Abstract on the topic

The life and work of Sandro Botticelli

St. Petersburg 2008

Start creative path. 3

Studying in the workshop of Fra Filippo Lippi, the influence of the work of Andrea Verrocchio and the first works.. 4

Florence. The flourishing of creativity. 6

Madonna.. 12

Late paintings. Sermons of Savanarola. The decline of the artist's creativity 13

References.. 17

Sandro Botticelli (1444 or 1445 - 1510) belongs to the most significant artists of the early Renaissance in Florence.

There is no painting more poetic than that of Sandro Botticelli. “How beautiful youth is, but it passes” - these are the words of Lorenzo Medici himself, whose favorite artist was Botticelli, words in which the most important thing is the final sad clause.

The work of this artist stands apart in the art of the Italian Renaissance. Botticelli was a peer of Leonardo da Vinci, who affectionately called him “our Botticelli.” But it is difficult to classify him as a typical master of both the Early and High Renaissance. In the world of art, he was neither a proud conqueror, like the first, nor a sovereign Master of life, like the second.

The beginning of a creative journey

Sandro Botticelli (the artist's real name was Alessandro Filipepi) was born in Florence in 1445. Mariano Filipepi's father was a tanner by profession and lived with his family (of which Alessandro was the youngest son) in the Santa Maria Novella quarter on Via Nuova, where he rented an apartment in a house owned by Rucellai. He had his own workshop not far from the Santa Trinita in Oltrarno bridge, the business brought in a very modest income, and old Filipepi dreamed of quickly finding a job for his sons and finally having the opportunity to leave the labor-intensive craft.

Filipepi's four brothers brought significant income and social status to the family. Sandro studied with his second brother, Antonio, who was a jeweler and helped him in his business. Jewelry art played an important role in the development of young Botticelli. Alessandro’s father, tired of his “extravagant mind,” gifted and capable of learning, but restless and still unable to find true calling; perhaps Mariano wanted younger son followed in the footsteps of Antonio, who had worked as a goldsmith since at least 1457, which would mark the beginning of a small but reliable family enterprise.

According to Vasari, at that time there was such a close connection between jewelers and painters that entering the workshop of one meant gaining direct access to the craft of others, and Sandro, who was fairly skilled in drawing, an art necessary for accurate and confident “blackening,” soon became interested in painting and decided to devote himself to it, without forgetting the most valuable lessons of jewelry art, in particular clarity in outline contour lines and the skillful use of gold, which was later often used by the artist as an admixture to paints or in its pure form for the background.

Studying in the workshop of Fra Filippo Lippi, the influence of the work of Andrea Verrocchio and the first works

Around 1464, Sandro entered the workshop of the Carmelite monk Fra Filippo Lippi from the monastery of Carmine, the most excellent painter of that time. Fra Filippo Lippi created cheerful images, marked by naturalness, without deviating from the main achievements of the Renaissance.

Devoting himself entirely to painting, he became a follower of his teacher and imitated him in such a way that Fra Filippo fell in love with him and with his training soon raised him to a level that no one could have imagined.

Already early works Sandro is distinguished by a special, almost elusive atmosphere of spirituality, a peculiar poetic fanning of images.

His first work may have been the frescoes executed by his teacher and his students in the cathedral in Prato. But already in 1469, Botticelli was an independent artist, for in the cadastre of the same year, Marano, his father, stated that “Sandro works at home.”

After the death of Fra Filippo in 1467, Botticelli, still wanting to quench his thirst for knowledge, began to search among the highest artistic achievements era another source. For some time he visited the workshop of Andrea Verrocchio, a multifaceted craftsman, sculptor, painter and jeweler, who led a team of multi-talented aspiring artists; here at that time the atmosphere of “advanced” creative search reigned; it was no coincidence that young Leonardo studied with Verrocchio.

Andrea Verrocchio approached painting analytically, and was keen on the anatomically accurate rendering of the human figure in strong movement; in Florence he ran a famous workshop.

