Renaissance still lifes. Still life in painting: types and description

Still life in painting - images of static inanimate objects combined into a single ensemble. A still life can be presented as an independent canvas, but sometimes it becomes part of the composition of a genre scene or an entire painting.

What is still life?

Such painting is expressed in the subjective attitude of a person to the world. This shows the master's inherent understanding of beauty, which becomes the embodiment of social values ​​and the aesthetic ideal of the time. Still life in painting gradually transformed into a separate significant genre. This process took more than one hundred years, and each new generation of artists understood canvases and color according to the trends of the era.

The role of still life in the composition of a painting is never limited to simple information, an accidental addition to the main content. Depending on historical conditions and social demands, objects can take a more or less active part in creating a composition or a hotel image, obscuring one or another goal. Still life in painting as an independent genre is designed to reliably convey the beauty of things that daily surround a person.

Sometimes a single detail or element suddenly takes on a deep meaning, gets its own meaning and sound.

Story

As an old and revered genre, still life in painting knew its ups and downs. Severe, ascetic and minimalistic helped to create immortal monumental generalized lofty heroic images. Sculptors with extraordinary expressiveness enjoyed the image of individual objects. Types of still life in painting and all sorts of classifications originated during the formation of art history, although the canvases existed long before the writing of the first textbook.

Icon painting traditions and still lifes

In ancient Russian icon painting, those few things that the artist dared to introduce into the strict laconism of canonical works played a big role. They contribute to the manifestation of everything immediate and demonstrate the expression of feelings in a work devoted to an abstract or mythological plot.

Types of still life in painting exist separately from icon-painting works, although a strict canon does not prohibit the depiction of some objects inherent in the genre.

still life renaissance

However, the works of the 15th-16th centuries play an important role in the Renaissance. The painter first drew attention to the world around him, sought to determine the significance of each element in the service of mankind.

Modern painting, still life as a popular and beloved genre originated in the Tricento period. Household items acquired a certain nobility and significance of the owner they served. On large canvases, a still life, as a rule, looks very modest and discreet - a glass jar of water, the silver of an elegant vase or delicate lilies on thin stems often huddled in a dark corner of the picture, like poor and forgotten relatives.

Nevertheless, in the image of beautiful and close things there was so much love in poetic form that modern painting, still life and its role in it already timidly looked through gaps in landscapes and heavy curtains of genre scenes.

Crucial moment

Subjects gained a real element in paintings and a new meaning in the 17th century - an era when still life with flowers prevailed and dominated. Painting of this kind has gained numerous admirers among the nobility and the clergy. In complex compositions with a pronounced literary storyline the scenes got their place along with the main characters. Analyzing the works of the era, it is easy to see that the important role of the still life was similarly manifested in literature, theater and sculpture. Things began to "act" and "live" in these works - they were shown as the main characters, demonstrating the best and most beneficial aspects of objects.

Art objects made by hardworking and talented craftsmen bear the personal imprint of thoughts, desires, and inclinations of a particular person. painting is the best psychological tests help to track the psycho-emotional state and achieve inner harmony and integrity.

Things faithfully serve a person, adopting his enthusiasm for household items and inspiring owners to purchase new beautiful, elegant little things.

Flemish Renaissance

Gouache painting, still life as a genre people did not immediately accept. The history of the emergence, development and widespread implementation of various ideas and principles serves as a reminder of the constant development of thought. Still life became famous and fashionable in the middle of the 17th century. The genre began in the Netherlands, bright and festive Flanders, where nature itself is conducive to beauty and fun.

Gouache painting, still lifes flourished in a time of grandiose changes, a complete change of political, social and religious institutions.

flanders current

The bourgeois direction of the development of Flanders was a novelty and progress for the whole of Europe. Changes in political life led to similar innovations in culture - the horizons that opened up before artists were no longer limited to religious prohibitions and were not supported by the relevant traditions.

Still life became the flagship of the new art, which glorified everything natural, bright and beautiful. The strict canons of Catholicism no longer held back the flight of imagination and curiosity of painters, and therefore science and technology began to develop along with art.

Ordinary everyday things and objects, previously considered base and unworthy of mention, suddenly rose to the objects of close study. Decorative painting, still life and landscapes have become a real mirror of life - daily routine, diet, culture, ideas about beauty.

Genre properties

It was from here, from a conscious, in-depth study of the surrounding world, that a separate genre developed household painting, landscape, still life.

Art, which acquired certain canons in the 17th century, determined the main quality of the genre. The picture, dedicated to the world of things, describes the main properties inherent in the objects that surround a person, shows the attitude of the master and his hypothetical contemporary to what is shown, expresses the nature and completeness of knowledge about reality. The artist necessarily conveyed the material existence of things, their volume, weight, textures, colors, the functional purpose of household items and their vital connection with human activity.

Tasks and problems of still life

Decorative painting, still life and domestic scenes absorbed the new trends of the era - the departure from the canons and the simultaneous preservation of the conservative naturalism of the image.

The still life of the revolutionary era during the complete victory of the bourgeoisie reflects the artist's respect for the new forms of national life of his compatriots, respect for the work of ordinary artisans, admiration for beautiful images beauty.

The problems and tasks of the genre formulated in the 17th century were not generally discussed in European schools until the middle of the 19th century. Meanwhile, the artists constantly set themselves new and new tasks, and did not continue to mechanically reproduce ready-made compositional solutions and color schemes.

Modern canvases

Photos of still lifes for painting, prepared in modern studios, clearly demonstrate the difference between the perception of the world by a contemporary and a person of the Middle Ages. The dynamics of objects today exceeds all conceivable limits, and the statics of objects was the norm for that time. Color combinations of the 17th century are characterized by brightness and purity of color. Saturated shades harmoniously fit into the composition and emphasize the idea and idea of ​​the artist. The absence of any canons in the best way influenced the still lifes of the 20th and 21st centuries, sometimes striking the imagination with their ugliness or deliberate variegation.

Methods for solving the problems of still life are rapidly changing every decade, methods and techniques do not keep up with the imagination of recognized and not so masters.

The value of today's paintings lies in the expression of reality through the eyes of contemporary artists; through the embodiment on the canvas, new worlds arise that can tell a lot about their creators to the people of the future.

Influence of Impressionism

The next milestone in the history of still lifes was impressionism. The whole evolution of the direction was reflected in the compositions through colors, technique and understanding of space. The last romantics of the millennium transferred life to the canvas as it is - quick, bright strokes and expressive details became the cornerstones of style.

Painting, still life contemporary artists certainly bear the imprint of the inspirational impressionists through color, ways and techniques of image.

The departure from the standard canons of classicism - three planes, the central composition and historical characters - allowed the artists to develop their own perception of color and light, as well as to demonstrate the free flight of emotions to the audience in an accessible and visual way.

The main tasks of the Impressionists are to change the pictorial technique and the psychological content of the picture. And today, even knowing the situation of that era, it is difficult to find the correct answer to the question of why impressionist landscapes, as joyful and unsophisticated as poetry, caused sharp rejection and rude ridicule from picky critics and an enlightened public.

Impressionist painting did not fit into the generally accepted framework, so still lifes and landscapes were perceived as something vulgar, unworthy of recognition along with other dregs of high art.

