Sculpture of the Madonna and Child during the war. Divine Michelangelo

Tondo Doni from the Uffizi Gallery is the very 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 that is considered complete and whose authorship is not in doubt.

Tondo is a piece of painting or sculpture in a round format, about a meter in diameter. Paintings and reliefs in the form of a circle were extremely common in Florence during the early Renaissance. Throughout the 15th century, the most prominent and vibrant artists worked with tondo, traditionally depicting religious subjects on them. Wealthy 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 gigantic statue of an ideally beautiful naked man spread all over 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 would reach Pope Julius II himself, who would invite him to Rome with great reverence. But while Michelangelo is inundated with orders from wealthy Florentines: everyone wanted to get his work.

Could not stand aside and Agnolo Doni. A merchant, the richest cloth merchant, philanthropist, collector of antique 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 the image of the Virgin in the tondo format, the creation of which is associated with a fascinating story that has come down to us in the "Biographies ..." by Giorgio Vasari.

When Michelangelo finished the tondo, he sent him by messenger to Agnolo's house with a message to receive 70 ducats for it. Doni, a philanthropist and art connoisseur, immediately realized that the work of Michelangelo is so good that it costs much more. But, being a prudent merchant, he decided that 40 ducats would be enough from the artist, which he handed over to the messenger. Agnolo was fully convinced 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 really furious, sent 40 ducats back, ordering the messenger to return either with a picture or with double the price. Agnolo, already ready for 70, as if in a saying about a miser, 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 admit that Rafael perfectly conveyed the character of Agnolo Doni, this smart but prudent Florentine.

What was it that struck Agnolo Doni, who was ready even for a double price?

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

Giorgio Vasari's description survives: “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 Michelangelo was not enough to show the greatness of his art to an even greater degree, he painted many naked bodies against the background of this work - leaning, standing upright and sitting, and he finished this whole thing so carefully and so cleanly that of all his paintings on wood, and there are few of them, it is rightly considered the most complete and most beautiful.

The holy family is separated by a small wall, in the background are depicted naked youths, reminiscent of antique statues, so beloved by 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 the opposition of the old, pagan world, the new time of Christianity and the coming of the Savior. Perhaps this group of nudes, gathered in a semicircle in the manner of antiquity, are pagans in anticipation of baptism, with the sacrament of which the figure of John the Baptist is traditionally associated.

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 performed the work amazed and amazes everyone without exception. An unusually solid composition and rich colors 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 miraculously managed to work with these same tools, like with a brush (just remember Pieta). And to paint pictures as if he carved them out of marble: after all, the naked hands of the Virgin seem completely alive!

The living plasticity of the figures is another undoubted merit of Tondo Doni. Michelangelo was that painter and sculptor who was extraordinarily attracted to the human body. He was not at all interested in portraying incorporeal images. Of course, the naked male body in motion is the main thing in the art of Michelangelo. But even depicting dressed 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 spin the entire composition in a spiral, making it whole and expressive.

The pose of the Virgin, found by Michelangelo, of course, during the preparatory work. Indeed, for each of his projects, Michelangelo performed dozens of drawings from nature. It was this situation that inspired Raphael Santi, a young and impetuous artist, who just at that time arrived in Florence, who wanted to study with Michelangelo and Leonardo.

Tondo Doni will become an inexhaustible source of inspiration for Raphael. He uses this twisting movement in the painting “The Entombment”: the girl in this position supports the Virgin Mary, who has lost her senses from grief.

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

Back in Florence, after "David", Michelangelo created the so-called "Madonna of Bruges" a small (1.27 m high) sculptural group of the Madonna and Child, finishing it in 1504. Subsequently, the statue ended up in the Notre Dame church in the Dutch city of Bruges.

In type, this young, tender, thoughtful Madonna resembles the Madonna "Lamentation of Christ" from St. Peter's Cathedral. However, on this basin, the sculptor sculpted a more traditional composition, depicting Jesus in the form of a Baby. In this modest work, which reveals a line of images in the work of Michelangelo, marked by features of a kind of lyricism, the Madonna herself is especially attractive, in which classical beauty and inner strength of personality are combined with soft poetry and nobility. It feels the hand of a master who sculpted a Roman "Pieta".

Madonna and Child from Bruges is one of the most beautiful and spiritual Madonnas of Michelangelo. A sad woman, chosen and doomed, she foresees the tortures of her son on the cross. Her gaze is fixed on the distance, an expression of inescapable sadness frozen on her face. Quite different feelings are caused by the Baby, cheerful and inquisitive, with a curly large head. With its childlike spontaneity and serenity, it seems to emphasize the immensity of the future maternal grief.

“That is why she resisted, did not want to let go of this beautiful, strong and agile boy, who grabbed her guarding hand with his little hand. And that's why she covered her son with the edge of her cloak. The boy, who felt his mother's mood, also had sadness in his eyes. He was full of strength and courage, he would soon jump off his mother’s knees and leave this safe haven, but now, at this moment, he grabbed his mother’s hand with one of his hands, and pressed the other to her thigh. Perhaps he is thinking now of her, of his mother, saddened by the inevitable separation: her son, so trustingly clinging to her knees, will soon wander alone in the world. Stone Irving.