Sandro Botticelli well mastered the main achievements of early Renaissance painting. And his contemporaries saw in his art the qualities most valued at that time: “a courageous manner of painting, strict adherence to the rules and perfection of proportions.” This was facilitated by his stay after studying with Philippe Lippi in Verrocchio’s workshop in 1467-1468. Introduction to the skill of a painter and sculptor was carried out here at scientific basis, great importance attached to the experiment.

Sandro Botticelli learned from these two great masters and developed as an independent artist, inheriting some qualities from his teachers, but at the same time becoming a completely original and strong master. In his early works he is somewhat reminiscent of Fra Philippe Lippi with the abundance of portraits and richness of details.

Such, for example, is his painting “The Adoration of the Magi” (c. 1475, London, National Gallery), in which members of the Medici family and their associates are represented as Magi. However, already in this picture one notices the extraordinary expressiveness and spirituality of the images, significantly superior to everything that was created by his teacher. The desire for realism is obvious in the picture: it is reflected not only in the abundance of portraits of Botticelli’s contemporaries (for all their splendor, they participate in the depicted scene very relatively, only as side motives), but also in the fact that the composition is built more in depth than on plane (the arrangement of the figures feels artificial, especially in the scene on the right). The execution of each image is a miracle of grace and nobility, but the whole thing is too limited and compressed in space; absent physical movement, and with it a spiritual impulse.

Florence. Creativity flourishes

In the last third of the 15th century, the process of gradual transformation of the republic into tyranny was completed in Florence.

If Cosimo de Medici still sought to disguise his power with the appearance of republican freedoms, then under his grandson Lorenzo (1449-1492), who ruled in Florence from 1469, the monarchical tendencies of the house of Medici were already manifested very clearly.

Lorenzo de' Medici, nicknamed "The Magnificent", was a flamboyant figure very typical of his time. In the 15th century, many small Italian states were headed by tyrants, often terrifying with their unbridled cruelty and, at the same time, striving to play the role of enlightened sovereigns, patrons and connoisseurs of the arts and sciences. Lorenzo was one of these "enlightened tyrants." Brilliantly educated person, outstanding politician and a diplomat, poet, connoisseur and lover of literature and art, he managed to attract many major poets, humanists, artists and scientists. Constant celebrations, carnivals, tournaments, and poetic competitions created the appearance of a brilliant reign, behind the magnificent façade of which, however, not all was well. In Florence and its possessions, protests against tyranny took place more than once, which found support from numerous enemies of the Medici outside Florence, led by Pope Sixtus IV. All these conspiracies and uprisings were suppressed by Lorenzo with extreme cruelty, especially the so-called Pazzi conspiracy of 1478, during which Lorenzo's younger brother Giuliano de' Medici was killed. But, although Lorenzo managed to retain power, the situation in the city remained tense. It was tense throughout the country. The approaching crisis was felt everywhere. The fall of Constantinople (1453) and the collapse of Levantine trade, Italy's loss of its leading positions and a gradual return to feudal orders, political fragmentation and ever-increasing discord between individual cities and states weakened Italy and made it a tempting and easy prey for the strengthened neighboring states. All this gave rise to that mood of anxiety and uncertainty about the future, which left its mark on the entire culture of the late 15th century, including the culture of Florence. Florence lived a kind of feverish life during these years, but even in the most exuberant fun, it seemed that anxiety and forebodings of impending disasters were hidden. Lorenzo de' Medici himself beautifully expressed general mood in his “Carnival Song”, each stanza of which ends with the words: “Who wants to be cheerful, have fun, no one knows what will happen tomorrow!”

