Michelangelo Virgin Mary and Child. Madonna of Bruges

Michelangelo Buonarroti. Biography. “The Descent from the Cross.” "Madonna of Bruges". “Madonna and Child.” Tondo “Madonna Doni”. Tomb of Pope Julius II.

There are many mysteries in the history of art. One of them was Michelangelo Buonarroti's unfinished painting "The Removal c cross”, which has long caused fierce controversy. Experts agreed that it corresponded to the early style of Michelangelo, but doubt remained whether it belonged to the brush of the master himself or was still a talented fake.

In 1981, all disputes were put to an end thanks to the discovery of documents proving that in 1500 Michelangelo accepted an order to create an altarpiece for the Roman church of San Agostino. In 1501, without completing the work, he left for Florence and subsequently returned the money received for the painting.

on the picture:Michelangelo Buonarroti.Tondo "Madonna"Pitti"

Life in his hometown had stabilized by that time. In 1498, as a result of the intrigues of Florentine leaders and the papal throne, the turbulent life of Savanarola and his two followers ended in a terrible death (they were burned in the Piazza della Signoria). Centuries passed, carrying away old passions and enmity. Only memory remains. Today in Florence, the streets of Michelangelo and Torrigiano, who disfigured him and became a famous sculptor after his expulsion, lie very close, and the Florentines annually sprinkle the site of Savanarola’s death not even with roses, but with rose petals.

End XV century is significant for world art and Michelangelo with the creation of the legendary “David”.
Read more about the masterpiece of world sculpture, the “David” statue, on portal 2 queens. ru.

After David, Michelangelo created a small (1.27 meters high) sculptural group of the Madonna and Child, which he completed in 1504. This is one of Michelangelo's most believable, tender and spiritual Madonnas. The “Madonna of Bruges” is named after the Dutch city of Bruges, the former center of the Northern Renaissance, where it still adorns Notre Dame Cathedral.

“Tondo” is the name given to a round-shaped painting or relief. The famous tondo “Madonna Doni” is not quite a tondo; this work by Michelangelo is slightly larger in height than in width. It got its name in honor of Agnolo Doni, a prosperous Florentine weaver who commissioned the painting for his wedding. The original frame was probably designed by Michelangelo himself. Tondo Doni is the only completed and extant painting by the artist on wood.

Michelangelo Buonarroti.Tondo "Madonna Doni"

Michelangelo's interest in painting begins with the Madonna Doni, but it should be noted that when performing paintings, he thinks like a sculptor: he created the picture in full accordance with his early reliefs Tondo Tadei and Tondo Pitti.

Michelangelo comes to realize the possibilities of painting, which can not only repeat sculpture, but also convey such complex positions of bodies that are not available in sculpture. This was the beginning of the journey to painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

Michelangelo Buonarroti.Tondo "Madonna of Tadei"

In 1505, Michelangelo urgently left Florence for Rome. The reasons for this urgency lay in the latest changes in political life in Italy: Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere, a representative of an impoverished aristocratic family, ascended the papal throne. He began his rise in the Catholic hierarchy in 1471, when his uncle was elected pope under the name Sixtus IV . Giuliano chose the papal name Julius because all his life he tried to imitate the military genius of Julius Caesar. Like other pontiffs of that time, Pope Julius was not only a religious figure, but also a military leader. During his pontificate, the warlike Julius II personally led the papal troops in a number of military campaigns and managed to annex a large territory in northern Italy to the papal state. This pope also became famous for his philanthropy.

Michelangelo's fame reached Rome. At this time, the position of chief architect of the Vatican was held by the Florentine Giuliano da Sangallo, a friend of Michelangelo, who actively recruited his fellow countrymen to serve the pope. Michelangelo also received an invitation on behalf of the pope to come to Rome. The Pope decided to ensure his immortality with the help of a brilliant sculptor - he ordered Michelangelo to build a tomb. One could only dream of such an order: regardless of the capabilities of the depleted treasury, the pope provided Michelangelo with unlimited funds and materials and promised not to constrain his creative imagination.

