High renaissance artists table name. Great Italian Renaissance Artists. Paintings by great Italian artists

The Renaissance is a phenomenal phenomenon in the history of mankind. Never again has there been such a brilliant flash in the field of art. Sculptors, architects and artists of the Renaissance (the list is long, but we will touch on the most famous), whose names are known to everyone, gave the world priceless. Unique and exceptional people showed themselves not in one field, but in several at once.

Early Renaissance painting

The Renaissance has a relative time frame. It first began in Italy - 1420-1500. At this time, painting and all art in general is not much different from the recent past. However, elements borrowed from classical antiquity begin to appear for the first time. And only in subsequent years, sculptors, architects and artists of the Renaissance (the list of which is very large), under the influence of modern living conditions and progressive trends, finally abandon the medieval foundations. They boldly take on arms the best examples ancient art for their works, both in general and in individual details. Their names are known to many, let's focus on the brightest personalities.

Masaccio - the genius of European painting

It was he who made a huge contribution to the development of painting, becoming a great reformer. The Florentine master was born in 1401 into a family of artistic artisans, so the sense of taste and the desire to create were in his blood. At the age of 16-17 he moved to Florence, where he worked in workshops. Donatello and Brunelleschi, the great sculptors and architects, are considered to be his teachers. Communication with them and the acquired skills could not but affect the young painter. From the first Masaccio borrowed a new understanding human personality characteristic of sculpture. At the second master - the basis The researchers consider the Triptych of San Giovenale (in the first photo) to be the first reliable work, which was discovered in a small church near the town in which Masaccio was born. The main work is the frescoes in dedicated to history life of St. Peter. The artist participated in the creation of six of them, namely: “The Miracle with the Stater”, “The Expulsion from Paradise”, “The Baptism of the Neophytes”, “The Distribution of Property and the Death of Ananias”, “The Resurrection of Theophilus’ Son”, “St. Peter Heals the Sick with His Shadow” and "Saint Peter in the Pulpit".

Italian artists of the Renaissance are people who devoted themselves entirely to art, not paying attention to ordinary everyday problems, which sometimes led them to a poor existence. Masaccio is no exception: the brilliant master died very early, at the age of 27-28, leaving behind great works and a large number of debts.

Andrea Mantegna (1431-1506)

This is a representative of the Padua school of painters. He received the basics of skill from his adoptive father. The style was formed under the influence of the works of Masaccio, Andrea del Castagno, Donatello and Venetian painting. This determined the somewhat harsh and harsh manner of Andrea Mantegna compared to the Florentines. He was a collector and connoisseur of cultural works ancient period. Thanks to his style, unlike any other, he became famous as an innovator. His most famous works are: "Dead Christ", "Caesar's Triumph", "Judith", "Battle of the Sea Gods", "Parnassus" (pictured), etc. From 1460 until his death, he worked as a court painter in the family of the Dukes of Gonzaga.

Sandro Botticelli(1445-1510)

Botticelli is a pseudonym real name- Filipepi. He did not immediately choose the path of an artist, but initially studied jewelry making. In the first independent works (several Madonnas), the influence of Masaccio and Lippi is felt. In the future, he also glorified himself as a portrait painter, the bulk of the orders came from Florence. The refined and refined nature of his work with elements of stylization (generalization of images using conventional techniques - simplicity of form, color, volume) distinguishes him from other masters of that time. A contemporary of Leonardo da Vinci and the young Michelangelo left a bright mark on world art (“The Birth of Venus” (photo), “Spring”, “Adoration of the Magi”, “Venus and Mars”, “Christmas”, etc.). His painting is sincere and sensitive, and life path complex and tragic. The romantic perception of the world at a young age was replaced by mysticism and religious exaltation in maturity. The last years of his life, Sandro Botticelli lived in poverty and oblivion.

Piero (Pietro) della Francesca (1420-1492)

Italian painter and another representative of the era early renaissance originally from Tuscany. The author's style was formed under the influence of the Florentine school of painting. In addition to the talent of the artist, Piero della Francesca had outstanding abilities in the field of mathematics, and devoted the last years of his life to her, trying to connect her with high art. The result was two scientific treatises: "On Perspective in Painting" and "The Book of Five right bodies". His style is distinguished by solemnity, harmony and nobility of images, compositional balance, precise lines and construction, soft range of colors. Piero della Francesca had amazing knowledge for that time technical side painting and features of perspective, which earned him high prestige among his contemporaries. The most famous works: "The History of the Queen of Sheba", "The Flagellation of Christ" (pictured), "The Altar of Montefeltro", etc.

High Renaissance painting

If the Proto-Renaissance and the early era lasted almost a century and a half and a century, respectively, then this period covers only a few decades (in Italy from 1500 to 1527). It was a bright, dazzling flash that gave the world a whole galaxy of great, versatile and brilliant people. All branches of art went hand in hand, so many masters are also scientists, sculptors, inventors, and not just Renaissance artists. The list is long, but the pinnacle of the Renaissance was marked by the work of L. da Vinci, M. Buanarotti and R. Santi.

The Extraordinary Genius of Da Vinci

Perhaps this is the most extraordinary and outstanding personality in the history of the world artistic culture. He was a universal person in the full sense of the word and possessed the most versatile knowledge and talents. Artist, sculptor, art theorist, mathematician, architect, anatomist, astronomer, physicist and engineer - all this is about him. Moreover, in each of the areas, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) showed himself as an innovator. So far, only 15 of his paintings, as well as many sketches, have survived. Possessing tremendous vitality and a thirst for knowledge, he was impatient, he was fascinated by the very process of knowledge. At a very young age (20 years old) he qualified as a master of the Guild of St. Luke. His most the most important works steel fresco The Last Supper”, paintings “Mona Lisa”, “Madonna Benois” (pictured above), “Lady with an Ermine”, etc.

Portraits by Renaissance artists are rare. They preferred to leave their images in paintings with many faces. So, around the self-portrait of da Vinci (pictured), disputes do not subside to this day. Versions are put forward that he made it at the age of 60. According to the biographer, artist and writer Vasari, the great master was dying in the arms of his close friend King Francis I in his Clos Luce castle.

Raphael Santi (1483-1520)

Artist and architect originally from Urbino. His name in art is invariably associated with the idea of ​​sublime beauty and natural harmony. For enough short life(37 years old) he created many world-famous paintings, frescoes and portraits. The plots that he portrayed are very diverse, but he was always attracted by the image of the Mother of God. Absolutely justifiably Raphael is called the "master of the Madonnas", those that he painted in Rome are especially famous. In the Vatican, he worked from 1508 until the end of his life as an official artist at the papal court.

Comprehensively gifted, like many other great artists of the Renaissance, Raphael was also an architect, and also engaged in archaeological excavations. According to one version, the last hobby is in direct correlation with premature death. Presumably, he contracted Roman fever during the excavations. The great master is buried in the Pantheon. The photo is of his self-portrait.

Michelangelo Buoanarroti (1475-1564)

The long 70-year-old of this man was bright, he left to his descendants imperishable creations not only of painting, but also of sculpture. Like other great artists of the Renaissance, Michelangelo lived in a time full of historical events and upheavals. His art is a beautiful final note of the entire Renaissance.

The master put sculpture above all other arts, but by the will of fate he became an outstanding painter and architect. His most ambitious and unusual work is the painting (pictured) in the palace in the Vatican. The area of ​​the fresco exceeds 600 square meters and contains 300 human figures. The most impressive and familiar is the scene of the Last Judgment.

Italian Renaissance artists were multifaceted talents. So, few people know that Michelangelo was also a great poet. This facet of his genius was fully manifested at the end of his life. About 300 poems have survived to this day.