All the complexity and contradictory nature of life at this time found expression in the works of Sandro Botticelli. The paintings of this time leave an ambivalent impression. Colorful and elegant, created to delight the eye, they, at the same time, are always full of some kind of internal painful burning. And his Madonnas, and Venus, and Spring are covered with sadness, their gaze betrays hidden pain. It is on this internal state and mood that Botticelli concentrates his attention. He does not show much interest in the development of the plot, in the depiction of everyday details so dear to the heart of his teacher. It is also far from conveying dramatic collisions or heroic deeds. Even in such a plot as the story of the biblical heroine Judith, who, in order to save her hometown, penetrated the enemy’s camp and beheaded the leader of the enemy troops, King Holofernes, Botticelli avoids depicting the murder scene itself, as Donatello once did, for example, in the sculptural group “Judith and Holofernes” . In his early painting“The Death of Holofernes” (1470, Florence, Uffizi) Botticelli depicts the moment when everything was already accomplished and Judith left the tent, taking with her the severed head of the king. In the cold twilight of dawn, Holofernes' entourage freezes in stupor before the headless corpse of their leader.

(Continued - episode 1)

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 remained in the history of art primarily as the author of large-format poetic paintings on subjects inspired by classical antiquity - “Spring” and “The Birth of Venus”.

For a long time, Botticelli was in the shadow of the Renaissance giants who worked after him, until he was in mid-19th century century was rediscovered 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 into the family of a wealthy city dweller, Mariano di Vanni Filipepi. Received a good education. The nickname Botticelli (“barrel”) passed to Sandro from his broker brother, who was a fat man. He studied painting with the monk Filippo Lippi and adopted from him that passion in depicting touching motifs that distinguishes historical paintings Lippi. Then he worked for 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. He studied for some time with Leonardo da Vinci in Verrocchio's workshop. 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 worked with particular love on mythological subjects. Particularly impressive is his Venus, who floats naked on the sea in a shell, and the gods of the winds shower her with rain of roses and drive the shell to the shore.

The frescoes he began in 1474 in the Sistine Chapel of the Vatican are considered Botticelli's best creation. Presumably Botticelli was a devotee 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 picture. He studied Dante diligently; the fruit of this study were copper engravings attached to the edition of Dante's Inferno (Magna edition) published in Florence in 1481.

He completed many paintings commissioned by the Medici. In particular, he painted the banner of Giuliano de' Medici, brother of Lorenzo the Magnificent. In the 1470-1480s, the portrait became an independent genre in the work of Botticelli (“Man with a Medal,” c. 1474; “Young Man,” 1480s). Botticelli became famous for his subtle aesthetic taste and such works as “The Annunciation” (1489-1490), “Abandoned” (1495-1500), etc. In the last years of his life, Botticelli apparently abandoned painting.

In 1504, the artist participated in the commission that determined the location 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 Church of Ognissanti (Chiesa di Ognissanti) in Florence. According to his will, he was buried near the grave of Simonetta Vespucci, who inspired the most beautiful images masters

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

“His purely personal art reflected the face of the century. In it, as if in focus, everything that preceded that moment of culture and everything that then constituted the “present” were combined (A. Benois).

The artist's real name is Alessandro Mariano Di Vanni Di Amedeo Filipepi. He was born into a simple family - his father was a leather tanner, but he was raised by his older brother Antonio, who was a wonderful jeweler. Because of his plumpness, he was nicknamed “Botticello” (barrel), a nickname that passed on to Sandro. But there is an opinion that Botticelli received this nickname for the features of his figure. However, this has nothing to do with his work.
Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510)– famous Italian artist Early Renaissance, representative of the Florentine school. The first thing that catches your eye when looking at Botticelli’s paintings is their spirituality and subtle coloring. It is believed that Botticelli created about 50 paintings.
Sandro studied like all the children of his time, and then became an apprentice in the jewelry workshop of his brother Antonio. But he did not stay there for long and around 1464 he became an apprentice to Filippo Lippi, one of the famous artists of that time.

Influence of Filippo Lippi

The work of Filippo Lippi had a very great influence on Botticelli, and if you look closely at the paintings of these artists, this influence is obvious. For example, a three-quarter turn of the face, a decorative pattern of draperies and hands, a penchant for detail, and the lyricism of the created images. But the main thing is the color. It seems to glow softly. Here, for comparison, are paintings by F. Lippi and S. Botticelli.