Michelangelo Buonarroti. Tomb of Pope Julius II

Michelangelo set to work energetically; he went to the quarries of Carrara, where c two assistants spent more than eight months selecting marble for the tomb. The amount of extracted marble, from which Michelangelo planned to sculpt 40 sculptures, amazed all of Rome: it took (!) 70 carts to transport it. But in Rome, Michelangelo received unpleasant news - during the sculptor’s absence, Pope Julius lost interest in this project and stopped funding the work. The offended Michelangelo immediately left Rome for Florence, without even saying goodbye to Pope Julius. The Pope sent him in pursuit demanding that he return. But (unheard of impudence in those days!), Michelangelo refused. Papa Julius II wanted to return Michelangelo to Rome at any cost, threatened, insisted. And after long negotiations in Bologna, their reconciliation took place.

As a sign of reconciliation, Michelangelo accepted an order to make a statue of the pope for the church of San Petronio. A statue of the pope was placed on the facade of the church in Bologna, which the pope annexed to his domains. But when Bologna regained its independence, the statue suffered a sad fate: it was melted down, and “the bronze was sold to Duke Alfonso of Ferrara, who poured a cannon out of it and named it Julia.” (Vasari)

Michelangelo Buonarroti."Descent from the Cross"

The collapse of plans related to the tomb of Pope Julius II , plunged Michelangelo into deep depression. “In this tomb I buried my youth,” he wrote sadly in 1542. In 1513, dad died, and a long-term lawsuit began between the artist and a relative of the deceased. The contract for the tomb was concluded 6 times over 37 years, until finally the monument was installed in the church of San Pietro in Vincoli. In 1545, Michelangelo finally finished work on the tomb, but it was only a pale shadow of the original plan.

Read more about Michelangelo's works in our following materials.

photos from websites : newliturgicalmovement.org, princeamsterdam.blogspot.com, flickriver.com, myartprints.com, artmight.com, italian-renaissance-art.com

You can also initiate a discussion on topics that interest you on our portal.

Michelangelo Buonarroti.Madonna of Bruges. 1501-1504 Madonna di Bruges
Height 128. Church of Our Lady, Bruges

“Madonna of Bruges” is a marble statue of the Madonna and Child Christ, 128 cm high, made by Michelangelo Buonarroti in 1501-04. shortly after the completion of the Vatican Pietà. This is the only statue of Michelangelo, which, during his lifetime, was taken from Italy to decorate the Church of Notre Dame in the city of Bruges.

The composition was commissioned from Michelangelo by Cardinal Piccolomini. But during the work, disagreements arose. Michelangelo fundamentally wanted to sculpt the baby Jesus naked, while the cardinal considered this unacceptable.
Disagreements led to the cardinal apparently abandoning the sculpture...

A merchant from Bruges, Mouscron (Moscheroni), who once visited Michelangelo in his workshop, decided to buy the sculpture. Michelangelo did not want the sculpture to leave Italy and set an incredibly high price for those times of 100 ducats, but the merchant paid. At the end of 1506, the sculpture was transported to Bruges.

The statue, probably originally intended for a church altar, deviates from church canons in many respects. Madonna does not hug her son to her and does not even look at him, her gaze is directed to the side, as if the fate destined for him had been revealed to her. Christ, it seems, is ready to leave his mother and enter the world of people.

In this modest work, which reveals a line of images in Michelangelo’s work, marked by features of a peculiar lyricism, Madonna herself is especially attractive, in which classical beauty and inner strength of personality are combined with soft poetry and nobility. You can feel the hand of the master who sculpted the Roman Pietà in it.

The Madonna and Child from Bruges is one of Michelangelo's most beautiful and spiritual Madonnas. A sad woman, chosen and doomed, she foresees her son's suffering on the cross. Her gaze is directed into the distance, an expression of inescapable sadness is frozen on her face. The Baby, cheerful and inquisitive, with a large curly head, evokes completely different feelings. With her childish spontaneity and serenity, she seems to emphasize the immensity of her mother’s future grief.

STONE IRVING.