Late Renaissance painting

The final period covers the time period from 1530 to 1590-1620. According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, the Renaissance as a historical period ended with the fall of Rome in 1527. Around the same time in Southern Europe The Counter-Reformation won. The Catholic current looked with apprehension at any free-thinking, including the chanting of the beauty of the human body and the resurrection of the art of the ancient period - that is, everything that was the pillars of the Renaissance. This resulted in a special trend - mannerism, characterized by the loss of harmony between the spiritual and the physical, man and nature. But even during this difficult period, some famous Renaissance artists created their masterpieces. Among them are Antonio da Correggio, (considered the founder of classicism and Palladianism) and Titian.

Titian Vecellio (1488-1490 - 1676)

He is rightfully considered a titan of the Renaissance, along with Michelangelo, Raphael and da Vinci. Even before he was 30 years old, Titian was known as the "king of painters and painter of kings." Basically, the artist painted pictures on mythological and biblical themes, moreover, he became famous as a magnificent portrait painter. Contemporaries believed that being imprinted with the brush of a great master means gaining immortality. And indeed it is. Orders to Titian came from the most revered and noble persons: popes, kings, cardinals and dukes. Here are just a few, the most famous, of his works: "Venus of Urbino", "The Abduction of Europe" (pictured), "Carrying the Cross", "Coronation with Thorns", "Madonna Pesaro", "Woman with a Mirror", etc.

Nothing is repeated twice. The era of the Renaissance gave mankind brilliant, extraordinary personalities. Their names are inscribed in the world history of art in golden letters. Architects and sculptors, writers and artists of the Renaissance - their list is very long. We touched only on the titans who made history, brought the ideas of enlightenment and humanism to the world.

The undoubted achievement of the Renaissance was the geometrically correct construction of the picture. The artist built the image using the techniques he developed. The main thing for painters of that time was to observe the proportions of objects. Even nature fell under the mathematical methods of calculating the proportionality of the image with other objects in the picture.

In other words, artists in the Renaissance sought to convey an accurate image, for example, of a person against the backdrop of nature. If compared with modern methods of recreating a seen image on some kind of canvas, then, most likely, a photograph with subsequent adjustment will help to understand what the Renaissance artists were striving for.

Renaissance painters believed that they had the right to correct the flaws of nature, i.e., if a person had ugly facial features, the artists corrected them in such a way that the face became sweet and attractive.

Leonardo da Vinci

The Renaissance became such thanks to many creative personalities who lived at that time. The world-famous Leonardo da Vinci (1452 - 1519) created a huge number of masterpieces, the cost of which is estimated at millions of dollars, and connoisseurs of his art are ready to contemplate his paintings for a long time.

Leonardo began his studies in Florence. His first canvas, painted around 1478, is Benois Madonna. Then there were such creations as "The Madonna in the Grotto", "Mona Lisa", the "Last Supper" mentioned above and a host of other masterpieces written by the hand of a titan of the Renaissance.

The severity of geometric proportions and the exact reproduction of the anatomical structure of a person - this is what Leonard da Vinci's painting is characterized by. According to his convictions, the art of depicting certain images on canvas is a science, and not just some kind of hobby.

Rafael Santi

Raphael Santi (1483 - 1520) known in the art world as Raphael created his works in Italy. His paintings are imbued with lyricism and grace. Raphael is a representative of the Renaissance, who depicted a man and his being on earth, loved to paint the walls of the Vatican cathedrals.

The paintings betrayed the unity of the figures, the proportional correspondences of space and images, the euphony of color. The purity of the Virgin was the basis for many of Raphael's paintings. His very first image of the Mother of God is Sistine Madonna, which was painted by a famous artist back in 1513. The portraits that were created by Raphael reflected the ideal human image.

Sandro Botticelli

Sandro Botticelli (1445 - 1510) is also a Renaissance painter. One of his first works was the painting "The Adoration of the Magi". Subtle poetry and dreaminess were his original manners in the field of transferring artistic images.

In the early 80s of the XV century, the great artist painted the walls of the Vatican Chapel. The frescoes made by him are still amazing.

Over time, his paintings became characterized by the calmness of the buildings of antiquity, the liveliness of the depicted characters, the harmony of images. In addition, Botticelli's fascination with drawings for famous literary works is known, which also added only glory to his work.

Michelangelo Buonarotti

Michelangelo Buonarotti (1475-1564) was an Italian painter who also worked during the Renaissance. What only this person known to many of us did not do. And sculpture, and painting, and architecture, as well as poetry. Michelangelo, like Raphael and Botticelli, painted the walls of the temples of the Vatican. After all, only the most talented painters of those times were involved in such responsible work as drawing images on the walls of Catholic cathedrals. More than 600 square meters of the Sistine Chapel he had to cover with frescoes depicting various biblical scenes. The most famous work in this style is known to us as The Last Judgment. The meaning of the biblical story is expressed fully and clearly. Such accuracy in the transfer of images is characteristic of the entire work of Michelangelo.

The Renaissance caused profound changes in all areas of culture - philosophy, science and art. One of them is. which is becoming more and more independent of religion, ceases to be the "handmaid of theology", although it is still far from complete independence. As in other areas of culture, the teachings of ancient thinkers are being revived in philosophy, primarily Plato and Aristotle. Marsilio Ficino founded the Platonic Academy in Florence, translated the works of the great Greek into Latin. Aristotle's ideas returned to Europe even earlier, before the Renaissance. During the Renaissance, according to Luther, it is he, and not Christ, who "rules in the European universities."

Along with the ancient teachings, the natural philosophy, or the philosophy of nature. It is preached by such philosophers as B. Telesio, T. Campanella, D. Bruno. In their works, thoughts are developed that philosophy should not study a supernatural God, but nature itself, that nature obeys its own internal laws, that the basis of knowledge is experience and observation, and not divine revelation, that man is part of nature.

The spread of natural philosophical views was facilitated by scientific discoveries. Chief among them was heliocentric theory N. Copernicus, which made a real revolution in ideas about the world.

It should, however, be noted that the scientific and philosophical views of that time are still experiencing notable influence from religion and theology. Such views often take the form pantheism in which the existence of God is not denied, but He is dissolved in nature, identified with it. To this we must also add the influence of the so-called occult sciences - astrology, alchemy, mysticism, magic, etc. All this takes place even in such a philosopher as D. Bruno.

The Renaissance brought about the most significant changes in artistic culture, art. It was in this area that the break with the Middle Ages turned out to be the deepest and most radical.

In the Middle Ages, art was largely applied in nature, it was woven into life itself and was supposed to decorate it. In the Renaissance, art for the first time acquires intrinsic value, it becomes an independent area of ​​beauty. At the same time, for the first time, a purely artistic, aesthetic feeling is formed in the perceiving viewer, for the first time a love for art is awakened for its own sake, and not for the sake of the purpose it serves.

Never before has art enjoyed such high honor and respect. Even in ancient Greece the work of an artist in its social significance was noticeably inferior to the activities of a politician and a citizen. An even more modest place was occupied by the artist in ancient Rome.

Now place and role of the artist in society are growing immeasurably. For the first time he is considered as an independent and respected professional, scientist and thinker, a unique individuality. In the Renaissance, art is perceived as one of the most powerful means of knowledge and in this capacity is equated with science. Leonardo da Vinci considers science and art as two completely equal ways of studying nature. He writes: "Painting is a science and the legitimate daughter of nature."

Still more highly valued art as creativity. In terms of his creative abilities, the Renaissance artist is equated with God the Creator. This explains why Raphael received the addition "Divine" to his name. For the same reasons, Dante's Comedy was also called "Divine".