F. Lippi. Altar of the Novitiate. Uffizi (Florence)

S. Botticelli “Madonna and Child and Two Angels” (1465-1470)
Interesting fact: first Botticelli was a student of Lippi, and then Lippi’s son became a student of Botticelli.
The artists collaborated until 1467, and then their paths diverged: Filippo went to Spoleto, Botticelli remained in Florence and opened his workshop there in 1470.

Works on religious and mythological themes (early works)

Botticelli was close to the court Medici and humanist circles in Florence. And this was of great importance, because... The Medici, an oligarchic family, are known as philanthropists of the most outstanding artists and Renaissance architects. Representatives of this family from the XIII to the XVIII centuries. repeatedly became rulers of Florence.
From the works of S. Botticelli of the second half of the 15th century. I would like to highlight a few.

S. Botticelli. Diptych about the story of Judith

Judith- an Old Testament character, a Jewish widow who saved her hometown from the invasion of the Assyrians. Judith is considered a symbol of the struggle of the Jews against their oppressors, a symbol of patriotism. When Assyrian troops besieged her hometown, she dressed up and went to the enemy camp, where she attracted the attention of the commander. When he fell asleep, she sharp sword she cut off his head, calmly walked past the sleeping warriors and returned to her saved hometown.
The diptych consists of 2 paintings: “The Return of Judith” and “The Finding of the Body of Holofernes.”
It is the scene of the return of Judith that Botticelli depicts in this painting.

S. Botticelli “The Return of Judith” (1472-1473)
Judith is accompanied by her maid. The girl holds a huge sword in her hand, her face is concentrated and sad, her feet are bare, she walks home with a decisive step - the maid can barely keep up with her briskly, holding with his hand the basket containing the head of King Holofernes.
Botticelli does not show Judith as a beautiful and seductive girl (as many artists portrayed her), he gives preference to the heroic moment in Judith’s life.

S. Botticelli “Saint Sebastian” (1474)

Sebastian (Sebastian)- Roman legionnaire, Christian saint, revered as a martyr. He was the chief of the Praetorian Guard under the emperors Diocletian and Maximian. He secretly professed Christianity. Two of his friends (brothers Mark and Markellinus) were condemned to death for their faith in Christ. Relatives and wives of the condemned begged them to renounce their faith and save their lives, and at one moment Mark and Marcellinus began to hesitate, but Sebastian came to support the condemned; his speech inspired the brothers and convinced them to remain faithful to Christianity. Those who heard Sebastian saw seven angels and a Young Man, who blessed Sebastian and said: “You will always be with Me.”
Sebastian was arrested and interrogated, after which Emperor Diocletian ordered him to be taken outside the city, tied and pierced with arrows. Thinking he was dead, the executioners left him lying alone, but none of his vital organs were damaged by the arrows, and his wounds, although deep, were not fatal. A widow named Irina came at night to bury him, but discovered that he was alive and took him out. Many Christians persuaded Sebastian to flee Rome, but he refused and appeared before the emperor with new proof of his faith. By order of Diocletian, he was stoned to death, and his body was thrown into the Great Cloaca. The saint appeared in a dream to the Christian woman Lukina and ordered her to take his body and bury him in the catacombs, and the woman fulfilled this command.
In Botticelli's painting, Sebastian is calm, he is not afraid of death; it seems that the arrows pierced into his body do not bother the hero at all. He carried his faith patiently and humbly through all his suffering.

S. Botticelli “Adoration of the Magi” (c. 1475). Uffizi Gallery (Florence)

In the image of the Magi, Botticelli depicted three members of the Medici family: Cosimo the Elder, kneeling before the Virgin Mary, and his sons Piero di Cosimo (the kneeling Magus in a red robe in the center of the picture) and Giovanni di Cosimo next to him. By the time the picture was painted, all three were already dead; Florence was ruled by Cosimo’s grandson, Lorenzo de’ Medici. He is also depicted in the painting along with his brother Giuliano.

