Today in St. Petersburg an exhibition from the series “Masterpieces of the World Museums in the Hermitage” opens, which will feature two paintings by the great Spanish artist Velazquez

On October 21, an exhibition from the series “Masterpieces of the World Museums in the Hermitage” opens - “Menippus” and “Aesop” from the Prado Museum. At the exhibition organized State Hermitage Museum together with Madrid Museum Prado, there are two paintings by the great Spanish artist Velazquez (1599–1660), which belong to the most famous masterpieces of world painting. The names of ancient thinkers are indicated in the inscriptions on the paintings.

The famous fabulist Aesop lived in the 6th century BC. e. His apocryphal biography was compiled in the 13th century, the writings were first published at the end of the 15th century and spread widely in Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. According to legend, Aesop was a freed slave who was a mercilessly witty writer of moral maxims, often expressing his ideas through animal conversation. He died as a victim of bold statements against human vices. In Spain, the works of the fabulist were well known; they taught Greek in schools.

In the painting, Aesop is depicted with a book, below him on one side there is a tub and a rag - a hint of the daily activities of a slave; on the other side - things packed on the road and a golden cup, for the theft of which the fabulist was falsely accused and thrown from the mountain by the priests of Apollo in the city of Delphi.

The philosopher Menippus lived much later than Aesop, in the 3rd century BC. e. Information about him is known thanks to Diogenes Laertius and Lucian of Samosata. Like Aesop, Menippus was a freed slave, managed to get rich by engaging in usury, then lost his fortune and committed suicide by hanging himself. He belonged to the philosophical school of the Cynics, who denied scientific knowledge and subjected everything to harsh criticism; in Spain during the time of Velazquez, the Cynics were accused of slander. Lucian's Dialogues, with its references to Menippus, were as well known as Aesop's works, and they were also used in schools to teach Greek.

Menippus in the painting grins sarcastically. There are books at his feet, he tramples them, because he rejects scientific knowledge. Nearby is a jug placed on a platform with wheels. In the iconography of the 17th century, the jug was associated with a woman. Its presence in the composition can be explained by the fact that the images of ancient thinkers formed an ensemble with the canvas “Mars”. It is believed that Aesop, Menippus and Mars were written for the royal hunting pavilion Torre de la Parada, built in 1636. The paintings were mentioned together in the earliest surviving inventory (1701). All works are the same size, all based on ancient subjects. Combining them into a kind of “triptych” could have a special meaning.

"Mars" in Velazquez's interpretation looks very strange. This is not the formidable, young and beautiful god of war, as the Spaniards of Velazquez's time imagined him, but a middle-aged man beginning to grow old. He sits on the bed, thoughtful, almost completely naked, but wearing a helmet, his weapon thrown at his feet. The image of the god of war is clearly reduced. In this interpretation, some see a hint of Mars’ passion for love pleasures to the detriment of his main occupation, war. Others go even further in revealing the work's content and link it to Spain's military defeats in the second half of the 1630s. It is possible that both ideas were meant. In the context of “Mars,” it is clear why next to him are precisely “Aesop” and “Menippus,” a fabulist and a Cynic, distinguished by their critical, bold and uncompromising judgments.

The ancient sages are modernized, presented in the form of beggars. They are sharply characterized and superbly written. “Aesop” is in a dense painterly manner, “Menippus” is in a more fluid, soft brushstroke. The figures are shown from a low point of view, drawn in majestic silhouettes against a neutral background. The coloring is kept in a spare, strict brown-olive tones.

The significance of the images and the skill of execution of the paintings “Aesop” and “Menippus” have always attracted the attention of both art connoisseurs and artists. They were engraved by Francisco de Goya, Édouard Manet was guided by them when creating his “Philosophers”, painters made copies from them, including

Before you is a painting by the painter Velazquez “Aesop”
(1639-1641). Art historians have calculated that she
was part of a series of paintings (“Mars”, “Menippus”, etc.),
intended for royal hunting
Castle Torre de la Parada near Madrid.