Art itself is undergoing profound changes. It makes a decisive turn from a medieval symbol and sign to a realistic image and a reliable image. The means of artistic expression are becoming new. They are now based on linear and aerial perspective, three-dimensionality of volume, the doctrine of proportions. Art in everything strives to be true to reality, to achieve objectivity, authenticity and vitality.

The Renaissance was primarily Italian. Therefore, it is not surprising that it was in Italy that art during this period reached its highest rise and flourishing. It is here that there are dozens of names of titans, geniuses, great and simply talented artists. There are also great names in other countries, but Italy is beyond competition.

In the Italian Renaissance, several stages are usually distinguished:

• Proto-Renaissance: second half of the 13th century. - XIV century.
• Early Renaissance: almost the entire XV century.
• High Renaissance: late 15th century - first third of the 16th century
• Late Renaissance: the last two thirds of the 16th century.

The main figures of the Proto-Renaissance are the poet Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) and the painter Giotto (1266/67-1337).

Fate presented Dante with many trials. He was persecuted for participating in the political struggle, he wandered, died in a foreign land, in Ravenna. His contribution to culture goes beyond poetry. He wrote not only love lyrics, but also philosophical and political treatises. Dante is the creator of the Italian literary language. Sometimes it is called last poet Middle Ages and the first poet of modern times. These two beginnings - the old and the new - are really closely intertwined in his work.

Dante's first works New life” and “Feast” - are lyrical poems of love content dedicated to his beloved Beatrice, whom he met once in Florence and who died seven years after their meeting. The poet kept his love for life. In terms of its genre, Dante's lyrics are in line with medieval courtly poetry, where the object of chanting is the image of the "Beautiful Lady". However, the feelings expressed by the poet already belong to the Renaissance. They are caused by real meetings and events, filled with sincere warmth, marked by a unique individuality.

The pinnacle of Dante's work was "The Divine Comedy”, which has taken a special place in the history of world culture. In its construction, this poem is also in line with medieval traditions. It tells about the adventures of a man who got into the afterlife. The poem has three parts - Hell, Purgatory and Paradise, each of which has 33 songs written in three-line stanzas.

The repeated number "three" directly echoes the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. In the course of the narrative, Dante strictly follows many of the requirements of Christianity. In particular, he does not allow his companion in the nine circles of hell and purgatory - the Roman poet Virgil - into paradise, for the pagan is deprived of such a right. Here the poet is accompanied by his deceased beloved Beatrice.

However, in his thoughts and judgments, in his attitude to the characters portrayed and their sins. Dante often and very significantly disagrees with Christian teaching. So. instead of the Christian condemnation of sensual love as a sin, he speaks of the "law of love", according to which sensual love is included in the nature of life itself. Dante treats the love of Francesca and Paolo with understanding and sympathy. although their love is linked to Francesca's betrayal of her husband. The Renaissance spirit triumphs in Dante on other occasions as well.

Among the outstanding Italian poets is also Francesco Petrarch. In world culture, he is known primarily for his sonnets. At the same time, he was a broad-based thinker, philosopher and historian. He is rightfully considered the founder of the entire Renaissance culture.

The work of Petrarch is also partly within the framework of the medieval courtly lyrics. Like Dante, he had a lover named Laura, to whom he dedicated his "Book of Songs". At the same time, Petrarch more decisively breaks ties with medieval culture. In his works, the expressed feelings - love, pain, despair, longing - appear much sharper and more naked. They have a stronger personal touch.

Another prominent representative of the literature was Giovanni Boccaccio(1313-1375). world famous author Decameron". Boccaccio borrows the principle of constructing his collection of short stories and the plot outline from the Middle Ages. Everything else is imbued with the spirit of the Renaissance.

The main characters of the novels are ordinary and ordinary people. They are written in surprisingly bright, lively, colloquial language. They do not contain boring moralizing, on the contrary, many short stories literally sparkle with love of life and fun. The plots of some of them have a love and erotic character. In addition to the Decameron, Boccaccio also wrote the story Fiametta, which is considered the first psychological novel Western literature.

Giotto di Bondone is the most prominent representative of the Italian Proto-Renaissance in the visual arts. His main genre was fresco paintings. All of them are written on biblical and mythological subjects, depict scenes from the life of the Holy Family, evangelists, saints. However, the interpretation of these plots is clearly dominated by the Renaissance beginning. In his work, Giotto abandons medieval conventions and turns to realism and plausibility. It is for him that the merit of the revival of painting as an artistic value in itself is recognized.

In his works, the natural landscape is quite realistically depicted, on which trees, rocks, and temples are clearly visible. All participating characters, including the saints themselves, appear as living people endowed with physical flesh, human feelings and passions. Their clothes outline the natural forms of their bodies. Giotto's works are characterized by bright coloring and picturesqueness, fine plasticity.

The main creation of Giotto is the painting of the Chapel del Arena in Padua, which tells about events from the life of the Holy Family. The strongest impression is made by the wall cycle, which includes the scenes "Flight into Egypt", "Kiss of Judas", "Lamentation of Christ".

All the characters depicted in the paintings look natural and authentic. The position of their bodies, gestures, emotional condition, looks, faces - all this is shown with rare psychological persuasiveness. At the same time, the behavior of each strictly corresponds to the role assigned to him. Each scene has a unique atmosphere.

So, in the scene "Flight to Egypt" a restrained and generally calm emotional tone prevails. "Kiss of Judas" is filled with stormy dynamism, sharp and decisive actions of characters who literally grappled with each other. And only the two main participants - Judas and Christ - froze without moving and fight with their eyes.

The scene "Lamentation of Christ" is marked by special drama. It is filled with tragic despair, unbearable pain and suffering, inconsolable grief and sorrow.

The early Renaissance finally approved new aesthetic and artistic principles of art. At the same time, biblical stories are still very popular. However, their interpretation becomes completely different, there is little left of the Middle Ages in it.

Motherland Early Renaissance became Florence, and the "fathers of the Renaissance" are the architect Philippe Brunelleschi(1377-1446), sculptor Donatello(1386-1466). painter Masaccio (1401 -1428).

Brunelleschi made a huge contribution to the development of architecture. He laid the foundations of Renaissance architecture, discovered new forms that existed for centuries. He did much to develop the laws of perspective.

Brunelleschi's most significant work was the erection of a dome over the already finished construction of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence. He faced an exceptionally difficult task, since the required dome had to be of enormous size - about 50 m in diameter. With the help of the original design, it emerges with brilliance difficult situation. Thanks to the solution found, not only the dome itself turned out to be surprisingly light and, as it were, hovering over the city, but the entire building of the cathedral acquired harmony and majesty.

No less beautiful work of Brunelleschi was the famous Pazzi Chapel, erected in the courtyard of the Church of Santa Croce in Florence. It is a small, rectangular building, covered in the center with a dome. Inside it is lined with white marble. Like other buildings of Brunelleschi, the chapel is distinguished by simplicity and clarity, elegance and grace.

Brunelleschi's work is notable for the fact that he goes beyond places of worship and creates magnificent buildings of secular architecture. An excellent example of such architecture is the orphanage, built in the shape of the letter "P", with a covered gallery-loggia.

The Florentine sculptor Donatello is one of the most prominent creators of the Early Renaissance. He worked in the most different genres everywhere showing true innovation. In his work, Donatello uses the ancient heritage, relying on a deep study of nature, boldly updating the means of artistic expression.

He participates in the development of the theory of linear perspective, revives the sculptural portrait and the image of a naked body, and casts the first bronze monument. The images he created are the embodiment of the humanistic ideal of a harmoniously developed personality. With his work, Donatello had a great influence on the subsequent development of European sculpture.