“That’s why she resisted, did not want to let go of this beautiful, strong and agile boy, who grabbed her protecting hand with his little hand. And that’s why she covered her son with the edge of her cloak. The boy, sensing his mother’s mood, also had sadness hidden in his eyes.

He was full of strength and courage, soon he would jump off his mother’s lap and leave this safe refuge, but now, at this moment, he grabbed his mother’s hand with one hand and pressed the other to her thigh. Perhaps he is thinking now about her, about his mother, saddened by the inevitable separation: her son, so trustingly clinging to his knees, will soon wander in the world alone.” Stone Irving.

The master no longer idealized Mary’s face, as in his earlier works. Having created the Roman “Pieta” and “David”, he is looking for feeling, believability: modest clothes with flowing folds outline the strong body of a young mother, a face with heavy eyelids from unshed tears, a long nose, thick hair in a simple hairstyle covered with a heavy hood, as this work reminds "Pieta."

The baby's body, although childish, gives a feeling of hidden power, but is childishly cute - plump cheeks and chin, curly head. At his mother’s knees, holding her hand, he feels protected and ready to explore the world. The position of the bodies of the sculptural group is very natural - what could be more plausible than the Mother and Child from Bruges?

Tondo Doni from the Uffizi Gallery is the same masterpiece of Michelangelo, where painting becomes almost a sculpture, filled with the deepest meaning.

Tondo Doni (or Madonna Doni) is the only non-monumental painting by Michelangelo, which is considered completed, and whose authorship is beyond doubt.

A tondo is a piece of painting or sculpture in a round format, about a meter in diameter. Paintings and reliefs in the shape of a circle were extremely common in Florence during the early Renaissance. Throughout the 15th century, the most notable and vibrant artists worked with tondos, traditionally depicting religious subjects on them. Rich Florentines ordered tondos both for their palazzos and as expensive gifts for weddings and holidays.

In 1504, Michelangelo Buonarroti lives and works in Florence. Hishas just been installed in Piazza della Signoria, in the heart of the young republic. The news of the giant statue of a perfectly beautiful naked man spread throughout Europe. And there was no star brighter than Michelangelo!

A young sculptor, originally from Florence, who glorified his city... he became a real celebrity and the most sought-after master. Soon rumors of his genius will reach Pope Julius II himself, who will invite him to Rome with great respect. But for now Michelangelo is inundated with orders from wealthy Florentines: everyone wanted to get his work.

Agnolo Doni could not stay away either. A merchant, a wealthy textile merchant, a philanthropist, a collector of ancient and “modern” art, he was one of the most enlightened, famous and respected people in the city.

In 1504, a magnificent wedding takes place in Florence: Agnolo Doni marries Maddalena Strozzi, a representative of a wealthy family of Florentine bankers.

It is quite possible that it was in honor of this celebration that Doni turned to Michelangelo and ordered from him an image of the Virgin Mary in tondo format, the creation of which is connected with a fascinating story that has come down to us in the Lives of Giorgio Vasari.

When Michelangelo finished the tondo, he sent him with a messenger to Agnolo's house with a message to receive 70 ducats for it. Doni, a philanthropist and art connoisseur, immediately realized that Michelangelo’s work was so good that it was worth much more. But, being a prudent merchant, he decided that 40 ducats would be enough for the artist, which he handed to the messenger. Agnolo was fully confident that the artist would not dare to argue and bargain with such a powerful and respected person. But Michelangelo, known for his difficult character, became truly furious and sent back 40 ducats, ordering the messenger to return either with the painting or with double the price. Agnolo, already ready for 70, as in the saying about the stingy, was forced to send Michelangelo 140 ducats.

A year later, Agnolo Doni will turn to and will order a double portrait from him with his young wife. And you must agree, Raphael perfectly conveyed the character of Agnolo Doni, this smart but calculating Florentine.

What amazed Agnolo Doni so much, who was ready even for double the price?

Michelangelo places an intimate family scene in the center of the composition: the Virgin Mary hands over her son, the baby Jesus Christ, to Joseph.