The art exhibition, which became a kind of missionary activity for famous artists of that time, was able to reach the hearts and demonstrate the beauty and grace. classical art. The triumphal procession of still life paintings has not stopped since the end of the 19th century, and the variety of genres and techniques today makes it possible not to be afraid of any experiments with color, textures and materials.

What a strange painting it is - a still life: it makes you admire a copy
those things that you don't admire the originals.

“Art either broke up into separate genres, then merged them together, forming a kind of all-encompassing fusion, and at different periods of history, either a portrait, or a landscape, or a historical picture, or an everyday picture came to the fore. But if a great pictorial experiment was set up, if speech was about the analysis of the world, about its decomposition into components - and about the synthesis of these components, then even before the final conclusions were drawn, and the established new system began its triumphant march around the world, it passed the "still life test". "Dead nature" showed the ability intrude into "live" - ​​and not only display, but also explain it. However, the flowering of still life, the massive interest in it on the part of artists, and most importantly, the ability of this genre to generalize in itself everything that art needs at a given moment, doing the rest, as it were unnecessary, occurred only when a secret of a different kind was discovered behind the game of "deceit", the keepers of which turned out to be things. Contrary to the literal translation of its name, the still life turned out to be the most viable of the genres in this case ".

What is nature morte? fr. nature morte, literally - "dead nature", with nature "nature, nature; naturalness; essence, property" and morte "death"; goll. stilleven, germ. Stilleben still life, literally - quiet or motionless life, with still "immovable, calm; quiet" (still as the grave "silent as a grave") and life "life, existence" (this life, natural life rel. "earthly being") ; in painting "nature" (a picture taken from life "a picture from nature").

(mainly easel painting), which is dedicated to depicting things placed in a single environment and organized into a group.

Special organization of the motive(so-called staging) is one of the main components figurative system genre of still life.

In addition to inanimate objects (for example, household items), still life depicts objects of wildlife, isolated from their natural connections and thus turned into a thing - a fish on a table, flowers in a bouquet, etc.

The image of living, moving creatures - insects, birds, animals, even people - can sometimes be included in a still life, but only complementing its main motive.

Compared with other genres, the significance of small objects isolated from the context of everyday life grows in still life.

Genre specifics determines the increased attention of the artist (and the viewer) to the structure and details of volumes, surface texture and image problems.

Goals still life as a genre is not reduced to the expression of symbolism, to the solution of decorative problems or to the naturalistically accurate fixation of the objective world, although these tasks largely contributed to the formation of still life, and its images are often distinguished by the richness of associations, vivid decorativeness and illusory accuracy of the transfer of nature.

The image of things in a still life has an independent artistic value; an artist can create in a still life a capacious, multi-layered image with a complex semantic implication.

IN historical development still life, in its changing into different eras The content specifically reflects the social conditionality of art as a whole.

In fine arts still life (from the French. natur morte - "dead nature") is usually called the image of inanimate objects, combined into a single compositional group.

A still life can have both an independent meaning and be an integral part of the composition of a genre painting.

Still life expresses the relationship of man to the world around him. It reveals the understanding of the beautiful, which is inherent in the artist as a man of his time.

The art of a thing has long been an integral part of any significant work, long before it became an independent field of artistic creation.

The role of still life in a painting has never been limited to simple information, an accidental addition to the main content.

Depending on historical conditions and social demands, objects more or less participated in the creation of the image, emphasizing one or another side of the idea. Before the still life developed into an independent genre, things that surround a person in everyday life, only in one way or another were included as an attribute in the paintings of antiquity. Sometimes such a detail acquired an unexpectedly deep significance, received its own meaning.

The history of still life as a genre.

Still life motifs as details of compositions, decorative and symbolic images of things are already found in ancient oriental, ancient and medieval art. Elements of still life, in which one can see the compositional and thematic prototypes of its developed types, are included in ancient Roman frescoes and mosaics starting from the 1st century. With regard to classical oriental, in particular Chinese and Japanese, art, it is difficult to talk about still life itself: the form of artistic vision and the system of genres differed significantly from European ones here. Partly comparable to the still life genre are works of the so-called "flowers and birds" genre, as well as individual images of fruits (Tsui Bo, 2nd half of the 11th century, Mu-chi, 13th century - in China; Ogata Korin, 2nd half 17th - early 18th centuries in Japan).

The birth of still life as an independent genre is associated with the general formation European art new time, the allocation of easel painting and the formation of an extensive system of genres. Already in the works of Italian and especially Dutch masters of the Renaissance, there is an unprecedented attention to the material world, attachment to the concrete-sensual beauty of things, the images of which, at the same time, sometimes retain a symbolic meaning, often inherent in the depiction of objects in medieval art. The history of still life as a genre of easel painting, and in particular its type "trompel" oeil "(" snag"), opens with "Still Life" by the Italian artist Jacopo de Barbari (1504), in which the main attention is paid to the illusionistically accurate transfer of objects. However, the spread of the genre still life falls on the 2nd half of the 16th - early 17th centuries, which was facilitated by the natural science inclinations characteristic of this era, the interest of art in everyday life and privacy man, as well as the very development of methods for the artistic development of the world. In the paintings of the Dutchman Peter Aartsen and his followers, sometimes still religious in plot, a large place is given to the image of kitchens and shops with a heap of food and utensils. The botanical accuracy of reproduction of various flowers, the beauty and variety of their shapes and colors occupy the Fleming J. Brueghel Velvet no less than their symbolism. 17th century - the heyday of the still life. The variety of its types and forms at that time is associated with the development of national schools of painting. The formation of the Italian still life is largely determined by the reforms of Caravaggio, which led the artists to turn to simple, "low" motives and determined the stylistic features of the painting of the Italian still life painters. The favorite themes of the masters of Italian N. (P. P. Bonzi, M. Campidoglio, G. Recco, G. B. Ruoppolo, E. Baskenis, etc.) are flowers, vegetables and fruits, seafood, kitchen utensils, musical instruments and books. In general, Italian still life is characterized by a rhythmic variety of compositions, saturation and brightness of color, plastic expressiveness of the transfer of the objective world. The traditions of caravaggism are also tangible in the Spanish still life with its love for the refined plasticity of the form, revealed by the contrasts of chiaroscuro. Images of things (often mundane) in a Spanish still life. they are distinguished by sublime severity and special significance, as if detachment from everyday life (J. Sanchez Cotan, F. Zurbaran, A. Pereda, etc.). Interest in the everyday nature of things, intimacy, often democratism of images were clearly manifested in the Dutch still life.