Do you remember who is depicted on it? This is Aesop, the ancient
non-Greek fabulist, considered the creator
fables. According to legend, he lived around the middle of the 6th century.
century BC e. Legends depict Aesop as folk
a sage, a holy fool and a lame slave of Samos
Iadmon, innocently thrown from a cliff in Del-
Fah. The plots of almost all known stories were attributed to him.
fables that were famous in antiquity, processed by many
by them fabulists - from the ancient Phaedrus and Babrius
to Jean de La Fontaine and Ivan Krylov. We already
accustomed to the fact that under an Aesopian fable there are
we know a fable in which the characters
animals and other dumb creatures perform
creatures and objects, allegorically representing
characteristic people, their characters and actions.

In connection with this, here is a question. Strange surprise oh-
hits me when I look at Diego's Aesop
Velazquez. Why did the artist leave his hand
character under a dress - instead of depicting
spread it on top, freely extended along the body?

What did he mean by this? All my fantasy
not enough for an answer to this, hopefully simple one
question. Maybe you can help?

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^

Illustration: “The invisible hand of the fabulist”

Reviews

“Before you is a painting by the painter Velazquez “Aesop”... Do you remember who is depicted in it?” Yes, yes, of course we “remember” - I thought - after all, this is the first time we see her... And then I read: “This is Aesop.” Funny!☺

The versions are:
1. It was difficult to convey the fabulist’s view. Diego was not happy with the way he showed his face and made a distracting maneuver.
2. Aesop is characterized by omissions; in his works there is always a background...
3. “Creativity reveals...” says the artist. Let me explain: manuscripts (books) symbolize creativity. If right hand Aesop was free, then she... would also have ended up just below her chest, forming a “castle”.
.................
There are many options, but I am inclined to the following: imagine that left hand Aesop is omitted - it’s not interesting... But it’s a mystery!

Vladimir, thank you! I wanted you to wish us something!☺

I'd like that too. And in mine
portfolio has already accumulated a lot of
disgusting. But - read it, if not for-
difficult, my resume. I now
no time for entertainment...

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13.12.2014

Description of the painting by Diego Velazquez “Aesop”

The great ancient Greek fabulist Aesop is very famous from the time of his life to the present day. In his fables he imagined different types people in the form of animals and ridiculed their shortcomings and vices, such as greed, vanity, pride, stupidity and many others. Aesop was born into slavery, but his owner appreciated his talent and gave him the desired freedom. One can only guess what this fabulist might have looked like; there are many legends about this. Aesop was most often portrayed as an ugly and homely hunchback vertically challenged. But this was done on purpose to highlight it in contrast inner world, very handsome and kind.

In his painting, Velazquez depicted Aesop in very shabby clothes. First he was a slave, and now he is a mendicant vagabond. However, the most important thing that the artist wanted to draw the viewer’s attention to was Aesop’s eyes, or rather, his gaze. He looks intently into the viewer's eyes, or rather, pierces him, trying to discern the most secret thing that can be hidden in his soul. He is like a judge listening to the justification of someone accused of a crime. Or he is like a doctor who must first carefully examine the patient before making his diagnosis. Also, maybe he looks like a teacher who wants to reprimand his unlucky student. But most importantly, his gaze is similar to the gaze of God himself. This god has long been observing humanity, which is mired in sins and continues to make the same mistakes for thousands of years. And this man, Aesop, who was at the very bottom, in the lowest stratum of society, now becomes close to the height at which God himself is located. It was very important for Velazquez that he could show a special wisdom, separated from the status of a person in society. Such people do not belong to society, but are outside it, even above it and its laws.

AESOP (c. 6th century BC) - ancient Greek writer, fabulist, considered the founder of the fable genre. From the descriptions he appears as an ugly man, a hunchback, but infinitely wise and endowed with a literary gift.

The texts of Aesop's fables are short, simple in content, the plot is not cluttered with details and is also extremely simple and, importantly, the moral is clearly declared. The language is close to everyday, colloquial, there are few adjectives in it and verbs are often found, because Aesop’s fables are, first of all, a story about an act, an action, and not a description of the situation. In these texts you rarely find dialogue, unless a direct remark marks the denouement. Often, Aesop's fables have four parts: exposition, plot, action and a surprise ending. In some cases, this scheme varies in the direction of simplifying the composition or, conversely, complicating it.