Donatello's desire to idealize the depicted person was clearly manifested in statue of young David. In this work, David appears as a young, beautiful, full of mental and physical strength young men. The beauty of his naked body is emphasized by a gracefully curved torso. The young face expresses thoughtfulness and sadness. This statue was followed by a whole series of nude figures in Renaissance sculpture.

The heroic principle is strong and distinct in the statue of St. George, which became one of the pinnacles of Donatello's work. Here he fully managed to embody the idea of ​​a strong personality. Before us is a tall, slender, courageous, calm and self-confident warrior. In this work, the master creatively develops the best traditions of ancient sculpture.

A classic work of Donatello is the bronze statue of the commander Gattamelatta - the first equestrian monument in the art of the Renaissance. Here the great sculptor reaches the ultimate level of artistic and philosophical generalization, which brings this work closer to antiquity.

At the same time, Donatello created a portrait of a specific and unique personality. The commander appears as a real Renaissance hero, a courageous, calm, self-confident person. The statue is distinguished by laconic forms, clear and precise plasticity, natural posture of the rider and horse. Thanks to this, the monument has become a real masterpiece of monumental sculpture.

IN last period creativity Donatello creates a bronze group "Judith and Holofernes". This work is filled with dynamics and drama: Judith is depicted at the moment when she raises her sword over the already wounded Holofernes. to finish him off.

Masaccio rightfully considered one of the main figures of the Early Renaissance. He continues and develops the trends coming from Giotto. Masaccio lived only 27 years and managed to do little. However, the frescoes he created became a real school of painting for subsequent Italian artists. According to Vasari, a contemporary of the High Renaissance and an authoritative critic, “no master came so close to contemporary masters like Masaccio.

The main creation of Masaccio are the frescoes in the Brancacci Chapel of the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine in Florence, telling about episodes from the legends of St. Peter, as well as depicting two biblical scenes - "The Fall" and "Exile from Paradise".

Although the frescoes tell of the miracles performed by St. Peter, there is nothing supernatural and mystical in them. The depicted Christ, Peter, the apostles and other participants in the events appear to be quite earthly people. They are endowed with individual traits and behave quite naturally and humanly. In particular, in the scene of "Baptism" a naked young man shivering from the cold is surprisingly authentically shown. Masaccio builds his composition using not only linear, but also aerial perspective.

Of the whole cycle, special mention deserves fresco "Expulsion from Paradise". She is a true masterpiece of painting. The fresco is extremely laconic, there is nothing superfluous in it. Against the background of a vague landscape, the figures of Adam and Eve who left the gates of Paradise are clearly visible, above which an angel with a sword hovers. All attention is focused on Mom and Eve.

Masaccio was the first in the history of painting to be able to paint a naked body in such a convincing and authentic way, to convey its natural proportions, to give it stability and movement. The inner state of the characters is just as convincingly and vividly expressed. Adam, who was striding broadly, lowered his head in shame and covered his face with his hands. Sobbing, Eve threw back her head in despair with her mouth open. This fresco opens a new era in art.

What Masaccio did was continued by such artists as Andrea Mantegna(1431 -1506) and Sandro Botticelli(1455-1510). The first became famous primarily for its murals, among which a special place is occupied by frescoes telling about the last episodes of the life of St. James - the procession to the execution and the execution itself. Botticelli favored easel painting. His most famous paintings are Spring and The Birth of Venus.

From the end of the 15th century, when Italian art reaches its highest peak, High Renaissance. For Italy, this period was extremely difficult. Fragmented and therefore defenseless, it was literally devastated, plundered and bled dry by invasions from France, Spain, Germany and Turkey. However, art during this period, oddly enough, is experiencing an unprecedented flowering. It was at this time that such titans as Leonardo da Vinci were creating. Raphael. Michelangelo, Titian.

In architecture, the beginning of the High Renaissance is associated with creativity Donato Bramante(1444-1514). It was he who created the style that determined the development of architecture of this period.

One of his early works was the church of the monastery of Santa Maria della Grazie in Milan, in the refectory of which Leonardo da Vinci would paint his famous fresco The Last Supper. Its glory begins with a small chapel called Tempetto(1502), built in Rome and became a kind of "manifesto" of the High Renaissance. The chapel has the shape of a rotunda, it is distinguished by the simplicity of architectural means, the harmony of parts and rare expressiveness. This is a real little masterpiece.

The pinnacle of Bramante's work is the reconstruction of the Vatican and the transformation of its buildings into a single ensemble. He also owns the design of the Cathedral of St. Peter, in which Michelangelo will make changes and begin to implement.

See also: Michelangelo Buonarroti

In the art of the Italian Renaissance, a special place is occupied by Venice. The school that developed here differed significantly from the schools of Florence, Rome, Milan or Bologna. The latter gravitated towards stable traditions and continuity, they were not inclined towards radical renewal. It was on these schools that the classicism of the 17th century relied. and neoclassicism of later centuries.

The Venetian school acted as their original counterbalance and antipode. The spirit of innovation and radical, revolutionary renewal reigned here. Of the representatives of other Italian schools, Leonardo was closest to Venice. Perhaps it was here that his passion for research and experiment could find proper understanding and recognition. In the famous dispute between "old and new" artists, the latter relied on the example of Venice. This is where the trends that led to the Baroque and Romanticism began. And although the Romantics honored Raphael, their real gods were Titian and Veronese. In Venice, El Greco received his creative charge, which allowed him to shock Spanish painting. Velazquez passed through Venice. The same can be said about the Flemish artists Rubens and Van Dyck.

Being a port city, Venice found itself at the crossroads of economic and trade routes. She experienced the influence of Northern Germany, Byzantium and the East. Venice has become a place of pilgrimage for many artists. A. Dürer was here twice - at the end of the 15th century. and the beginning of the 16th century. She was visited by Goethe (1790). Wagner here listened to the singing of the gondoliers (1857), under whose inspiration he wrote the second act of Tristan and Isolde. Nietzsche also listened to the singing of the gondoliers, calling it the singing of the soul.

The proximity of the sea evoked fluid and mobile forms, rather than clear geometric structures. Venice gravitated not so much towards reason with its strict rules how much to the feelings from which the amazing poetry of Venetian art was born. The focus of this poetry was nature - its visible and felt materiality, a woman - the exciting beauty of her flesh, music - born from the play of colors and light and from the enchanting sounds of spiritualized nature.

The artists of the Venetian school preferred not form and pattern, but color, the play of light and shadow. Depicting nature, they sought to convey its impulses and movement, variability and fluidity. beauty female body they saw not so much in the harmony of forms and proportions as in the most living and sentient flesh.

They were not enough realistic plausibility and reliability. They sought to reveal the riches inherent in painting itself. It is Venice that deserves the merit of discovering a pure picturesque principle, or picturesqueness in its purest form. The Venetian artists were the first to show the possibility of separating painting from objects and form, the possibility of solving the problems of painting with the help of one color, purely pictorial means, the possibility of considering painting as an end in itself. All subsequent painting, based on expression and expressiveness, will follow this path. According to some experts, one can go from Titian to Rubens and Rembrandt, then to Delacroix, and from him to Gauguin, Van Gogh, Cezanne, etc.

The founder of the Venetian school is Giorgione(1476-1510). In his work, he acted as a true innovator. With him, the secular principle finally wins, and instead of biblical stories he prefers to write on mythological and literary themes. In his work, the establishment of an easel painting takes place, which no longer resembles an icon or an altar image.

Giorgione opens a new era in painting, the first to start painting from nature. Depicting nature, for the first time he shifts the focus to mobility, variability and fluidity. An excellent example of this is his painting "Thunderstorm". It was Giorgione who began to search for the secret of painting in light and its transitions, in the play of light and shadow, acting as the forerunner of Caravaggio and Caravaggism.