It is characterized by attention to the pictorial development of the light environment, to the variety of textures of various materials, the subtlety of tonal relationships and color scheme - from the exquisitely modest coloring of the "monochrome breakfasts" by V. Kheda and P. Klas to the intensely contrasting, coloristically effective compositions of V. Kalf ( "Dessert"). Dutch still life distinguishes the abundance of masters who worked in this genre and the variety of types: in addition to "breakfasts" and "desserts", "fish" (A. Beyeren), "flowers and fruits" (J. D. de Hem), "beaten game" (J. Venicke, M. Hondekuter), the allegorical still life "vanitas" ("vanity of vanities"), and others. all these varieties. The Flemish still life (mainly "markets", "shops", "flowers and fruits") is distinguished by the scope of the compositions: they are multi-component, majestic and dynamic; these are hymns to fertility and abundance (F. Snyders, J. Feit). In the 17th century German (G. Flegel, K. Paudis) and French (L. Vozhen) still life are also developing. From the end of the 17th century in the French still life, the decorative trends of court art triumphed. Next to the still life of flowers (J. B. Monnoyer and his school), hunting N. (A. F. Deporte and J. B. Oudry), samples of everyday still life only occasionally appear. But in the 18th century in France, one of the most significant masters of still life works - J. B. S. Chardin, whose works stand out for their special depth of content, freedom of composition and richness of color solutions. His images of the world of everyday things are democratic in nature, intimate and humane, as if warmed by the poetry of the hearth. In the middle of the 18th century the term "nature morte" arose, which reflected the disdain for still life on the part of academic circles, who preferred genres whose area was "living nature" ( historical genre, portrait, etc.). But advanced art destroyed the academic hierarchy of genres, which hindered the development of still life. The compositional clichés of the still life were outlived, and the regularities of this pictorial form were re-evaluated. In the 19th century the fate of the still life is determined by the leading masters of painting, who work in many genres and involve the still life in the struggle between aesthetic and artistic ideas(F. Goya in Spain, E. Delacroix, G. Courbet, E. Manet and the Impressionists in France, who occasionally turned to still life). However, the 19th century for a long time he did not put forward major masters specializing in this particular genre in still life. Against the background of a routine salon still life of the 2nd half of the 19th century. stand out, in general, the traditional work of the Frenchman A. Fantin-Latour and the American W. Harnet, who revived the type of "trompel" oeil in a peculiar way. The rise of still life is associated with the performance of post-impressionist masters, for whom the world of things becomes one of the main themes. The expressive possibilities of still life, up to the dramatic expression of the social and moral position of the artist, are embodied in the work of the Dutchman W. van Gogh. a creative concept that had a great influence on the development of still life (as well as painting in general) in the art of the 20th century. Since the beginning of the 20th century, still life has been a kind of creative laboratory for painting. revealing the emotional and decorative and expressive possibilities of color and texture, and the representatives of cubism (J. Braque, P. Picasso, H. Gris and others), using the analytical possibilities inherent in the specifics of still life, seek to establish new ways of conveying space and form. The problems (or motives) of still life also attract masters of later trends - from artists who, to varying degrees, combine an orientation towards the classical heritage with new discoveries in painting (Picasso in France, A. Kanoldt in Germany, G. Morandi in Italy), to representatives surrealism and “pop art,” whose works as a whole go beyond the boundaries of the historically established genre of N. The realistic traditions of N. (often with an emphasized social trend) in the 20th century are represented by the work of D. Rivera and D. Siqueiros in Mexico, R. Guttuso in Italy.

Still life appeared in Russian art in the 18th century. together with the affirmation of secular painting, reflecting the cognitive pathos of the era and the desire to truthfully and accurately convey the objective world ("tricks" by G. N. Teplov, P. G. Bogomolov, T. Ulyanov, etc.). The further development of Russian still life is episodic. Its some rise in the 1st half of the 19th century. (F. P. Tolstoy, school of A. G. Venetsianov, I. T. Khrutsky) is associated with the desire to see beauty in the small and ordinary. In the 2nd half of the 19th century. I. N. Kramskoy, I. E. Repin, V. I. Surikov, V. D. Polenov, I. I. Levitan turn to the still life of a sketchy nature only occasionally; a similar position of a still life in art system The Wanderers followed from their idea of ​​the dominant role of the plot-thematic picture. The independent significance of the still life-study increases at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. (M. A. Vrubel, V. E. Borisov-Musatov). The heyday of Russian still life falls on the beginning of the 20th century. To his the best samples include: impressionistic in their origins, but differently enriched with new artistic trends, the works of K. A. Korovin, I. E. Grabar, M. F. Larionov; the works of artists of the "World of Art" (A. Ya. Golovin and others) subtly playing with the historical and everyday character of things: romanticized, elevated and sharply decorative images of P. V. Kuznetsov, N. N. Sapunov, S. Yu. Sudeikin, M. S. Saryan and other painters of the "Blue Rose" circle; bright, plastic N. masters of the "Jack of Diamonds" (P. P. Konchalovsky, I. I. Mashkov, A. V. Kuprin, V. V. Rozhdestvensky, A. V. Lentulov, R. R. Falk, N. S. Goncharova) with their cult of the unity of color and form and the pathos of the very process of interpreting nature[...] 2.

In the 17-18 centuries. V northern Europe still life occupied important place. The space of the house was organized around him, he was “solved”, “played” with him. Still life took an active part in the very thick of the exquisite everyday culture of the Baroque, Rococo, and even Classicism. And only with the departure of the “gallant age” the role of still life in everyday life becomes more and more ornamental and decorative.

In relation to painting, numerous books of emblems played a kind of role of a dictionary, from which symbols were abundantly drawn. Thus, after the emblematic art, the art of depicting simple, everyday things, endowed with a different, sublime meaning, arises. Still life art emerges. The most extreme realism is here naturally combined with the most extreme allegory, allegory. And the more realistic the objects are depicted, the more interesting their semantic riddle is for the viewer. Sometimes you can hear an opinion about any “rubbish” that the Dutch still life masters of the 17th-18th centuries “dragged” into their paintings. But that is not “litter” at all. The symbolic vision of everyday objects, not at all randomly gathered together, makes us talk about high culture understanding of life in the Netherlands, torn apart by religious and ideological disputes.

In the 17th century, there were many still life masters in the Netherlands. But, if at the very beginning of the century the paintings of the Dutch and Flemish masters had more in common, then by the end of the century their originality was outlined. The works of Dutch artists are more restrained, aligned in color, they show close attention to detail, to every single thing. Flemish works are more dynamic, bright and the objects in them make up a complex composition. And this is not a “dead nature” at all, but a seething life.

There are also various centers of still life in the Netherlands. In business, bourgeois Haarlem, "breakfasts" were born, in aristocratic Utrecht, which has long been famous for growing flowers, - flower bouquets, in the port of The Hague - plentiful fish compositions, in Leiden (university campus) - "scientific" still lifes (the so-called "Vanitas", dedicated to frailty of life).

On these strange pictures objects withdrawn from the real surrounding space constituted their own unusual and strongly symbolized world. And in the world that there are no random objects. Back in the second half of the 16th century in Prague, at the court of Emperor Rudolf II, who passionately loved art, a society called the “circle of Rudolphians” arose. It included scientists and astrologers, alchemists, artists and poets. The highest goal here was considered the knowledge of the Universe, its basic laws, the eternal connections of the world and man. Very soon, this society becomes the center of a new artistic direction - “mannerism”. For the "Rudolphians" there are no "insignificant" objects or phenomena. The course of the planets is also important, and the flight of a bird, and the movement of bacteria under a microscope (then only open), and the growth of simple field grass. And it is the artist who must merge all this in a single harmony on his canvas.