The characters in Aesop's fables are animals and plants (more than 80 of their varieties), people of various professions (researchers counted about 30), as well as gods and mythological figures. The most popular characters are fox, wolf, snake, lion, donkey, dog, peasant, etc. All of them, however, are conventional figures, bearers of specific functions.

Many of the plots of “Aesop’s Fables” are very familiar to the reader from adaptations made by J. Lafontaine, I. I. Dmitriev, I. A. Krylov and others. These include “The Raven and the Fox”, “The Fox and the Grapes”, “The Wolf and the Crane” ", "The Wolf and the Lamb", "The Beetle and the Ant", "The Horse and the Donkey", etc.

Portrait of Aesop
at full height.

Diego Velazquez 1599-1660

Born in Seville in 1599, in a poor noble family, whose ancestors were Portuguese Jews. Studied painting in hometown first with Francisco Herrera the Elder, and from 1611 with Francisco Pacheco, a humanist, poet, and author of a treatise on painting. Velazquez mastered drawing, painting techniques, and working from life. In 1617, Diego received the title of master and soon opened his own workshop. In 1618, the young artist married the daughter of his teacher, Juana Miranda Pacheco. Over the next few years, they had two daughters, one of whom died in infancy.
Most of Velázquez’s works, created during the period of study and immediately after it, are devoted to the depiction of everyday scenes (in the “bodegones” genre, when the scene is a tavern or tavern), the main characters of which are simple people Seville (“Breakfast”, “The Old Cook”, “The Water Carrier”). In paintings on religious themes, the Bodegones traditions can also be traced: “The Adoration of the Magi”, “Christ with Martha and Mary”. During these years, the artist painted the first portraits, in which the characteristics of Velázquez as a portrait painter were determined - a sharply captured similarity, the brightness of individuality: “Portrait of the Nun Jerónima de la Fuente.”

"Breakfast" 1617

"Christ in the House of Martha and Mary" 1618

"Immaculate Conception" 1618

"Old Woman Frying Eggs (Cook)" 1618

"Adoration of the Magi" 1619

"Portrait of the Nun Jerónima de la Fuente" 1620

"Mother Jeronima de la Fuente" fragment

"Miracle at Emmaus" 1620

In 1622 he went to Madrid for the first time, and on next year, with the assistance of the first minister, Duke de Olivares, he manages to obtain an order for a portrait of the king.

"First Minister Duke de Olivares"

"Philip IV" 1624-26

“Portrait of Philip IV with a Petition” created a sensation, and the author became a court artist, and soon a chamberlain, received a studio in the palace, and was appointed curator royal collections. Velazquez completed a number of official orders: ceremonial portraits of the king, members of his family, and representatives of the nobility. In addition, he created a gallery of images of figures of Spanish culture: Lope de Vega, Tirso de Molina, Calderon, Quevedo.

"Water Seller in Seville" 1623

"Philip IV on the hunt" 1632-1633

In 1627, in competition with other artists, he painted the painting “The Expulsion of the Moors” and received the title of chamberlain. In 1629, the artist completed a painting, unusual for the Spanish tradition, on an ancient subject - “Bacchus”, or “Drunkards”, which is interpreted as a scene from folk life, a feast of cheerful peasants. Meeting and communicating with Rubens, who visited the Spanish court in 1628–1629. on a diplomatic mission, inspired him to travel to Italy, where in 1629–1631. Velazquez studied and copied the works of Titian, Veronese, Tintoretto, Raphael, Michelangelo, and monuments of antiquity. At the same time, his style changed - it became more free and brilliant, the coloring was less dark in the shadows and conveyed nature in bright lighting. Returning to the mythological theme in “The Forge of Vulcan,” Velazquez gives the image a genre character.
The portraits created by Velazquez upon his return, in the years 1630-1640, brought him fame as a master of this genre. The dispassionately cold ceremonial equestrian portraits of royalty are distinguished by the restrained splendor of poses, clothes, horses, and the grandeur of landscape backgrounds. In portraits of courtiers, friends, students, Velazquez accumulated and synthesized his observations, selected the necessary visual arts. These paintings usually lack accessories, gestures, and movement. A neutral background has depth and airiness; The dark tones of the clothes direct the viewer’s attention to the evenly lit faces. Unique combinations of shades of silver-gray, olive, gray-brown colors with general restraint, the colors create an individual structure of images (portraits of Juan Mateos, Duke of Olivares, “Lady with a Fan,” a series of portraits of infantas). A special place is occupied by portraits of royal jesters, the mentally ill and dwarfs. Images of dwarfs amaze with their energy, intelligence, looks, full inner strength, grief, which contrasts with their physical weakness (“El Bobo del Coria”, “El Primo”, “Sebastiano del Morra”). In the paired paintings “Menippus” and “Aesop”, images of people who have fallen and been rejected by society appear, but have found inner freedom from conventions that constrain the personality.
One of the most significant paintings of this period was The Surrender of Breda (1634–1635), in which Velázquez abandoned the traditional conventions of historical paintings of the era. Each of the warring parties is characterized with deep humanity. Drama is revealed through psychological characteristics characters, shown with portrait authenticity.