Giorgione created works of different genres and themes - "Country Concert" and "Judith". His most famous work was "Sleeping Venus"". This picture is devoid of any plot. She sings of the beauty and charm of the naked female body, representing "nudity for the sake of nakedness itself."

The head of the Venetian school is Titian(c. 1489-1576). His work - along with the work of Leonardo, Raphael and Michelangelo - is the pinnacle of Renaissance art. Most of his long life falls on the Late Renaissance.

In the work of Titian, the art of the Renaissance reaches its highest rise and flourishing. His works combine the creative search and innovation of Leonardo, the beauty and perfection of Raphael, the spiritual depth, drama and tragedy of Michelangelo. They have an extraordinary sensuality, thanks to which they have a powerful effect on the viewer. Titian's works are surprisingly musical and melodic.

As Rubens notes, together with Titian, painting acquired its flavor, and, according to Delacroix and Van Gogh, music. His canvases are painted with an open brushstroke that is both light, free and transparent. It is in his works that color, as it were, dissolves and absorbs form, and the pictorial principle for the first time acquires autonomy, appears in its pure form. Realism in his creations turns into a charming and subtle lyricism.

In the works of the first period, Titian glorifies the carefree joy of life, the enjoyment of earthly goods. He sings of the sensual principle, human flesh bursting with health, the eternal beauty of the body, the physical perfection of man. This is the subject of his canvases such as "Love on Earth and Heaven", "Feast of Venus", "Bacchus and Ariadne", "Danae", "Venus and Adonis".

Sensual beginning prevails in the picture "Penitent Magdalene”, although it is dedicated to the dramatic situation. But here, too, the penitent sinner has sensual flesh, a captivating, radiant body, full and sensual lips, ruddy cheeks, and golden hair. The canvas “Boy with Dogs” is filled with penetrating lyricism.

In the works of the second period, the sensual principle is preserved, but it is supplemented by growing psychologism and drama. In general, Titian makes a gradual transition from the physical and sensual to the spiritual and dramatic. The ongoing changes in the work of Titian are clearly visible in the embodiment of themes and plots that the great artist addressed twice. A typical example in this regard is the painting "Saint Sebastian". In the first version, the fate of a lonely sufferer abandoned by people does not seem too sad. On the contrary, the depicted saint is endowed with vitality and physical beauty. In a later version of the picture, located in the Hermitage, the same image acquires the features of tragedy.

An even more striking example is the variants of the painting “The Crowning with Thorns”, dedicated to an episode from the life of Christ. In the first of them, stored in the Louvre. Christ appears as a physically handsome and strong athlete, able to repulse his rapists. In the Munich version, created twenty years later, the same episode is conveyed much deeper, more complex and more meaningful. Christ is depicted in a white cloak, his eyes are closed, he calmly endures the beating and humiliation. Now the main thing is not crowning and beating, not physical phenomenon but psychological and spiritual. The picture is filled with deep tragedy, it expresses the triumph of the spirit, spiritual nobility over physical strength.

In the later works of Titian, the tragic sound is more and more intensified. This is evidenced by the painting “Lamentation of Christ”.

In difficult times for Italy, the short “golden age” of the Italian Renaissance begins - the so-called High Renaissance, highest point flourishing Italian art. The High Renaissance thus coincided with the period of the fierce struggle of the Italian cities for independence. The art of this time was permeated with humanism, faith in the creative powers of man, in the unlimitedness of his possibilities, in the rational arrangement of the world, in the triumph of progress. In art, the problems of civic duty, high moral qualities, feat, the image of a beautiful, harmoniously developed, strong in spirit and body hero man who managed to rise above the level of everyday life, came to the fore. The search for such an ideal led art to synthesis, generalization, to the disclosure of the general patterns of phenomena, to the identification of their logical interconnection. The art of the High Renaissance renounces particulars, minor details in the name of a generalized image, in the name of striving for a harmonious synthesis of the beautiful aspects of life. This is one of the main differences between the High Renaissance and the early one.

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) was the first artist to visually embody this difference. Leonardo's first teacher was Andrea Verrocchio. The figure of an angel in the picture of the teacher "Baptism" already clearly demonstrates the difference in the perception of the world by the artist of the past era and the new era: no frontal flatness of Verrocchio, the finest light and shade modeling of the volume and the extraordinary spirituality of the image. . By the time of leaving the workshop of Verrocchio, researchers attribute the “Madonna with a Flower” (“Madonna Benois”, as it was called before, by the name of the owners). During this period, Leonardo was undoubtedly influenced by Botticelli for some time. From the 80s of the XV century. two unfinished compositions by Leonardo have been preserved: "The Adoration of the Magi" and "St. Jerome." Probably, in the mid-80s, the Madonna Litta was also created in the old tempera technique, in the image of which the type of Leonard's female beauty: heavy half-drooped eyelids and a barely perceptible smile give the face of the Madonna a special spirituality.

Combining scientific and creative principles, possessing both logical and artistic thinking, Leonardo was engaged in scientific research all his life along with fine arts; distracted, he seemed slow and left behind few works of art. At the Milanese court, Leonardo worked as an artist, a scientific technician, an inventor, as a mathematician and an anatomist. The first major work he performed in Milan was Madonna of the Rocks (or Madonna in the Grotto). This is the first monumental altarpiece of the High Renaissance, which is also interesting because it fully expressed the features of the Leonard style of writing.

The greatest work of Leonardo in Milan, the highest achievement of his art was the painting of the wall of the refectory of the monastery of Santa Maria della Grazie on the plot of The Last Supper (1495-1498). Christ in last time meets at dinner with his students to announce to them about the betrayal of one of them. For Leonardo, art and science existed inseparably. Being engaged in art, he did scientific research, experiments, observations, he went through the perspective into the field of optics and physics, through the problems of proportions - into anatomy and mathematics, etc. The Last Supper completes a whole stage in the artist's scientific research. It is also a new stage in art.

Leonardo broke away from anatomy, geometry, fortification, land reclamation, linguistics, versification, and music to work on The Horse. - equestrian monument Francesco Sforza, for whom he first of all came to Milan and who in the early 90s he performed in full size in clay. The monument was not destined to be embodied in bronze: in 1499 the French invaded Milan and the Gascon crossbowmen shot down the equestrian monument. From 1499, the years of Leonardo's wanderings began: Mantua, Venice and, finally, the artist's hometown - Florence, where he painted the cardboard "St. Anna with Mary on her knees”, according to which he creates an oil painting in Milan (where he returned in 1506)

In Florence, Leonardo began another painting work: a portrait of the wife of the merchant del Giocondo Mona Lisa, which became one of the most famous paintings in the world.

Portrait of Mona Lisa Gioconda is a decisive step in the development of Renaissance art

For the first time, the portrait genre became on the same level with compositions on religious and mythological theme. With all the indisputable physiognomic similarities, the portraits of Quattrocento were distinguished, if not by external, then by internal constraint. The majesty of Monet Lisa is already indicated by one comparison of her strongly advanced to the edge of the canvas, emphasized volumetric figure with a landscape with rocks and streams visible as if from afar, melting, alluring, elusive and therefore, with all the reality of the motive, fantastic.

Leonardo in 1515, at the suggestion of the French king Francis I, leaves for France forever.

Leonardo was the greatest artist of his time, a genius who opened up new horizons of art. He left behind few works, but each of them was a stage in the history of culture. Leonardo is also known as a versatile scientist. His scientific discoveries, for example, his research in the field of aircraft, are of interest in our age of astronautics. Thousands of pages of Leonardo's manuscripts, covering literally all areas of knowledge, testify to the universality of his genius.