But since the object itself, its form, features contain its meaning, then it is necessary to convey the object on the canvas with great care. This is how “deceit” naturally enters painting - an illusion of a truthful image of an object (usually an insect or a drop of water), which degenerated by the end of the 18th century into a simple magic trick.

At the same time, even the exact image of the object was not at all unambiguous. On the contrary, things, deliberately excluded from the familiar environment, showed a completely different, and often opposite, meaning. So, for example, still lifes with precious utensils and exquisite dishes, which contemporaries referred to as “luxurious”, were more often “read” by them as a call to abandon excesses.

If we compare the symbolic, filled with whimsical meanings, still life art with literature, then of all literary genres perhaps most suitable, perhaps, lyric poetry. Not without reason, it is poetry that is already associated with emblematics. And it is not for nothing that, in parallel with the flourishing of still life, it is lyric poetry that is experiencing its rise in the Netherlands of the 17th century (this is especially evident when comparing still life with the so-called “poetry for the occasion”, where small parts life). And just as it is impossible to describe a lyric poem completely rationally, so there is not one more or less detailed description symbolism of a particular still life. The viewer is offered a game - based on the real properties of the object, to guess its symbolic meaning in the composition compiled by the artist.

Sometimes, however, the artist helped the viewer. So in the painting by Aartsen “The Butcher's Shop” (1551), in the foreground is a table bursting with various varieties of meat, fish, and sausages. In the background, in the very depths, there is a scene of flight to Egypt - flight from all this wealth, which brings inevitable death.

Often the artist directly included text in the picture. This was certainly done in the learned Leiden still lifes “Vanitas” (Latin “emptiness, futility, uselessness, falsity, vacuity”). Quotations from the Bible or from ancient authors have become common here, dedicated to the topic“vanities of vanities”: “All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field” (from the Book of the prophet Isaiah), “The days of a man are like grass, like the flower of the field, so it blooms” (from the Psalter), “Passed by roses, seek no more” (from Horace). The text was placed either in a beautiful cartouche, or was carefully written out on a shabby sheet of paper (antiquity became synonymous with authenticity), or placed on an open page of an old volume, or was the title of a book, as it were accidentally thrown.

And each object in the picture then corresponds to the text: a rose, wild flowers, insects are a traditional symbol of a brief human existence, and butterflies and dragonflies are a symbol of the salvation of the soul. Gradually, especially significant objects were selected for such still lifes. An hourglass reminded of the transience of life, bouquets of flowers - of withering and transient, smoking lamps, pipes - of short duration, and royal regalia - of all the riches that you will not take with you to another life. The human skull stood out in particular - a vivid symbol of frailty, empty (or half-drunk) glass goblets, which meant the fragility of human existence, and a candle stub - a symbol of extinct life.

Often in the still lifes of "Vanitas" there are "accidental" placers of old books (already bygone time), measuring instruments (no longer needed), flutes and violins ("their sound is so beautiful and fleeting"). In French still lifes, characters appear blowing soap bubbles - human life is likened to the thinnest and most unfaithful bubbles. And in England, after 1649, in many “Vanitas” there are portraits of the executed Charles I Stuart - the end of this king only confirmed the idea of ​​the frailty of earthly happiness and the precariousness of earthly power.

Very often, flowers and herbs serve as a symbol of frailty. Especially if the flowers and herbs are wild ones. Placed against the backdrop of an empty window opening, they further emphasize the hopelessness. Sometimes the leaves of the flowers are eaten away by insects, and empty shells or nuts are scattered nearby.

Actually flower still lifes were divided into "garlands" and "bouquets". Particularly difficult to understand are the "garlands". In the genre of "garlands" famous masters wrote - J. Brueghel Velvet, D. Segers, Ya.D. de Heem. Father D. Seghers, a monk of the Jesuit order, gained particular fame in this field. As a sign of admiration for his skill, crowned European persons gave him expensive gifts - a golden cross with allegorical figures made of enamel, golden bones and a golden palette, etc. The poets dedicated poems to the flowers he painted.

The garland wrapped around the central image (and it could be very different, most often it was a portrait made by other masters) resembled the well-known symbol of Eternity - a snake wrapped around a winged clock. Therefore, such compositions had a glorifying meaning. White lilies and ears of bread were woven into the garland itself, traditionally associated with Christ or Mary and spoke of the purity of the glorified. In addition, much here symbolized the seasons: flowers - spring, ears of corn and fruits - summer, grapes and vegetables - autumn, lemons - winter (“everything changes, only a good memory remains unchanged”).

The language of flowers, borrowed by the Renaissance from medieval symbolism, was understandable to almost any educated aristocrat in the 17th century. And therefore the garlands were easily “read” by the audience. Snowdrops, orange, roses, irises were consecrated to the Mother of God; her appeal to Christ was symbolized by tulips; a thistle branch - the passion of Christ; the triumph of heavenly love was often expressed by the narcissist.

Garlands are wrapped around not only portraits. Often these are watches, a Eucharistic chalice, glasses of wine and even a cartouche with text. Sometimes a small wreath is placed directly in the goblet. This composition goes back to one of the famous emblems: a goblet with a wide bowl filled with wine, in which a flower wreath floats. The inscription read: “What do you think about the fate of mortals?” So the solemn garland in its meaning was connected with “Vanitas”.

Still lifes in the form of bouquets (in a vase, jug or just on the table) were usually composed of three types. And the main focus of the picture fell on various objects. In a radial composition (flower stems fanned out from one point), the image of a flower placed at the convergence of the stems becomes the main one. Compositions of the second type, like a carpet, fill the entire space of the canvas. Then a vertical hierarchy of colors and their meanings is built. The third variety is compositionally built into the figure of a triangle. Here the most significant flower serves as the central axis, and the rest of the flowers are grouped symmetrically around it. However, strict symmetry is soon broken and becomes a favorite, developed by Ya.D. de Heem S-shaped bouquet with graceful curls, anticipating the Rococo style.

There is even a peculiar iconographic scheme with a clear division into spatial zones. Below, near the vase, signs of frailty are usually located - broken or withered flowers, crumbling petals, empty shells, caterpillars, flies; in the center - symbols of modesty and purity (medium moderation), surrounded by lush short-lived flowers (lilies of the valley, violets, forget-me-nots, cyclamens surrounded by roses, carnations, anemones, etc.); the composition is crowned with a large flower, often with a positive meaning, a kind of crown of virtue (and even surrounded by butterflies and dragonflies). At the same time, the vase itself was likened to a fragile vessel, but it could also have an interpretation of the body as “a vessel of abomination and sin.”

Numerous glass, crystal, and even clay vessels, with and without flowers, were perceived as something fragile, unreliable, ready to break. Expensive vessels only emphasized this feeling, carrying an additional sense of the futility of wealth. The contents of the vessels were interpreted in different ways. Water is the theme of baptism, cleansing, wine is the theme of communion. However, wine, especially unfinished wine, could symbolize a life not fully lived, and the remnant of useless luxury.

