. Truly a symbol of the collapse of fate. In its expression, compositional structure, rhythm, and color, this painting was almost five centuries ahead of its era. It seems that the painting is a reflection of the state of the artist’s soul. His experiences and thoughts. Summing up some half-century-old notes. Botticelli’s own confusion at the hopelessness of his own life efforts in the conditions of a difficult and tragic time...
Drama is also evident in other paintings by Botticelli of this period: Lamentation (1495-1500, Munich, Alte Pinakothek), Slander (c. 1495, Florence, Uffizi Gallery), the subject of which was the story of the Roman writer of the 2nd century. BC.
"Lamentation of Christ"
1495,
tempera on panel, 107 x 71 cm,
Poldi Pezzoli Museum, Milan
"Lamentation of Christ"
About 1500
Wood, tempera 140 x 207 cm
Munich. Old Pinakothek
From the Church of San Paolino in Florence
"Slander"
Around 1495
Wood, tempera 62 x 91 cm
Florence. Uffizi Gallery
Libel, 1495 Uffizi, Florence
The plot is simple and allegorical: King Midas, sitting on the throne, is whispered into his donkey ears by two figures - allegorical images of Ignorance and Suspicion. Slander - a beautiful girl with the appearance of innocence - and her instigator Envy drag the accused to the king. Near Slander, its companions are Cunning and Deception, supporting it and exalting it. In the distance, the artist depicts the figures of Repentance - an old woman dressed in mourning clothes, and naked Truth, looking up.
In 1496 he painted St. Francis for the bedroom of the monastery of Santa Maria di Monticelli
Saint Francis of Assisi with angels
around 1475-1480
London National Gallery
In 1492-1500 he created a cycle of illustrations for Dante's Divine Comedy, where one drawing is dedicated to each song. The drawings on large sheets of parchment are executed in a fine linear manner (Berlin, Engraving Cabinet of the State Museums; Rome, Vatican Library).
Portrait of Dante
1495g, tempera, canvas, 54.7 x 47.5 cm
private collection, Geneva, Switzerland
Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) - Italian poet, creator of the Italian literary language, the last poet of the Middle Ages and at the same time the first poet of modern times. The pinnacle of Dante's work is the poem "The Divine Comedy" (1307-21, published in 1472) in three parts (HELL, PURGATORY, PARADISE)
Botticelli creates this grandiose cycle of illustrations from 1492 to 1500. The drawings are made with a metal pin on large sheets of parchment. One drawing is dedicated to each song. Several drawings for “Paradise” are not finished, and for the XXX1 song “Purgatory” the master completed two versions of the drawing. Most of the illustrations that Botticelli made for the Divine Comedy were hidden from people for many centuries. And only at the dawn of the current millennium they were collected and systematized.
Illustrations for The Divine Comedy
HELL 
Artist: Sandro Botticelli
Illustration for The Divine Comedy (Hell), 1480
Completion date: 1480
Style: Early Renaissance
Genre: illustration
Technique: pen, metal needle
Material: parchment
Gallery: Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana
Hell, Canto XVIII, 1480
Paradise, Canto VI, 1490
Purgatory, 1490
In 1501 he completed work on Nativity (London, National Gallery) - the only work dated and signed by Botticelli himself. The film combines scenes of “Nativity” and “Adoration of the Magi.”
"Christmas"
1500
Tempera on canvas 108.5 x 75 cm
London. National Gallery.
Botticelli “retired from work and eventually grew old and impoverished so much that if he had not been remembered while he was still alive by Lorenzo de’ Medici, for whom he, not to mention many other things, worked a lot in a small hospital in Volterra , and behind him his friends, and many wealthy people, admirers of his talent, he could have died of hunger.
“Sandro does not go in the retinue of others, but, having united in himself very much that was scattered, he reflects with amazing completeness the ideals of his time. Not only do we like him, but he also enjoyed great success among his contemporaries. His purely personal art reflected the face of the century. In it, as if in a focal point, everything that preceded that moment of culture and everything that then constituted the “present” were combined.”