The ideas of the monumental art of the Renaissance, in which the traditions of antiquity and the spirit of Christianity merged, found their most vivid expression in the work of Raphael (1483-1520). In his art, two main tasks found a mature solution: the plastic perfection of the human body, expressing the inner harmony of a comprehensively developed personality, in which Raphael followed antiquity, and a complex multi-figure composition that conveys the entire diversity of the world. Raphael enriched these possibilities, achieving amazing freedom in depicting space and the movement of a human figure in it, impeccable harmony between the environment and man.

None of the masters of the Renaissance perceived the pagan essence of antiquity so deeply and naturally as Raphael; not without reason is he considered the artist who most fully connected the ancient traditions with the Western European art of the new era.

Raphael Santi was born in 1483 in the city of Urbino, one of the centers of artistic culture in Italy, at the court of the Duke of Urbino, in the family of a court painter and poet, who was the first teacher of the future master

The early period of Raphael's work is perfectly characterized by a small painting in the form of a tondo "Madonna Conestabile", with its simplicity and conciseness of strictly selected details (for all the timidity of the composition) and the special, inherent in all Raphael's works, subtle lyricism and a sense of peace. In 1500, Raphael left Urbino for Perugia to study in the studio of the famous Umbrian artist Perugino, under whose influence The Betrothal of Mary (1504) was written. A sense of rhythm, proportionality of plastic masses, spatial intervals, the ratio of figures and the background, the coordination of the main tones (in the "Betrothal" these are golden, red and green in combination with the pale blue background of the sky) and create the harmony that already appears in the early works of Raphael and distinguishes him from the artists of the previous time.

Throughout his life, Raphael is looking for this image in the Madonna, his numerous works, interpreting the image of the Madonna, have earned him worldwide fame. The merit of the artist, first of all, is that he managed to embody all the subtlest shades of feelings in the idea of ​​motherhood, to combine lyricism and deep emotionality with monumental grandeur. This can be seen in all his Madonnas, starting with the youthfully timid Conestabile Madonna: in the Madonna in the Green, the Madonna with the Goldfinch, the Madonna in the Chair, and especially at the height of the Raphael spirit and skill - in the Sistine Madonna.

The “Sistine Madonna” is one of the most perfect works of Raphael in terms of language: the figure of Mary with the baby, strictly looming against the sky, is united by a common rhythm of movement with the figures of St. Barbarians and Pope Sixtus II, whose gestures are turned to the Madonna, as well as the views of two angels (more like putti, which is so characteristic of the Renaissance), are at the bottom of the composition. The figures are united by a common golden color, as if personifying the Divine radiance. But the main thing is the type of the face of the Madonna, which embodies the synthesis of the ancient ideal of beauty with the spirituality of the Christian ideal, which is so characteristic of the worldview of the High Renaissance.

The Sistine Madonna is a later work by Raphael.

At the beginning of the XVI century. Rome becomes the main cultural center of Italy. The art of the High Renaissance reaches its peak in this city, where, by the will of the patronizing popes Julius II and Leo X, artists such as Bramante, Michelangelo and Raphael work simultaneously.

Rafael paints the first two stanzas. In the Stanza della Senyatura (the room of signatures, seals), he painted four frescoes-allegories of the main areas of human spiritual activity: philosophy, poetry, theology and jurisprudence. (“The School of Athens”, “Parnassus”, “Disputation”, “Measure, Wisdom and Strength "". In the second room, called the "stanza of Eliodor", Raphael painted frescoes on historical and legendary subjects glorifying the popes of Rome: "The Expulsion of Eliodor"

For the art of the Middle Ages and the early Renaissance, it was common to depict sciences and arts in the form of individual allegorical figures. Rafael solved these topics in the form multi-figured compositions sometimes representing real group portraits, interesting both for their individualization and typicality

The students also helped Raphael in painting the loggias of the Vatican adjacent to the rooms of the Pope, painted according to his sketches and under his supervision with motifs of antique ornaments, drawn mainly from the newly discovered ancient grottoes (hence the name "grotesques").

Rafael performed works of various genres. His talent as a decorator, as well as a director, a storyteller, fully manifested itself in a series of eight cardboard tapestries for the Sistine Chapel on scenes from the life of the Apostles Peter and Paul (“The Miraculous Catch of Fish”, for example). These paintings during the XVI-XVIII centuries. served as a kind of standard for the classicists.

Raphael was also the greatest portrait painter of his era. ("Pope Julius II", "Leo X", the artist's friend the writer Castiglione, the beautiful "Donna Velata", etc.). And in his portrait images, as a rule, internal balance and harmony dominate.

At the end of his life, Raphael was overburdened with a variety of works and orders. It is even hard to imagine that all this could be done by one person. He was a central figure in the artistic life of Rome, after the death of Bramante (1514) he became the chief architect of the Cathedral of St. Peter, was in charge of archaeological excavations in Rome and its environs and the protection of ancient monuments.

Raphael died in 1520; his premature death was unexpected for contemporaries. His ashes are buried in the Pantheon.

The third greatest master of the High Renaissance - Michelangelo - far outlived Leonardo and Raphael. The first half of it creative way falls on the heyday of the art of the High Renaissance, and the second - at the time of the Counter-Reformation and the beginning of the formation of Baroque art. Of the brilliant constellation of artists of the High Renaissance, Michelangelo surpassed them all with the richness of his images, civic pathos, and sensitivity to changes in public mood. Hence the creative embodiment of the collapse of Renaissance ideas.

Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) In 1488, in Florence, he began to carefully study ancient plastic. His relief "Battle of the Centaurs" is already a product of the High Renaissance in terms of internal harmony. In 1496, the young artist leaves for Rome, where he creates his first works that brought him fame: "Bacchus" and "Pieta". Literally captured by the images of antiquity. "Pieta" - opens a number of works by the master on this subject and puts him among the first sculptors in Italy.

Returning to Florence in 1501, Michelangelo, on behalf of the Signoria, undertook to sculpt the figure of David from a marble block spoiled before him by an unlucky sculptor. In 1504, Michelangelo completed the famous statue, called the "Giant" by the Florentines and placed by them in front of the Palazzo Vecchia, the city hall. The opening of the monument turned into a national celebration. The image of David inspired many Quattrocento artists. But Michelangelo depicts him not as a boy, as in Donatello and Verrocchio, but as a young man in the prime of life, and not after the battle, with the head of a giant at his feet, but before the battle, at the moment of the highest tension. In the beautiful image of David, in his stern face, the sculptor conveyed the titanic power of passion, inflexible will, civic courage, and the boundless power of a free man.

In 1504, Michelangelo (as already mentioned in connection with Leonardo) begins to work on the painting of the "Hall of Five Hundred" in the Palazzo Signoria

In 1505, Pope Julius II invited Michelangelo to Rome to build his own tomb, but then refused the order and ordered a less grandiose painting of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican Palace.

Michelangelo worked alone on painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, from 1508 to 1512, painting an area of ​​​​about 600 square meters. m (48x13 m) at a height of 18 m.

Michelangelo devoted the central part of the ceiling to the scenes of sacred history, starting from the creation of the world. These compositions are framed by a cornice painted in the same way, but creating the illusion of architecture, and are separated, also by picturesque, rods. Picturesque rectangles emphasize and enrich the real architecture of the ceiling. Under the picturesque cornice, Michelangelo painted the prophets and sibyls (each figure is about three meters), in the lunettes (arches above the windows) he depicted episodes from the Bible and the ancestors of Christ as ordinary people busy with daily activities.

At nine central compositions the events of the first days of creation unfold, the story of Adam and Eve, the global flood, and all these scenes, in fact, are a hymn to man, embedded in him. Julius II died shortly after the completion of work at Sistine, and his heirs returned to the idea of ​​a tombstone. In 1513-1516. Michelangelo performs the figure of Moses and slaves (captives) for this gravestone. The image of Moses is one of the strongest in the work of a mature master. He invested in him the dream of a wise, courageous leader, full of titanic strength, expression, will-qualities, so necessary then for the unification of his homeland. The figures of slaves were not included in the final version of the tomb.