Almost always, flower still lifes were complemented by objects scattered on the table. Most often, these are empty shells - a sign of empty carnal pleasures. The fruits of a lemon, which is beautiful on the outside, but sour on the inside. The egg is a traditional sign of the Resurrection. The bursting pomegranate fruit is a symbol of fertility, Christ and his atoning sacrifice. Strawberries are a sign of worldly pleasure and temptation. And all this together (flowers, vessels, objects) served a single idea.

In the middle of the 17th century, still lifes depicting reptiles and amphibians became especially widespread. Their presence in the still life refutes its meaning as "dead nature". Rather, its Dutch name fits here - “stilleven” (“quiet, motionless life”).

More often than others they were Italian painters. But the Dutch also have lizards and snakes crawling in the hard grass. This is not at all the painter's predilection for reptiles. It’s just that the snake has long been a symbol of deceit and evil, and the grass has been a fragile human existence. At the same time, attractive berries were often placed in the grass - "pleasure is fraught with evil." Mice, frogs, hedgehogs were also considered diabolical animals and were often depicted instead of a snake. A favorite animalistic plot was the image of a snake grabbing a butterfly. Thus evil consumes all hope of salvation.

Most of the representatives of the still life fauna are insects. Importance here has a traditional idea of ​​the three stages of being (earthly existence, death, afterlife souls). The most striking embodiment of these ideas in still lifes was the image of a caterpillar, a chrysalis and a butterfly. So the image of a butterfly, ready to fly up from the shell, unambiguously “read” as “a soul leaving a mortal body”. The same antinomy of life and death was depicted by a butterfly next to a caterpillar or snail. A fly or a spider was considered a symbol of evil, death, sin, stinginess. Therefore, a fly sitting on an apple or peach is traditionally associated with the theme of the fall.

Of the larger animals, squirrels, for example, symbolized hard work, without which earthly goods are impossible. But sometimes, she could also represent frivolity. The hare is “a sign of hearing, sensitivity, abundance, timidity, shyness, fear.” Crayfish or lobsters are the vicissitudes of the world, but also wisdom, prudence, slowness. Often there is an image of a parrot. Contrary to popular belief, in the Middle Ages this bird was likened to the righteous and symbolized eloquence, gratitude, or represented a believer. The monkey, on the other hand, was perceived as an animal that mimics human actions and symbolizes various vices, a sinner and even the devil himself. She, tied or chained, is an addiction to vices and worldly affairs. If the monkey looked in the mirror, it was perceived as an image of vanity.

Often a cat enters the still life world. Behind positive traits this animal - dexterity and desire for freedom - it was often dedicated to the Mother of God (especially with a strip in the form of a cross on the back). But usually this animal was associated with dark forces, magic. Already in the Middle Ages, the cat symbolized the devil, and the mouse - the soul, constantly exposed to danger. In modern times, a cat, especially when it picked up a large piece of meat with its claws, was a steady reminder of carnal pleasures. Because so characteristic (especially for Snyders and his school) cat images mad at the sight of a table littered with fish and game. The dog, on the contrary, as the antipode of the cat, is a faithful guard who tries to drive the thieving animal away from the plentiful table.

Numerous gold and silver items (vases, cups, decorative items), as well as symbols of power (royal crowns, scepters), undoubtedly belong to the circle of death in still lifes. The artist's sincere admiration for exquisite rarities is perfectly combined with moralizing. Sometimes, especially in late still lifes, small sculpture also comes into the view of the painter. This is undoubtedly the field of mythological characters. The satyr bent under the weight of the clock - time, conquering the devilish, carnal beginning in man; unshoeing Mercury - reassurance from vain earthly worries, etc. 3.

As a certain type or genre of painting, still life knows its ups and downs in the history of art.

The stern, intensely ascetic art of Byzantium, creating immortal, monumental-generalized, sublimely heroic images, used images of individual objects with extraordinary expressiveness.

In ancient Russian icon painting, those few objects that the artist introduced into his strictly canonical works also played an important role. They brought spontaneity, vitality, sometimes seemed to be an open expression of feelings in a work dedicated to an abstract mythological plot.

Still life played an even greater role in the paintings of artists of the 15th-16th centuries during the Renaissance. The painter, who first paid close attention to the world around him, sought to indicate the place, to determine the value of every thing that serves a person. Household items acquired the nobility and proud significance of their owner, the one they served. On large canvases, still life usually occupied a very modest place: a glass vessel with water, an elegant silver vase or delicate white lilies on thin stems often huddled in the corner of the picture. However, in the depiction of these things there was so much poetic love for nature, their meaning is so highly spiritualized that here you can already see all the features that determined the independent development of the whole genre in the future.

Objects, a material element, received a new meaning in the paintings in the 17th century - in the era of the developed still life genre. In complex compositions with a literary plot, they took their place along with other heroes of the work. Analyzing the works of this time, one can see what an important role the still life began to play in the picture. Things began to appear in these works as the main characters, showing what an artist can achieve by devoting his skill to this kind of art.

Objects made by skillful, industrious, wise hands bear the imprint of a person's thoughts, desires, and inclinations. They serve him, delight him, inspire a legitimate sense of pride. No wonder we learn about epochs that have long disappeared from the face of the earth from those shards of dishes, household utensils and ritual objects that become for archaeologists scattered pages of the history of mankind.

peering into the world, penetrating with an inquisitive mind into its laws, unraveling the fascinating mysteries of life, the artist more and more fully and multilaterally reflects it in his art. He not only depicts the world around him, but also conveys his understanding, his attitude to reality.

The history of the formation and development of various genres of painting is living evidence of the tireless work of human consciousness, striving to embrace the infinite variety of activities, to comprehend it aesthetically.

Still life is a relatively young genre. It received independent significance in Europe only in the 17th century. The history of the development of still life is interesting and instructive.

The still life flourished especially fully and vividly in Flanders and the Netherlands. Its emergence is connected with those revolutionary historical events, as a result of which these countries, having gained independence, at the beginning of the 17th century, embarked on the path of bourgeois development. For Europe at that time, this was an important and progressive phenomenon. New horizons opened up before art. Historical conditions, new public relations directed and determined creative requests, changes in solving the problems facing the painter. without directly depicting historical events, artists took a fresh look at the world, found new values ​​in man. Life routinely appeared before them with hitherto unknown significance and fullness. They were attracted by the features national life, native nature, things that keep the imprint of the labors and days of ordinary people. It was from here, from a conscious, in-depth, prompted interest in the life of the people, that separate and independent genres of everyday painting, landscape were born, and still life arose.

The art of still life, which developed in the 17th century, determined the main qualities of this genre. The painting, dedicated to the world of things, spoke about the basic properties inherent in objects surrounding a person, revealed the attitude of the artist and contemporary to what is depicted, expressed the nature and completeness of the knowledge of reality. The painter conveyed the material existence of things, their volume, weight, texture, color, functional value of household items, their living connection with human activity.

The beauty and perfection of household utensils were determined not only by their necessity, but also by the skill of their creator. The still life of the revolutionary era of the victorious bourgeoisie reflected the artist's respect for the new forms of national life of his compatriots, respect for work.

Formulated in the 17th century, the tasks of the genre in in general terms existed in the European school until the middle of the 19th century. However, this does not mean that the artists did not set themselves new tasks, mechanically repeating ready-made solutions.