The self-portrait of Botticelli himself is made in the image of a blond youth in a yellow robe at the right edge of the picture.
D. Vasari spoke about this painting in the following way: “It is impossible to describe all the beauty that Sandro put into the image of heads turned in a wide variety of positions - sometimes in front, sometimes in profile, sometimes half-turned, sometimes bowed, or something else.” Otherwise, it is also impossible to describe all the diversity in facial expressions of young men and old men with all the deviations by which one can judge the perfection of his skill, because even in the retinues of three kings he contributed so much distinctive features, that it is easy to understand who serves one and who serves the other. Truly this work is a greatest miracle, and it was brought to such perfection in color, design and composition that every artist is amazed by it to this day.”
At this time, Botticelli painted wonderful portraits.

S. Botticelli “Portrait of an unknown man with a medal of Cosimo de’ Medici the Elder” (c. 1475). Uffizi (Florence)
The picture is painted on a wooden board with tempera. A technique unique to the Renaissance was used: a round niche was made in the board into which a pastilla was inserted - a copy of a medal cast in honor of Cosimo de' Medici around 1465, molded from plaster and covered with gold paint.
The artist’s innovation lies in the fact that he depicted the young man almost from the front (previously they depicted the chest strictly in profile), with clearly drawn arms (this had not been done before) and with a landscape in the background (previously the background was neutral).

S. Botticelli “Portrait of a Young Woman” (1476-1480). Berlin gallery
Botticelli creates this portrait in accordance with the principles of F. Lippi, his teacher - he returns to a strict profile with an elegant silhouette and a rigid frame, niche or window. The portrait is idealized, close to a collective image.
Who was the model? It is difficult to give an answer. And the assumptions are as follows: Simonetta Vespucci (secret love and model of Botticelli and lover of Giuliano Medici); mother or wife of Lorenzo de' Medici (the Magnificent).

In Rome (1481-1482)

By this time Botticelli had become very famous artist not only in Florence, but also beyond. His orders were very numerous. Pope Sixtus IV, who built the chapel in his Roman palace, also wanted it to be painted by Sandro Botticelli. In 1481 Botticelli came to Rome. Together with Ghirlandaio, Rosselli and Perugino, he decorated the walls of the papal chapel in the Vatican, which is known as the Sistine Chapel, with frescoes. She will gain worldwide fame after in 1508-1512. the ceiling and altar wall will be painted by Michelangelo.
Botticelli created three frescoes for the chapel: “The Punishment of Korah, Daphne and Abiron”, “The Temptation of Christ” and “The Calling of Moses”, as well as 11 papal portraits.

S. Botticelli “The Temptation of Christ” (1482)

Three episodes from the Gospel - the temptation of Christ - are depicted in the upper part of the fresco. On the left, the devil, disguised as a hermit, persuades the fasting Jesus to turn stones into bread and satisfy his hunger. In the center, the devil tries to force Jesus to jump from the top of the Jerusalem Temple to test God's promise of angelic protection. On the right, the devil on the top of the mountain promises Jesus earthly riches and power over the world if he rejects God and worships him, the devil. Jesus sends the devil away and angels come to minister to the Son of God.
In the foreground, a young man cured of leprosy comes to the high priest of the Temple to declare his cleansing. In his hands is a sacrificial cup and sprinkler. The high priest symbolizes Moses, who brought the law, and the young man represents Jesus, who shed his blood and gave his life for the sake of humanity, and was later resurrected.
Some foreground figures are portraits of the author's contemporaries.

Botticelli's paintings of secular themes

Botticelli's most famous and most mysterious work is “Spring” (“Primavera”).

S. Botticelli “Spring” (1482). Uffizi Gallery (Florence)
The painting depicts a clearing in an orange orchard, all strewn with flowers. Flowers, according to botanists, are reproduced with photographic accuracy, but among them are not only spring flowers, but also summer and even winter flowers.
Three characters of the first group: the god of the west wind Zephyr, he is pursuing Chloris, depicted at the moment of transformation into Flora - flowers are already flying out of her mouth; the goddess of flowers herself, Flora, scatters roses with a generous hand.
The central group is formed alone by Venus, the goddess of gardens and love. Above Venus is Cupid, blindfolded, pointing an arrow at the middle Harita.
To the left of Venus there is a group of three Haritas who dance holding hands.
The last group is formed by Mercury with his attributes: helmet, winged sandals. Botticelli depicted him as a garden guard with a sword.
All the characters hardly touch the ground, they seem to float above it.
There are many interpretations of the painting. They can be divided into philosophical, mythological, religious, historical and exotic.
Around 1485 Botticelli creates another famous painting"Birth of Venus"