A description by Giorgio Vasari has been preserved: “Here Michelangelo expresses in the turn of the head of the mother of Christ and in her eyes, fixed on the highest beauty of her son, his wonderful satisfaction and excitement<…>But since this was not enough for Michelangelo to show to an even greater extent the greatness of his art, against the background of this work he painted many naked bodies - leaning, standing upright and sitting, and he finished the whole thing so carefully and so cleanly that of all his paintings on wood, and there are not many of them, are rightly considered the most complete and the most beautiful.”

The Holy Family is separated by a small wall, and in the background there are naked youths, reminiscent of the ancient statues so beloved of Michelangelo. And the figurine of the baby John the Baptist is placed in such a way that it seems to connect these scenes.

There are several ways to read this work.

According to one, Tondo Doni is a contrast between the old, pagan world and the new time of Christianity and the coming of the Savior. Perhaps this group of naked people, gathered in a semicircle in the manner of antiquity, are pagans awaiting baptism, the sacrament of which is traditionally associated with the figure of John the Baptist.

And according to another version, naked men symbolize homosexual relationships, which were often attributed to Michelangelo, and which were condemned by the Christian church.

The technique with which Michelangelo completed the work amazed and continues to amaze everyone without exception. An unusually solid composition and rich color scheme make the tondo expressive, bright and unforgettable. It is impossible to believe that its creator did not consider himself an artist at all. On the contrary, Michelangelo did not like painting, considering the chisel and hammer to be his tools.

At the same time, he amazingly managed to work with these very instruments, like a brush (just remember the Pieta). And to paint pictures as if he were carving them out of marble: after all, the naked hands of the Virgin Mary seem completely alive!

The lively plasticity of figures is another unconditional advantage of Tondo Doni. Michelangelo was an artist and sculptor who was extremely attracted to the human body. He was not at all interested in portraying ethereal images. Of course, the naked male body in motion is the main thing in Michelangelo's art. But even when depicting clothed characters, Mary and Joseph, Michelangelo achieves maximum authenticity of movements and poses. After all, he, passionate about anatomy, like no other artist, knows all the secrets and positions of the human body.

The Virgin Mary handing over the baby Jesus Christ to Joseph is depicted in an unusual movement. This turn seems to twist the entire composition in a spiral, making it integral and expressive.

The pose of the Virgin Mary was found by Michelangelo, certainly during preparatory work. After all, for each of his projects, Michelangelo made dozens of drawings from life. It was this situation that unusually inspired Raphael Santi, a young and impetuous artist who arrived in Florence at that time, wanting to study with Michelangelo and Leonardo.

Tondo Doni will be an endless source of inspiration for Rafael. He uses this twisting movement in the painting “Entombment”: a girl in this position supports the Virgin Mary, who has fainted from grief.

And years later, in Rome, where Raphael would achieve extraordinary fame, become a leading artist, chief architect of St. Peter's Basilica and keeper of antiquities, he would not forget Tondo Doni. In 1512 he will create the altarpiece “Madonna di Foligno”, and his Jesus Christ will look so much like the baby from the Tondo Doni. This is exactly how, inspired and entering into dialogue, Raphael expressed his deep admiration for the genius of Michelangelo Buonarroti, “a simple sculptor from Florence.”

The sculptural composition of the Madonna and Child Christ, later called the “Madonna of Bruges,” became the only statue of Michelangelo that left Italy during his lifetime.

Originally, this marble statue, created by an Italian genius at the very beginning of the 16th century, shortly after the completion of the Vatican Pietà, was intended for a niche above the high altar in the Siena chapel of Cardinal Francesco Piccolomini, which explains some of the disproportion of the sculpture and the downward gaze of the Virgin and Child. However, during the process of work, disagreements arose between the sculptor and the customer - Michelangelo fundamentally wanted to sculpt the baby Jesus naked, while the cardinal considered this unacceptable. As a result, thanks to the mediation of Michelangelo’s friend, banker Giovani Balducci, the owners of the statue became influential merchants from Bruges - Jan and Alexander Muscrone (in Italian pronunciation Moscheroni). In 1506, the sculptural composition left Italy to be presented by merchants as a gift to the Church of Our Lady of Bruges.