Over the epochs, not only the methods and ways of painting a still life changed, but artistic experience accumulated, in the process of formation a more complex and constantly enriching view of the world developed. Not one object as such, but its various properties became the object of reincarnation, and through the disclosure of the newly understood qualities of things, one's own, modern attitude to reality, a reassessment of values, a measure of understanding of reality were expressed.

Renaissance still life

At the end of the renaissance in northern Europe, the still life turned from a decorative genre into philosophical statement in paints

XVI–XVIII centuries - Golden time in the history of European still life. In those years there were two main art schools who specialized in depicting flowers, fruits and objects, - Flemish and Dutch, - which masters from other countries were guided by. Despite the fact that Flanders (Belgium) and Holland were neighboring states, their painters invested different meaning into the display of "dead nature" (the so-called still life in Flanders), or " quiet life”(as it was called in the Netherlands).

the main objective Dutch masters- to express the idea of ​​"vanity of vanities", the frailty of all things, the proximity of death. These themes were of most concern to Protestant theologians. Therefore, in the still lifes of Dutch artists, we often see a skull, an extinguished candle, and a stopped clock. All this is framed by poppies - symbols eternal sleep, daffodils - symbols of the transience of life, violets - symbols of the fragility of beauty, etc.

In Flanders everything was the opposite. Unlike the Protestant Netherlands, Belgium was undergoing a Catholic renaissance, and the task worthy of an artist was not a denial, but an affirmation, the glorification of God's creation. As the German mystic Paracelsus said: "In words, plants and stones, God is everywhere." Therefore, the Flemish still life is a celebration of life, a celebration of perfect nature. Frans Snyders, a colleague and friend of Rubens, is considered a virtuoso of this genre. In 1618-1621, he painted four canvases under the general title "Shops": "Fish Shop", "Game Shop" (beaten bird), "Vegetable Shop" and "Fruit Shop", which are now kept in the Hermitage. According to Olga Prokhorova, an employee of the museum of the candidate of art criticism, this is an encyclopedia of the Flemish still life with its main allegorical themes - “The Seasons”, “Five Senses” (taste, hearing, smell, touch, sight) and “Four Elements” (air, water, fire , Earth). The most rich in symbols is the Fruit Shop. "Around the World" deciphers them.

Photo still life

Still life, fine art genre

Still life (French nature morte, Italian natura morta, literally - dead nature; Dutch stilleven, German Stilleben, English still life, literally - quiet or motionless life), a genre of fine art (mainly easel painting), which is dedicated to the image of things surrounding a person, placed, as a rule, in a real household environment and compositionally organized into a single group. The special organization of the motif (the so-called staging) is one of the main components of the figurative system of the still life genre.

In addition to inanimate objects (for example, household items), still life depicts objects of wildlife, isolated from natural connections and thus turned into a thing - fish on the table, flowers in a bouquet, etc. Complementing the main motive, the still life may include image of people, animals, birds, insects. The depiction of things in a still life has an independent artistic value, although in the process of development it often served to express symbolic content, solve decorative problems or accurately fix the objective world in natural science, etc. At the same time, a still life can characterize not only things in themselves, but also social status, content and lifestyle of their owner, give rise to numerous associations and social analogies.

Still life (fresco from Pompeii). 63-79 year, Naples. National Gallery of Capodimonte

Theatrical masks. 2nd century Mosaic of Hadrian's Villa in TIVOLI. Stored in the Capitol Museum in Rome.

Still life motifs as details of compositions are already found in the art of the Ancient East and antiquity, some phenomena in medieval art are partly comparable to still life. Far East(for example, the so-called "flowers-birds" genre), but the birth of still life as an independent genre occurs in modern times, when attention to the material world, to its concretely sensual image, develops in the work of Italian and especially Dutch masters of the Renaissance. The history of still life as a genre of easel painting, and in particular its type "trompe l" oeil "(the so-called blende), opens with illusionistically accurately recreating objects" Still Life "by the Italian Jacopo de Barbari (1504). The still life genre spread in the second half of the 16th - early XVII centuries, which was facilitated by the natural-scientific inclinations characteristic of this era, the interest of art in everyday life and private life of a person, as well as the very development of methods for the artistic development of the world (the works of the Dutchman P. Aartsen, the Fleming J. Brueghel Velvet, etc.).

The heyday of still life - XVII century. The diversity of its types and forms at that time is associated with the development of national realistic schools of painting. In Italy and Spain, the rise of still life was greatly facilitated by the work of Caravaggio and his followers (see Caravaggism). The favorite themes of still life were flowers, vegetables and fruits, seafood, kitchen utensils, etc. (P. P. Bonzi, M. Campidoglio, J. Recco, J. B. Ruoppolo, E. Baskenis, etc.). The Spanish still life is characterized by sublime severity and special significance of the image of things (X. Sanchez Cotan, F. Zurbaran, A. Pereda, etc.). Interest in the everyday nature of things, intimacy, often democratism of images were clearly manifested in the Dutch still life. It is characterized by special attention to the transmission of the light environment, the diverse texture of materials, the subtlety of tonal relationships and color scheme - from the exquisitely modest coloring of the "monochrome breakfasts" by V. Kheda and P. Klas to the intensely contrasting, coloristically spectacular compositions of V. Kalf ("desserts "). Dutch still life distinguishes the abundance of different types of this genre: "fish" (A. Beyeren), "flowers and fruits" (J. D. de Heem), "beaten game" (J. Venike, M. Hondekuter), allegorical still life "vanitas" ( "vanity of vanities"), etc. The Flemish still life (mainly "markets", "shops", "flowers and fruits") is distinguished by the scope and at the same time decorative compositions: these are hymns to fertility and abundance (F. Snyders, J. Feit), 17th century German (G. Flegel, K. Paudis) and French (L. Bozhen) still life are also developing. WITH late XVII V. in the French still life, the decorative trends of court art triumphed (flowers by J. B. Monnoyer and his school, hunting still life by A. F. Deport and J. B. Oudry). Against this background, the works of one of the most significant masters of French still life - J. B. S. Chardin, marked by rigor and freedom of composition, subtlety of color solutions, stand out with genuine humanity and democracy. In the middle of the XVIII century. in the period of the final formation of the academic hierarchy of genres, the term "nature morte" arose, which reflected the dismissive attitude towards this genre of supporters of academism, who preferred genres whose area was "living nature" (historical genre, portrait, etc.).

In the 19th century the fate of the still life was determined by the leading masters of painting, who worked in many genres and involved the still life in the struggle aesthetic views and artistic ideas (F. Goya in Spain, E. Delacroix, G. Courbet, E. Manet in France). Among the masters of the 19th century who specialized in this genre, A. Fantin-Latour (France) and W. Harnet (USA) also stand out. The new rise of still life was associated with the performance of post-impressionist masters, for whom the world of things becomes one of the main themes (P. Cezanne, V. van Gogh). Since the beginning of the XX century. still life is a kind of creative laboratory of painting. In France, the masters of Fauvism (A. Matisse and others) follow the path of heightened identification of the emotional and decorative-expressive possibilities of color and texture, and representatives, G. Morandi in Italy, S. Lukyan in Romania, B. Kubista and E. Filla in Czech Republic, etc.). Social trends in the still life of the 20th century are represented by the work of D. Rivera and D. Siqueiros in Mexico, R. Guttuso in Italy.