S. Botticelli “Birth of Venus” (1482). Uffizi (Florence)

It is believed that the model for Venus was Simonetta Vespucci.
The picture illustrates the myth of the birth of Venus (Greek: Aphrodite. Read in the article “Olympic Gods”). A naked goddess swims to the shore in the shell of a shell, driven by the wind. On the left side of the painting, Zephyr (the west wind), in the arms of his wife Chloris (Roman Flora), blows on a shell, creating a wind filled with flowers. On the shore, the goddess is met by one of the graces.
The pose of Venus clearly shows the influence of classical Greek sculpture. Body proportions are based on the canon of harmony and beauty.
The work of Sandro Botticelli is distinguished by a special melodiousness of line in each of his paintings, a sense of rhythm and harmony, but they are especially clearly expressed in his “Spring” and “Birth of Venus”. The artist never used stencil techniques, so his paintings also excite the modern viewer.

Religious paintings by S. Botticelli from the 1480s

Botticelli's religious works of this time are the highest creative achievements of the painter.

"Madonna Magnificat"(1481-1485) became famous during the artist’s lifetime. The painting depicts the Coronation of the Mother of God by two angels in the guise of youths. Three other angels hold an open book in front of her, in which Mary writes a doxology beginning with the words: Magnificat anima mea Dominum (“My soul magnifies the Lord”). On Mary's lap is the baby Jesus, and in her left hand she holds a pomegranate, a symbol of God's mercy.

Late works of Sandro Botticelli

In the 1490s, the artist was in a difficult moral state. The death of Lorenzo the Magnificent, the capture of Florence by French troops and the apocalyptic views of Savonarola, with which Botticelli sympathized, all had a strong impact on his consciousness. His paintings of this period are full of drama, melancholy and hopelessness (“Abandoned”, “Mourning of Christ”, “Slander”, etc.).

S. Botticelli “Abandoned” (c. 1495). Rome, Pallavicini collection
The lonely young woman is depicted in great grief and confusion. A crouched figure against the background of a blank wall - and there is nothing else in this extraordinary and strange picture, even for Sandro. Who is this woman? Her face could explain something to us, but her face is just not visible. Worn dresses hint at a long, lonely and hopeless journey. Shirts are spread out on the steps like corpses... “Abandoned” has so many meanings that its true meaning is broader than any specific plot.

S. Botticelli “Lamentation of Christ” (1495)
Three Marys and John the Theologian bowed in grief over the lifeless body of Christ. All day they stood at the cross, watching his torment and death. Joseph from Arimathea came to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered the body to be handed over. Joseph is depicted with a crown of thorns in his hand. Taking the body, Joseph wrapped it in a clean shroud and laid it in his new coffin, which he carved into the rock - in the coffin that Joseph, anticipating his own death, prepared for himself.
Botticelli placed all the figures very close to each other and at the edges of the picture. They seem to form a cross and unity over the body of Christ.
John the Theologian clung to the Virgin Mary, because Christ bequeathed to his beloved disciple to treat her as a mother. Mary Magdalene hugs the feet, and Mary, the mother of James the Younger, the head of Christ...
Botticelli died on May 17, 1510. He was buried in the cemetery of the Church of All Saints in Florence.
Botticelli's work vividly embodies the features of sublime poetry, sophistication, sophistication, spirituality, and beauty. This is one of the most emotional and lyrical artists of the Renaissance.