The small statue, whose height is only 128 centimeters, was placed in a black marble niche in the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, and in 1768 the composition was supplemented by two side sculptures (by Peter Peters), allegorically representing Faith and Hope. Over several centuries, the “Madonna of Bruges” left the capital of West Flanders twice: after the French Revolution, when all of Europe was in a fever, and in 1944, when the Germans retreating from the city were able to take the statue under mattresses in a Red Cross truck. However, at the end of World War II, “Madonna” returned to its place. After a fanatic attacked the Vatican Pietà in 1972 (the maniac damaged the sculpture with a hammer), the Bruges authorities decided to protect their statue with bulletproof glass.

“Madonna of Bruges” in many respects deviates from the generally accepted church canons of that time: the thoughtful Mother of God, as if immersed in her thoughts, does not hug her son to her, her gaze is directed to the side. The classical beauty of her young face is marked by subtle poetry, lyricism and deep sorrow, as if the mother had already revealed the sufferings of the cross destined for her son. The American writer Irving Stone, in his famous novel “Torment and Joy,” dedicated to the life and work of Michelangelo, describes the statue as follows: “That’s why she resisted, did not want to let go of this beautiful, strong and agile boy, who grabbed her protecting hand with his little hand . And that’s why she covered her son with the edge of her cloak. The boy, sensing his mother’s mood, also had sadness hidden in his eyes. He was full of strength and courage, soon he would jump off his mother’s lap and leave this safe refuge, but now, at this moment, he grabbed his mother’s hand with one hand and pressed the other to her thigh. Perhaps he is thinking now about her, about his mother, saddened by the inevitable separation: her son, so trustingly clinging to his knees, will soon wander alone in the world.”

It seems that Mary’s eyelids are about to tremble, her chest, covered with the flowing folds of her clothes, will sigh, the baby Jesus will take his first independent step, in whose entire appearance one can already feel the hidden power... “Madonna of Bruges” is one of the most believable, inspired, “living” works of the great Michelangelo.

A mother and a newborn baby is one of the most popular subjects in art.

He received special attention from both popular and well-known artists (Leonardo da Vinci and Rafael Santi) and those little known to the general public (Bartolomeo Murillo, di Marcovaldo and others).

Virgin Mary di Marcovaldo

Coppo di Marcovaldo is considered the founder of the Siena school of fine art. His fate is quite interesting, since in the middle of the 13th century. he took part in one of the battles on the side of the Florentine adherents of the Pope, as a result of which the artist was captured. But since he was very talented, he was able to “buy” his freedom by painting a very beautiful and quite realistic image of the Madonna and Child, which was then transferred to the Siena Church. This Madonna was called "Madonna del Bordone".

This painting presents the viewer with the Virgin Mary sitting on a throne, slightly raising one leg to make it more comfortable for the baby to sit in her arms. She touchingly holds his leg, and he reaches out to her with his hand. They already have some noticeable interaction that was not seen in the earlier paintings.

The Virgo's head is surrounded by a barely visible halo. It is worth noting the incredibly expressive eyes of this Madonna. She looks at the viewer, as if looking into his soul. Her clothes are a simple black cape, but to make it more chic, the artist painted the draperies in gold. On the sides, left and right, there are angels depicted in full height (this is a Florentine tradition). Usually they were drawn the same, but these, if you look closely, are not completely identical to each other: the differences are in their faces.

Let's move on from the lesser known to the more popular and take a closer look at the most striking paintings on this topic.

"Madonna Litta" by Leonardo da Vinci

One of the most depicted Madonna and Child is the painting “Madonna Litta” by the brilliant Leonardo da Vinci. Now it can be seen among the masterpieces stored in the Hermitage.

The main person in this painting is a young woman holding a baby in her arms and breastfeeding him. As in all of them, it stands out more in comparison to the background, where the viewer can observe arched windows through which a bright blue sky with fluffy white clouds can be seen. It is worth noting that the Madonna and Child are drawn very clearly, her features seem to be highlighted, as if drawn under the flash of a camera, in comparison with the somewhat blurred background - these are also distinctive features of portraits of that era.