In Russian art still life appeared in the 18th century. together with the affirmation of secular painting, reflecting the cognitive pathos of the era and the desire to truthfully and accurately convey the objective world ("tricks" by G. N. Teplov, P. G. Bogomolov, T. Ulyanov, etc.). The further development of Russian still life for a considerable time was episodic. Its some rise in the first half of the XIX century. (F. P. Tolstoy, school of A. G. Venetsianov, I. T. Khrutsky) is associated with the desire to see beauty in the small and ordinary. In the second half of the XIX century. to a still life sketch, V. D. paintings. The independent value of the still life-study increases by turn of XIX and XX centuries. (M. A. Vrubel, V. E. Borisov-Musatov). The heyday of Russian still life falls on the beginning of the 20th century. His best examples include the impressionistic works of K. A. Korovin, I. E. Grabar; the works of the artists of the "World of Art" (A. Ya. Golovin and others) that subtly play with the historical and everyday character of things; sharply decorative images by P. V. Kuznetsov, N. N. Sapunova, S. Yu. Sudeikin, M. S. Saryan and others, I. I. Mashkov, A. V. Kuprin, V. V. Rozhdestvensky, A. V Lentulov, R. R. Falk, N. S. Goncharova). The Soviet still life, developing in line with the art of socialist realism, is enriched with new content. In the 20-30s. it includes both the philosophical understanding of modernity in compositionally sharpened works (K. S. Petrov-Vodkin), and thematic “revolutionary” still lifes (F. S. Bogorodsky and others), and attempts to tangibly regain the “thing” rejected by the so-called non-objectives through experiments in the field of color and texture (D. P. Shterenberg, N. I. Altman), and a full-blooded recreation of the colorful richness and diversity of the objective world (A. M. Gerasimov, Konchalovsky, Mashkov, Kuprin. Lentulov, Saryan, A. A . Osmerkin and others), as well as the search for subtle color harmony, the poeticization of the world of things (V. V. Lebedev, N. A. Tyrsa and others). In the 40-50s. P. V. Kuznetsov, Yu. P. P. Konchalovsky, V. B. Elkonik, V. F. Stozharov, A. Yu. Nikich are actively working in still life. Among the masters of still life in the Union republics, A. Akopyan in Armenia, T. F. Narimanbekov in Azerbaijan, L. Svemp and L. Endzelina in Latvia, N. I. Kormashov in Estonia stand out. The attraction to the increased "objectivity" of the image, the aestheticization of the world of things surrounding a person determined the interest in still life of young artists of the 70s and early 80s. (Ya. G. Anmanis, A. I. Akhaltsev, O. V. Bulgakova, M. V. Leis, etc.).

Lit .: B. R. Vipper, The problem and development of still life. (Life of things), Kazan, 1922; Yu. I. Kuznetsov, Western European still life, L.-M., 1966; M. M. Rakova, Russian still life late XIX- the beginning of the 20th century, M., 1970; I. N. Pruzhan, V. A. Pushkarev, Still life in Russian and Soviet painting. L., ; Yu. Ya. Gerchuk, Living things, M., 1977; Still life in European painting of the 16th - early 20th century. Catalogue, M., 1984; Sterling Ch., La nature morte de l "antiquité a nos jours, P., 1952; Dorf B., Introduction to still-life and flower painting, L., 1976; Ryan A., Still-life painting techniques, L. , 1978.

Renaissance (Renaissance). Italy. XV-XVI centuries. early capitalism. The country is ruled by wealthy bankers. They are interested in art and science.

The rich and powerful gather the talented and wise around them. Poets, philosophers, painters and sculptors have daily conversations with their patrons. At some point, it seemed that the people were ruled by sages, as Plato wanted.

Remember the ancient Romans and Greeks. They also built a society of free citizens, where the main value is a person (not counting slaves, of course).

The Renaissance is not just copying the art of ancient civilizations. This is a mixture. Mythology and Christianity. Realism of nature and sincerity of images. Beauty physical and spiritual.

It was just a flash. The period of the High Renaissance is about 30 years! From the 1490s to 1527 From the beginning of the flowering of Leonardo's creativity. Before the sack of Rome.

The mirage of an ideal world quickly faded. Italy was too fragile. She was soon enslaved by another dictator.

However, these 30 years determined the main features of European painting for 500 years ahead! Up to .

Image realism. Anthropocentrism (when the center of the world is Man). Linear perspective. Oil paints. Portrait. Scenery…

Incredibly, in these 30 years, several masters of genius. At other times they are born one in 1000 years.

Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael and Titian are the titans of the Renaissance. But it is impossible not to mention their two predecessors: Giotto and Masaccio. Without which there would be no Renaissance.

1. Giotto (1267-1337)

XIV century. Proto-Renaissance. Its main character is Giotto. This is a master who single-handedly revolutionized art. 200 years before the High Renaissance. If not for him, the era that humanity is so proud of would hardly have come.

Before Giotto there were icons and frescoes. They were created according to the Byzantine canons. Faces instead of faces. flat figures. Proportional mismatch. Instead of a landscape - a golden background. As, for example, on this icon.

And suddenly Giotto's frescoes appear. On them three-dimensional figures. Faces of noble people. Old and young. Sad. Mournful. Surprised. Different.

Frescoes by Giotto in the Scrovegni Church in Padua (1302-1305). Left: Lamentation of Christ. Middle: Kiss of Judas (detail). Right: Annunciation of St. Anne (Mary's mother), fragment.

The main creation of Giotto is a cycle of his frescoes in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua. When this church opened to parishioners, crowds of people poured into it. They have never seen this.

After all, Giotto did something unprecedented. He translated the biblical stories into a simple, understandable language. And they have become much more accessible. ordinary people.

This is what will be characteristic of many masters of the Renaissance. Laconism of images. Live emotions of the characters. Realism.

Read more about the frescoes of the master in the article.

Giotto was admired. But his innovation was not further developed. The fashion for international gothic came to Italy.

Only after 100 years will a worthy successor to Giotto appear.

2. Masaccio (1401-1428)

Beginning of the 15th century. The so-called Early Renaissance. Another innovator enters the scene.

Masaccio was the first artist to use linear perspective. It was designed by his friend, the architect Brunelleschi. Now the depicted world has become similar to the real one. Toy architecture is a thing of the past.

He adopted the realism of Giotto. However, unlike his predecessor, he already knew anatomy well.

Instead of blocky characters, Giotto is beautifully built people. Just like the ancient Greeks.

Masaccio did not live long life. He died, like his father, unexpectedly. At 27 years old.

However, he had many followers. Masters next generations went to the Brancacci Chapel to learn from his frescoes.

So the innovation of Masaccio was picked up by all the great artists of the High Renaissance.

3. Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)

Leonardo da Vinci is one of the titans of the Renaissance. He greatly influenced the development of painting.