Botticelli Sandro(1445–1510), Italian painter of the Early Renaissance. Belonged to the Florentine school, around 1465–1466 he studied with Filippo Lippi; in 1481–1482 he worked in Rome. Botticelli's early works are characterized by a clear construction of space, clear cut-and-shadow modeling, and interest in everyday details (“Adoration of the Magi,” circa 1476–1471). From the end of the 1470s, after Botticelli’s rapprochement with the court of the Medici rulers of Florence and the circle of Florentine humanists, the features of aristocracy and sophistication intensified in his work, paintings on ancient and allegorical themes appeared, in which sensual pagan images are imbued with the sublime and at the same time poetic, lyrical spirituality (“Spring”, circa 1477–1478, “Birth of Venus”, circa 1483–1485, both in the Uffizi). The animation of the landscape, the fragile beauty of the figures, the musicality of light, trembling lines, the transparency of exquisite colors, as if woven from reflexes, create in them an atmosphere of dreaminess and slight sadness. In the frescoes executed by Botticelli in 1481–1482 in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican (“Scenes from the Life of Moses”, “The Punishment of Korah, Dathan and Abiron”, etc.), the majestic harmony of landscape and ancient architecture is combined with internal plot tension, the sharpness of portrait characteristics characteristic of , along with the search for subtle nuances of the inner state of the human soul, and easel portraits of the master (portrait of Giuliano Medici, 1470s, Bergamo; portrait young man with medal, 1474). In the 1490s, during the era of social unrest and mystical-ascetic sermons of the monk Savonarola that shook Florence, notes of drama and religious exaltation appeared in Botticelli’s art (“Slander”, after 1495, Uffizi), but his drawings for Dante’s “Divine Comedy” ( 1492–1497) with acute emotional expressiveness, they retain lightness of line and Renaissance clarity of images.

The works of Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), Italian painter, sculptor, architect, scientist and engineer. The founder of the artistic culture of the High Renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci developed as a master while studying in Florence with Verrocchio. Working methods in Verrocchio's workshop, where artistic practice was combined with technical experiments, as well as friendship with the astronomer P. Toscanelli contributed to the emergence scientific interests young da Vinci. In early works (the head of an angel in Verrocchio’s “Baptism”, after 1470, “Annunciation”, around 1474, both in the Uffizi; the so-called “Benois Madonna”, around 1478, State Hermitage, St. Petersburg) the artist, developing the traditions of Early art Renaissance, emphasized the smooth three-dimensionality of forms with soft chiaroscuro, sometimes enlivening faces with a subtle smile, using it to achieve the transmission of subtle emotional states. Recording the results of countless observations in sketches, sketches and full-scale studies performed in various techniques(Italian and silver pencils, sanguine, pen, etc.), Leonardo da Vinci, sometimes resorting to almost caricatured grotesque, achieved acuteness in conveying facial expressions, and brought the physical features and movement of the human body into perfect harmony with the spiritual atmosphere of the composition.

In 1481 or 1482 Leonardo da Vinci entered the service of the ruler of Milan, Lodovico Moro, and served as a military engineer, hydraulic engineer, and organizer of court holidays. For over 10 years he worked on the equestrian monument of Francesco Sforza, the father of Lodovico Moro (the life-size clay model of the monument was destroyed when the French captured Milan in 1500). During the Milanese period, Leonardo da Vinci created 2 versions of “Madonna in the Grotto”, where the characters are presented surrounded by a bizarre rocky landscape, and the finest chiaroscuro plays the role of a spiritual principle, emphasizing the warmth of human relationships. In the refectory of the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie, he completed the wall painting “The Last Supper” (1495-1497; due to the peculiarities of the technique used by Leonardo da Vinci - oil with tempera - it was preserved in a badly damaged form; it was restored in the 20th century), marking one from the peaks of European painting; her high ethical and spiritual content expressed in the mathematical regularity of the composition, which logically continues the real architectural space, in a clear, strictly developed system of gestures and facial expressions of the characters, in the harmonious balance of forms.