From 1520 to 1534, Michelangelo is working on one of the most significant and most tragic sculptural works - on the tomb of the Medici (the Florentine church of San Lorenzo), expressing all the experiences that fell during this period on the lot of the master himself, and his hometown, and the whole the country as a whole. Since the late 1920s, Italy has been literally torn apart by both external and internal enemies. In 1527 hired soldiers sacked Rome, Protestants plundered the Catholic shrines of the eternal city. The Florentine bourgeoisie overthrows the Medici, who ruled again from 1510.

In a mood of grave pessimism, in a state of increasing deep religiosity, Michelangelo is working on the tomb of the Medici. He himself builds an extension to the Florentine church of San Lorenzo - a small but very high room, covered with a dome, and decorates two walls of the sacristy (its interior) with sculptural tombstones. One wall is decorated with the figure of Lorenzo, the opposite - Giuliano, and at the bottom at their feet are placed sarcophagi, decorated with allegorical sculptural images - symbols of the fleeting time: "Morning" and "Evening" - in the gravestone of Lorenzo, "Nights and Day" - in the gravestone of Giuliano .

Both images - Lorenzo and Giuliano - do not have a portrait resemblance, which is how they differ from the traditional decisions of the 15th century.

Immediately after his election, Paul III began to insistently demand from Michelangelo the fulfillment of this plan, and in 1534, interrupting work on the tomb, which he completed only in 1545, Michelangelo left for Rome, where he began his second work in the Sistine Chapel - to painting "The Last Judgment" (1535-1541) - a grandiose creation that expressed the tragedy of the human race. The features of the new artistic system manifested themselves even more clearly in this work by Michelangelo. The creative judgment, the punishing Christ, is placed in the center of the composition, and around it, in a rotational circular motion, sinners are depicted falling into hell, the righteous ascending to paradise, the dead rising from their graves for God's judgment. Everything is full of horror, despair, anger, confusion.

Painter, sculptor, poet, Michelangelo was also a brilliant architect. He executed the stairs of the Florentine library of Laurenziana, framed the Capitol Square in Rome, erected the gates of Pius (Porta Pia), since 1546 he has been working on the Cathedral of St. Peter, begun by Bramante. Michelangelo owns the drawing and drawing of the dome, which was executed after the death of the master and is still one of the main dominants in the panorama of the city.

Michelangelo died in Rome at the age of 89. His body was taken out at night to Florence and buried in the oldest church in his native city of Santa Croce. Historical meaning the art of Michelangelo, his impact on his contemporaries and on subsequent eras can hardly be overestimated. Some foreign researchers interpret him as the first artist and architect of the Baroque. But most of all, he is interesting as a bearer of the great realistic traditions of the Renaissance.

George Barbarelli da Castelfranco, nicknamed Giorgione (1477-1510), is a direct follower of his teacher and a typical artist of the High Renaissance. He was the first on Venetian soil to turn to literary themes, to mythological subjects. Landscape, nature and the beautiful naked human body became for him an object of art and an object of worship.

Already in the first known work, "The Madonna of Castelfranco" (circa 1505), Giorgione appears as a well-established artist; the image of the Madonna is full of poetry, thoughtful dreaminess, permeated with that mood of sadness that is characteristic of all female images Giorgione. Over the last five years of his life, the artist created his the best works, executed in oil technique, the main one in the Venetian school at that time. . In the painting of 1506 "Thunderstorm" Giorgione depicts man as part of nature. A woman feeding a child, a youth with a staff (who can be mistaken for a warrior with a halberd) are not united by any action, but are united in this majestic landscape general mood, general state of mind. Spirituality and poetry permeate the image of the "Sleeping Venus" (circa 1508-1510). Her body is written easily, freely, gracefully, and it is not for nothing that researchers talk about the "musicality" of Giorgione's rhythms; it is not devoid of sensual charm. "Country concert" (1508-1510)

Titian Vecellio (1477?-1576) -greatest artist Venetian Renaissance. He created works on both mythological and Christian subjects, worked in the portrait genre, his coloristic talent is exceptional, compositional inventiveness is inexhaustible, and his happy longevity allowed him to leave behind a rich creative heritage that had a huge impact on posterity.

Already in 1516, he became the first painter of the republic, from the 20s - the most famous artist of Venice

Around 1520, the Duke of Ferrara commissioned him a series of paintings in which Titian appears as a singer of antiquity who managed to feel and, most importantly, embody the spirit of paganism (Bacchanal, Feast of Venus, Bacchus and Ariadne).

Wealthy Venetian patricians order Titian altarpieces, and he creates huge icons: "Ascension of Mary", "Madonna Pesaro"

"Entering Mary into the Temple" (circa 1538), "Venus" (circa 1538)

(group portrait of Pope Paul III with nephews Ottavio and Alexander Farnese, 1545-1546)

He still writes a lot on ancient subjects ("Venus and Adonis", "The Shepherd and the Nymph", "Diana and Actaeon", "Jupiter and Antiope"), but more and more often he turns to Christian themes, to scenes of martyrdom, in which pagan cheerfulness, antique harmony is replaced by a tragic worldview (“Flagellation of Christ”, “Penitent Mary Magdalene”, “St. Sebastian”, “Lamentation”),

But at the end of the century, the features of an impending new era in art, a new artistic direction, are already obvious here. This can be seen in the work of two major artists of the second half of this century - Paolo Veronese and Jacopo Tintoretto.

Paolo Cagliari, nicknamed Veronese (he was from Verona, 1528-1588), was destined to become last singer festive, jubilant Venice of the 16th century.

: "Feast in the House of Levi" "Marriage in Cana of Galilee" for the refectory of the monastery of San George Maggiore

Jacopo Robusti, known in art as Tintoretto (1518-1594) ("tintoretto" dyer: the artist's father was a silk dyer). "The Miracle of Saint Mark" (1548)

(“Salvation of Arsinoe”, 1555), “Entrance into the Temple” (1555),

Andrea Palladio (1508-1580, Villa Cornaro in Piombino, Villa Rotonda in Vicenza, completed after his death by students according to his project, many buildings in Vicenza). The result of his study of antiquity was the book "Roman Antiquities" (1554), "Four Books on Architecture" (1570-1581), but antiquity was for him a "living organism", according to the researcher's fair observation.

The Netherlandish Renaissance in painting begins with the "Ghent Altarpiece" by the brothers Hubert (died 1426) and Jan (circa 1390-1441) van Eyck, completed by Jan van Eyck in 1432. Van Eyck improved the oil technique: oil made it possible to convey more versatile brilliance, depth, richness objective world, attracting the attention of Dutch artists, its colorful sonority.

Of the numerous Madonnas of Jan van Eyck, the most famous is the Madonna of Chancellor Rollin (circa 1435)

("Man with a Carnation"; "Man in a Turban", 1433; portrait of the artist's wife Marguerite van Eyck, 1439

In solving such problems, Dutch art owes much to Rogier van der Weyden (1400?-1464) The Descent from the Cross is a typical work of Weyden.

In the second half of the XV century. accounts for the work of the master of exceptional talent Hugo van der Goes (circa 1435-1482) "The Death of Mary").

Hieronymus Bosch (1450-1516), the creator of gloomy mystical visions, in which he also refers to medieval allegory, "The Garden of Delights"

The pinnacle of the Dutch Renaissance was undoubtedly the work of Pieter Brueghel the Elder, nicknamed Muzhitsky (1525 / 30-1569) (“Kitchen of the skinny”, “Kitchen of the obese”), The “Winter Landscape” from the cycle “The Seasons” (other title - "Hunters in the Snow", 1565), "Battle of Carnival and Lent" (1559).

Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528).

"The Feast of the Rosary" (another name is "Madonna with the Rosary", 1506), "The Horseman, Death and the Devil", 1513; "St. Jerome" and "Melancholy",

Hans Holbein the Younger (1497-1543), "The Triumph of Death" ("Dance of Death") portrait of Jane Seymour, 1536

Albrecht Altdorfer (1480-1538)

Renaissance Lucas Cranach (1472- 1553),

Jean Fouquet (circa 1420-1481), Portrait of Charles VII

Jean Clouet (c. 1485/88-1541), son of François Clouet (c. 1516-1572) - the most major artist France in the 16th century portrait of Elisabeth of Austria, circa 1571, (portrait of Henry II, Mary Stuart, etc.)

For Europeans, the period of the dark Middle Ages ended, followed by the Renaissance. It allowed to revive the almost disappeared heritage of Antiquity and create great works of art. An important role in the development of mankind was played by the scientists of the Renaissance.

Paradigm

The crisis and the destruction of Byzantium led to the appearance in Europe of thousands of Christian emigrants who brought books with them. In these manuscripts were collected knowledge of the ancient period, half-forgotten in the west of the continent. They became the basis of humanism, which put man, his ideas and the desire for freedom at the forefront. Over time, in cities where the role of bankers, artisans, merchants and artisans increased, secular centers of science and education began to appear, which not only were not under the rule catholic church, but also often struggled with its dictatorship.

Painting by Giotto (Renaissance)

Artists in the Middle Ages created works of predominantly religious content. In particular, for a long time the main genre of painting was icon painting. The first who decided to bring ordinary people to his canvases, as well as to abandon the canonical manner of writing inherent in the Byzantine school, was Giotto di Bondone, who is considered the pioneer of the Proto-Renaissance. On the frescoes of the church of San Francesco, located in the city of Assisi, he used the play of chiaroscuro and moved away from the generally accepted compositional structure. However, Giotto's main masterpiece was the painting of the Arena Chapel in Padua. Interestingly, immediately after this order, the artist was called to decorate the city hall. In working on one of the paintings, in order to achieve the greatest reliability in the image of the "heavenly sign", Giotto consulted with the astronomer Pietro d'Abano. Thus, thanks to this artist, painting ceased to depict people, objects and natural phenomena according to certain canons and became more realistic.

Leonardo da Vinci

Many figures of the Renaissance had a versatile talent. However, none of them can be compared in its versatility with Leonardo da Vinci. He distinguished himself as an outstanding painter, architect, sculptor, anatomist, naturalist and engineer.

In 1466, Leonardo da Vinci went to study in Florence, where, in addition to painting, he studied chemistry and drawing, and also acquired skills in working with metal, leather and plaster.

Already the first picturesque canvases of the artist singled him out among his comrades in the shop. During his long, at that time, 68-year life, Leonardo da Vinci created such masterpieces as Mona Lisa, John the Baptist, Lady with an Ermine, The Last Supper, etc.

Like other prominent figures of the Renaissance, the artist was interested in science and engineering. In particular, it is known that the wheeled pistol lock invented by him was used until the 19th century. In addition, Leonardo da Vinci created drawings of a parachute, an aircraft, a searchlight, a spotting scope with two lenses, etc.

Michelangelo

When the question of what the Renaissance figures gave to the world is discussed, the list of their achievements necessarily contains the works of this outstanding architect, artist and sculptor.

Among the most famous creations of Michelangelo Buonarroti are the frescoes of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, the statue of David, the sculpture of Bacchus, the marble statue of the Madonna of Bruges, the painting "The Torment of St. Anthony" and many other masterpieces of world art.

Rafael Santi

The artist was born in 1483 and lived only 37 years. However, the great legacy of Rafael Santi puts him in the first lines of any symbolic rating of "Outstanding Figures of the Renaissance."

Among the artist's masterpieces are "The Coronation of Mary" for the Oddi altar, "Portrait of Pietro Bembo", "Lady with a Unicorn", numerous frescoes commissioned for Stanza della Senyatura, etc.

The pinnacle of Raphael's work is the "Sistine Madonna", created for the altar of the temple of the monastery of St. Sixtus in Piacenza. This picture makes an unforgettable impression on anyone who sees it, since Mary depicted in it in an incomprehensible way combines the earthly and heavenly essences of the Mother of God.

Albrecht Dürer

Famous figures of the Renaissance were not only Italians. Among them is the German painter and engraver Albrecht Dürer, who was born in Nuremberg in 1471. His most significant works are the "Landauer Altarpiece", a self-portrait (1500), the painting "Feast of the Rose Wreaths", three "Master Engravings". The latter are considered masterpieces of graphic art of all times and peoples.

Titian

The great figures of the Renaissance in the field of painting have left us images of their most famous contemporaries. One of the outstanding portrait painters of this period of European art was Titian, who came from the well-known family of Vecellio. He immortalized on canvas Federico Gonzaga, Charles V, Clarissa Strozzi, Pietro Aretino, architect Giulio Romano and many others. In addition, his brushes belong to canvases on subjects from ancient mythology. How highly the artist was valued by his contemporaries is evidenced by the fact that once the brush that fell from the hands of Titian was hurried to pick up the emperor Charles V. The monarch explained his act by saying that serving such a master is an honor for anyone.

Sandro Botticelli

The artist was born in 1445. Initially, he was going to become a jeweler, but then he got into the workshop of Andrea Verrocchio, from whom Leonardo da Vinci once studied. Along with works of religious themes, the artist created several paintings of secular content. The masterpieces of Botticelli include the paintings "The Birth of Venus", "Spring", "Pallas and the Centaur" and many others.

Dante Alighieri

The great figures of the Renaissance left their indelible mark on world literature. One of the most outstanding poets of this period is Dante Alighieri, born in 1265 in Florence. At the age of 37, he was expelled from his hometown because of his political views and wandered until the last years of his life.

As a child, Dante fell in love with his peer Beatrice Portinari. Growing up, the girl married another and died at the age of 24. Beatrice became the poet's muse, and it was to her that he dedicated his works, including the story "New Life". In 1306, Dante begins to create his " Divine Comedy”, on which he has been working for almost 15 years. In it, he exposes the vices of Italian society, the crimes of popes and cardinals, and places his Beatrice in "paradise".

William Shakespeare

Although the ideas of the Renaissance reached the British Isles with some delay, there were also created outstanding works art.

In particular, one of the most famous playwrights in the history of mankind, William Shakespeare, worked in England. For more than 500 years his plays have not left theater stage in all corners of the planet. He wrote the tragedy "Othello", "Romeo and Juliet", "Hamlet", "Macbeth", as well as the comedies "Twelfth Night", "Much Ado About Nothing" and many others. In addition, Shakespeare is known for his sonnets dedicated to the mysterious Swarthy Lady.

Leon Battista Alberti

The Renaissance also contributed to a change in the appearance of European cities. During this period, great architectural masterpieces were created, including the Roman Cathedral of St. Peter, the Laurentian stairs, Florence Cathedral, etc. Along with Michelangelo, the well-known scientist Leon Battista Alberti is among the famous architects of the Renaissance. He made a huge contribution to architecture, the theory of art and literature. The sphere of his interests also included the problems of pedagogy and ethics, mathematics and cartography. He created one of the first scientific papers on architecture, entitled "Ten Books on Architecture". This work had a huge impact on subsequent generations of his colleagues.

Now you know the most famous cultural figures of the Renaissance, thanks to whom human civilization reached new round of its development.