It was da Vinci who raised the status of the artist himself. Thanks to him, representatives of this profession are no longer just artisans. These are the creators and aristocrats of the spirit.

Leonardo made a breakthrough primarily in portraiture.

He believed that nothing should distract from the main image. The eye should not wander from one detail to another. This is how his famous portraits appeared. Concise. Harmonious.

The main innovation of Leonardo is that he found a way to make images ... alive.

Before him, the characters in the portraits looked like mannequins. The lines were clear. All details are carefully drawn. A painted drawing could not possibly be alive.

Leonardo invented the sfumato method. He blurred the lines. Made the transition from light to shadow very soft. His characters seem to be covered in a barely perceptible haze. The characters came to life.

Sfumato will enter the active vocabulary of all the great artists of the future.

Often there is an opinion that Leonardo, of course, a genius, but did not know how to bring anything to the end. And he often didn't finish painting. And many of his projects remained on paper (by the way, in 24 volumes). In general, he was thrown into medicine, then into music. Even the art of serving at one time was fond of.

However, think for yourself. 19 paintings - and he is the greatest artist of all times and peoples. And someone is not even close to greatness, while writing 6,000 canvases in a lifetime. Obviously, who has a higher efficiency.

About herself famous painting read the wizard in the article.

4. Michelangelo (1475-1564)

Michelangelo considered himself a sculptor. But he was a universal master. Like his other Renaissance colleagues. Therefore, his pictorial heritage is no less grandiose.

He is recognizable primarily by physically developed characters. He depicted a perfect man in whom physical beauty means spiritual beauty.

Therefore, all his characters are so muscular, hardy. Even women and old people.

Michelangelo. Fragments of the fresco Last Judgment” in the Sistine Chapel, Vatican.

Often Michelangelo painted the character naked. And then I added clothes on top. To make the body as embossed as possible.

He painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel alone. Although this is a few hundred figures! He didn't even let anyone rub the paint. Yes, he was unsociable. He had a tough and quarrelsome personality. But most of all, he was dissatisfied with ... himself.

Michelangelo lived a long life. Survived the decline of the Renaissance. For him it was a personal tragedy. His later works are full of sadness and sorrow.

In general, the creative path of Michelangelo is unique. His early works are the praise of the human hero. Free and courageous. In the best traditions of Ancient Greece. Like his David.

In the last years of life - these are tragic images. A deliberately rough-hewn stone. As if before us are monuments to the victims of fascism of the 20th century. Look at his "Pieta".

Sculptures by Michelangelo at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence. Left: David. 1504 Right: Pieta of Palestrina. 1555

How is this possible? One artist went through all the stages of art from the Renaissance to the 20th century in one lifetime. What will the next generations do? Go your own way. Knowing that the bar has been set very high.

5. Raphael (1483-1520)

Raphael has never been forgotten. His genius was always recognized: both during life and after death.

His characters are endowed with sensual, lyrical beauty. It is he who is rightfully considered the most beautiful female images ever created. External beauty reflects the spiritual beauty of the heroines. Their meekness. Their sacrifice.

The famous words “Beauty will save the world” Fyodor Dostoevsky said precisely about. It was his favorite picture.

However, sensory images are not the only forte Raphael. He thought very carefully about the composition of his paintings. He was an unsurpassed architect in painting. Moreover, he always found the simplest and most harmonious solution in the organization of space. It seems that it cannot be otherwise.

Rafael lived only 37 years. He died suddenly. From caught colds and medical errors. But his legacy cannot be overestimated. Many artists idolized this master. And they multiplied his sensual images in thousands of their canvases..

Titian was an unsurpassed colorist. He also experimented a lot with composition. In general, he was a daring innovator.

For such a brilliance of talent, everyone loved him. Called "the king of painters and the painter of kings."

Speaking of Titian, I want to put an exclamation point after each sentence. After all, it was he who brought dynamics to painting. Pathos. Enthusiasm. Bright color. Shine of colors.

Towards the end of his life, he developed an unusual writing technique. The strokes are fast and thick. The paint was applied either with a brush or with fingers. From this - the images are even more alive, breathing. And the plots are even more dynamic and dramatic.

Doesn't this remind you of anything? Of course, it's a technique. And technique artists of the 19th century: Barbizon and. Titian, like Michelangelo, will go through 500 years of painting in one lifetime. That's why he's a genius.

ABOUT famous masterpiece read the wizard in the article.

Renaissance artists are the owners of great knowledge. To leave such a legacy, it was necessary to study a lot. In the field of history, astrology, physics and so on.

Therefore, each of their images makes us think. Why is it shown? What is the encrypted message here?

They are almost never wrong. Because they thoroughly thought out their future work. They used all the baggage of their knowledge.

They were more than artists. They were philosophers. They explained the world to us through painting.

That is why they will always be deeply interesting to us.

Then a lot of people liked it, and the works of artists seem to me excellent visual aid in the process of studying color combinations. Actually, why reinvent the wheel if the great masters have long studied the principles of harmony, combinations of shades and actively used them when painting. I plan to write a series of posts on the topic and will draw on Itten's book The Art of Color.

Often the problem with color combinations comes from the fact that we do not have enough observation and the eye is not trained to see successful combinations, certain stereotypes are superimposed, from ignorance there is not enough courage and confidence in the selection of colors. Let's fight it :)

Itten, in his work on color, takes us through the most significant eras in the development of art and work with color, and cites great artists as an example. And today we will start with the Renaissance artists. Jan van Eyck, Piero della Francesca, Leonardo da Vinci, Titian, Grunewald.

"Jan van Eyck began to create paintings, the compositional basis of which was determined by the actual colors of the depicted people and objects. Through the fading and purity, lightening and darkening of these colors, the sound of the picture was getting closer and closer to realistically similar. Color became a means of conveying the naturalness of things."

"Portrait of the Arnolfini couple" is made in muted warm colors of dark Autumn

"Ghent Altarpiece" is painted in warm colors, but the colors are already clearer and cleaner, closer to spring

"Piero della Francesca He painted people, sharply delineating the figures with distinct expressive colors, while using complementary colors that provided picturesque balance to the paintings.

"Portrait of Federigo da Montefeltro and Battista Sforza" is also made in warm colors, in the colors of Autumn

"Montefeltro Altar": a very beautiful combination of colors, soft shades, spring-summer range.

It turns out a combination of three basic tones and two accent tones:

"Leonardo da Vinci abandoned the bright colors. He built his paintings on infinitely subtle tonal transitions."

"Mona Lisa"

"Adoration of the Magi"

"Titian began to strive for picturesque modulations of cold and warm, faded and saturated.

"Gorgeous"

"The color characteristic of his late paintings was formed by him, based on various dark and light shades of the same color.

"Coronation with Thorns". Such a cheerful picture both in theme and in colors. Best thing in November :)

But on the other hand, color transitions within the same color are very clearly visible.

"Grunewald contrasted one color with another. From the so-called objectively existing color substance, he was able to find his own color for each motive of the picture.

"Isenheim Altar"

Within the framework of one work, Grunewald used various color schemes and sacrificed overall harmony for the sake of conveying meaning separate parts works.

It remains to be concluded that if you are Autumn, then you should look at other works of Renaissance artists :)