"Surrender of Breda" 1635

In 1642–1644 Velazquez accompanied the king on his campaign against Aragon, and in the late 1640s. visited Italy again to acquire works of art for the king. The artist was greeted with honor, the portrait of his servant and student, the mulatto Juan Pareja, was enthusiastically received in Roman artistic circles. In 1650, Velazquez was elected a member of the Roman Academy of St. Luke and the Society of Virtuosi of the Pantheon. The portrait of Pope Innocent X, an unusually bold image in its frankness, became the most famous creature Velazquez outside Spain. The Pope, in ceremonial attire, appears before the audience as a man of bright temperament, intelligent, powerful, energetic, but also cunning and cruel. Velazquez also turns to the landscape and creates two small views that depict corners of the park of the Villa Medici. Probably, upon his return, the masterpiece “Venus with a Mirror” (1657) was created. The theme is inspired by Italian impressions, in Spain the image of the nude female body prohibited by the Inquisition. Velazquez shows the beauty of a living woman, flexible, full of grace, bringing the divine image closer to the earthly.
In 1651 Velazquez returned to Madrid, and in 1652 he was appointed royal chief marshal. The new position took a lot of effort and time (the duties included preparing and organizing festivities at the court). Portraits of the late period of Velázquez’s work are largely characterized by artistry and psychological completeness (Infanta Maria Teresa, 1651; Philip IV, 1655–1656; Infanta Margaret of Austria, circa 1660).
In the second half of the 1650s. Velazquez painted two of his most famous paintings. In "Las Meninas" the main character is the five-year-old Infanta Margarita, frozen in the prim pose of a noble lady. The artist conveys her soft, childish facial features. The royal couple is looking at her, posing for the artist (in which Velazquez depicted himself, and left the monarchs outside the canvas - only in the form of a reflection in the mirror). Next to the infanta are numerous ladies-in-waiting. Velazquez shows courtiers in everyday settings, exalting everyday life, presenting it in an elevated, monumental way. The picture is built on the interweaving of the official and everyday, on a multifaceted play of semantic shades and figurative comparisons. “Spinners” is an image of a workshop where carpets were restored and woven to decorate the palace halls. In the background, three ladies are looking at the tapestries, one of which depicts the myth of Arachne. In the foreground are several female workers. This is the first in history European art a work glorifying the activities of the common man.
In 1660, Velázquez accompanied Philip IV on his trip to the French border to meet with Louis XIV on the occasion of the latter’s marriage to Infanta Maria Theresa. The organization of the festivities that accompanied this meeting tired the artist so much that he fell ill and died shortly after his return to Madrid. The immediate heir to his position at court was his student and the husband of his daughter Francisca, Juan Batista del Maso.
Velazquez had a great influence on the painting of his homeland, among his students were such masters as Murillo and Kappeño de Miranda. Goya called Velazquez one of his teachers. In the 19th century the master's fame went beyond the borders of Spain. Velázquez is one of the key figures in the development of the art of Manet, who admired the brushwork of the great Spaniard. The themes of Velazquez's paintings were developed in their work by Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali.

"Equestrian portrait of Prince Balthazar"