The mother looks at the child with tenderness. Some people think that she is smiling slightly (the “Leonardo’s smile”, popular for the artist’s paintings), but in fact, the Madonna is thoughtful. The child looks at the viewer, holding a bird in one of his hands - a small goldfinch.

Goldfinch in the painting "Madonna Litta"

There are different versions of why the chick is depicted in this painting.

The bird as a symbol of the future suffering of Christ, where the red head of the goldfinch symbolizes the blood shed by the Son of God. According to legend, when Christ was being led to Golgotha, a goldfinch flew down on him, pulled out a thorn from Jesus’ eyebrow, and blood dripped onto him.

The goldfinch symbolizes the soul, which flies away after death: this designation comes from ancient paganism, but is also preserved in Christian semiotics.

The apocryphal Gospel of Thomas tells a slightly different story: Jesus revived a dead goldfinch by simply holding it in his hands, which is why many paintings depict this chick along with the baby.

Madonnas by Raphael Santi

But there is another, no less famous Madonna and Child. Rafael Santi was the one who wrote it. Or rather, he has quite a lot of paintings with such a plot: this is the well-known “Madonna of Conestabile”, which is kept in the Hermitage, and the extraordinary “Madonna with a Veil,” which depicts not only a mother and child, but the entire Holy Family.

Raphael painted the painting itself with the title “Madonna and Child” in 1503. The woman in it is more sophisticated and, undoubtedly, younger than da Vinci’s. Obviously, the bond between mother and child is more pronounced. They look at each other with touching love and slight thoughtfulness, the mother supports the baby by the back with her hand. This is no longer the anxious Virgo that can be seen in the artist’s early paintings.

Together they read the book “Book of Hours” - a symbol of the authority of the church - in which the texts of prayers, psalms, and church services are written (previously, by the way, it was from this book that they learned to read). According to some sources, the Book of Hours is opened on the page that corresponds to nine o'clock, which is the time when Jesus was crucified on the cross.

In the background there is a smoky landscape with a church and trees. By the way, this landscape can also be called a distinctive characteristic of Santi’s works on the theme of mother and child. Almost every painting by Raphael has a fairly detailed landscape background.

There is no point in determining whose painting is better: Da Vinci or Raphael. The Madonna and Child looks original and unique in each of them.

Not only fine art was interested in the theme of mother and child, so it is worth considering how it was reflected in other forms.

Madonna and Child sculpture

The attention of any art connoisseur is attracted by the sculpture "Madonna and Child", the author of which is the famous master Michelangelo.

According to the customers, this masterpiece was supposed to be at a height of about nine meters, so that the audience would look up at it, like a deity. By the way, it is for this reason that the gaze of mother and child is directed downward.

There is evidence that Cardinal Piccolomini (the first customer) was dissatisfied with the sketches, primarily because Jesus was naked, so their contract with Michelangelo was broken. And the sculpture, of course, found its owner. He became de Mouscron, a merchant from the city of Bruges. He then gave it to the Church of Our Lady, where it was placed in a dark niche that contrasted beautifully with the marble-white color of the sculpture itself.

At the moment, in order to protect the city authorities, they placed it behind bulletproof glass.

"Madonna Doni" by Michelangelo

In addition to being an excellent sculptor, Michelangelo was also a wonderful artist. Although he did not consider it some kind of achievement and was not at all proud of his talent.

The images drawn by him amaze the viewer with their incredible plasticity; it seems that even when drawing he “sculpts” figures, giving them volume. In addition, the painting depicts the entire Holy Family, which was rare for paintings of this kind. Of course, in the full sense of the word, Michelangelo is a sculptor, not an artist. Madonna and Child, however, is simply a masterpiece.

So, let's summarize. If we talk about the most famous painting depicting the Virgin Mary, then this is Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece “Madonna and Child”. If a person is interested in other types of art, then the most striking and memorable is undoubtedly the work of Michelangelo.