While studying architecture, Leonardo da Vinci developed various versions of the “ideal” city and projects for a central-domed temple, which had a great influence on the contemporary architecture of Italy. After the fall of Milan, Leonardo da Vinci's life was spent in constant travel. In Florence, he worked on the painting of the Great Council Hall in the Palazzo Vecchio “The Battle of Anghiari” (1503-1506, unfinished, known from copies from cardboard), which stood at the origins of the European battle genre of modern times. In the portrait of "Monna Lisa" (c. 1503) he embodied the sublime ideal of eternal femininity and human charm; An important element of the composition was the cosmically vast landscape, melting into a cold blue haze. The late works of Leonardo da Vinci include the altarpiece “St. Anne with Mary and the Child Christ” (circa 1500-1507), which completes the master’s search for light-air perspective, and “John the Baptist” (circa 1513-1517), where there is a somewhat sweet ambiguity image indicates an increase in crisis moments in the artist’s work. In a series of drawings depicting a universal catastrophe (the cycle with the “Flood”, ca. 1514-1516), thoughts about the insignificance of man before the power of the elements are combined with rationalistic ideas about the cyclical nature of natural processes. The most important source for studying the views of Leonardo da Vinci are his notebooks and manuscripts (about 7 thousand sheets), excerpts from which were included in the “Treatise on Painting”, compiled after the death of the master by his student F. Melzi and which had a huge influence on European theoretical thought and artistic practice. In the debate between the arts, Leonardo da Vinci gave the first place to painting, understanding it as a universal language capable of embodying all the diverse manifestations of intelligence in nature. As a scientist and engineer, he enriched almost all areas of science of his time. A prominent representative of the new, experiment-based natural science of Leonardo da Vinci Special attention paid attention to mechanics, seeing in it the main key to the secrets of the universe; his brilliant constructive guesses were far ahead of his contemporary era (projects of rolling mills, cars, submarines, aircraft).

The observations he collected on the influence of transparent and translucent media on the color of objects led to the establishment of scientifically based principles of aerial perspective in the art of the High Renaissance. While studying the structure of the eye, Leonardo da Vinci made correct guesses about the nature of binocular vision. In anatomical drawings, he laid the foundations of modern scientific illustration; he also studied botany and biology.

Botticelli Sandro(Botticelli, Sandro)

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

Botticelli's paintings:

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

Objects surrounding St. Augustine - music stand, books, scientific instruments - demonstrate Botticelli's mastery of the still life genre: they are depicted with precision and clarity, revealing the artist's ability to capture the essence of form, but at the same time they do not catch the eye and do not distract from the main thing. Perhaps this interest in still life is due to the influence Dutch painting, which aroused the admiration of the Florentines of the 15th century. Of course, Dutch art influenced Botticelli's interpretation of the landscape. Leonardo da Vinci wrote that “our Botticelli” showed little interest in landscape: “... he says that this is a waste of time, because it is enough just to throw a sponge soaked in paint on the wall, and it will leave a spot in which one can distinguish beautiful landscape" Botticelli was usually content to use conventional motifs for the backgrounds of his paintings, diversifying them by including motifs from Netherlandish painting, such as Gothic churches, castles and walls, to achieve a romantic-picturesque effect.

In 1481, Botticelli was invited by Pope Sixtus IV to Rome, along with Cosimo Rosselli and Ghirlandaio, to paint frescoes on the side walls of the newly built Sistine Chapel. He executed three of these frescoes: Scenes from the Life of Moses, the Healing of the Leper and the Temptation of Christ, and the Punishment of Korah, Dathan and Abyron. In all three frescoes the problem of presenting a complex theological program in clear, light and lively dramatic scenes is masterfully solved; this makes full use of compositional effects.

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

Some scholars see in these paintings a visual embodiment of the main ideas of the Florentine Neoplatonists, especially Marsilio Ficino (1433–1499). However, adherents of this hypothesis ignore the sensual element in the three paintings of Venus and the glorification of purity and purity, which is undoubtedly the theme of Pallas and the Centaur. The most plausible hypothesis is that all four paintings were painted on the occasion of 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 the story of Boccaccio Nastagio degli Onesti (located in different collections), and two frescoes (Louvre), painted around 1486 on the occasion of the marriage of the son of one of the closest associates of the Medici.

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

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

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