The Mother of God turned out to be alive and believable, tender and pure. It seems, another moment - and the eyelids will tremble, the hand will pick up the child, the chest will inhale. She is alive, she feels. The master did not now idealize the face of Mary, as in earlier works. Having created the Roman “Pieta” and “David”, he is looking for feeling, plausibility: 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 recalls. "Drink". The body of a baby, although childish, but produces a feeling of hidden power, but childishly pretty - 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?

David (1501-1504)

“Some of his friends wrote to him from Florence to come there, because one should not miss the marble, which was spoiled in the care of the cathedral. This marble, Pier Soderini, then appointed gonfaloniere for life of the city, had repeatedly offered to smuggle Leonardo da Vinci, and now was about to hand it over to the master Andrea Contucci of Monte Sansovino, the excellent sculptor who sought it; Michelangelo tried to get it upon his arrival in Florence, who liked it many years ago, although it was difficult to carve a whole statue out of it without adding pieces, and no one except him had the courage to finish it without such additions. Of this marble, nine cubits in size, unfortunately, a certain master Simone from Fiesole began to carve a giant and did it so badly that he holed it between his legs and spoiled and mutilated everything so that the trustees of Santa Maria del Fiore, who were in charge of the work, did not think about it. how to complete it, they gave up on everything, and so it stood and continued to stand for many years. Michelangelo measured it again, thinking about what kind of sensible statue could be carved from this block, and, adjusting to the pose that the master Simone, who spoiled it, gave her, decided to beg her from the trustees and Soderini, who gave it to him as a thing unnecessary, believing that whatever he did with it would be better than the state in which it was then, because if you break it into pieces or leave it in a spoiled state, there will still be no sense from it for construction. Therefore, Michelangelo sculpted a wax model, planning to depict in it, as a palace emblem, the young David with a sling in his hand, so that, just as David defended his people and ruled them justly, the rulers of this city courageously defended him and ruled them justly. He began work in the care of Santa Maria del Fiore, where he fenced off a place around the block by the wall and, working on it incessantly so that no one saw it, he brought the marble to the last perfection.
The marble had already been spoiled and mutilated by the master Simone, and in some places there was not enough of it so that Michelangelo could do what he intended; on the. On the surface of the marble, he had to leave the first cuts of the master Simone, so that even now some of them are visible, and, of course, Michelangelo performed a real miracle, reviving what was dead.
When completed, the statue turned out to be so huge that disputes arose as to how to deliver it to the Piazza della Signoria. And then Giuliano da Sangallo and his brother Antonio built a very strong wooden tower, to which they hung the statue on ropes so that it would not be damaged during shocks, but would sway evenly; they dragged it on ropes with the help of winches along smooth logs and, moving it, put it in place. The noose of the rope on which the statue hung glided very easily and tightened under the pressure of gravity: it was invented so beautifully and ingeniously that I keep my own drawing in our Book, as something wonderful, reliable and durable for tying weights.
Meanwhile, it so happened that Pier Soderini, looking up at the statue, which he liked very much, said to Michelangelo, who at that time was finishing it in some places, that, in his opinion, her nose was large:
Michelangelo, noticing that the gonfalonier was standing under the very giant and the point of view was deceiving him, climbed to please him on the scaffold at the shoulders of the statue and, prying with a chisel, which he held in his left hand, a little marble dust from the platform of the scaffold, began to gradually shower dust down, working as if with other incisors, but without touching the nose. Then, bending down to the Gonfaloniere, who was watching him, he said: "Come on, look at him now." “Now I like it better,” said the gonfalonier, “you have revived him.” Michelangelo then descended from the bridge, laughing at him to himself and pitying people who, wanting to show themselves as experts, say things that they themselves do not understand. When the statue was finally installed, he opened it, and truly this creation eclipsed all known statues, new and ancient, whether Greek or Roman; and it can be said that neither the Roman Marforius, nor the Tiber or the Nile Belvedere, nor the giants of Montecavallo can in any way compare with it: Michelangelo finished it with such proportion and beauty, with such good quality. For the outlines of her legs are most beautiful, and the conjugation and harmony of the hips are divine, and a pose so graceful has never been seen, no grace, incomparable to anything, no arms, no legs, no head, which would so correspond to everyone member of this body with its quality factor, its skill and its consistency, not to mention their design. And, really, for those who saw it, it’s not worth looking at any sculpture of any master of our or other times ” Vasari.

Colossal statue of David (1501-1504, Florence, art academy) ca. 5 m, together with the base, gives rise to the idea of ​​a formidable force (contemporaries called this feature of Michelangelo's works terribilita), of a heroic impulse, restrained by a mighty effort of will. The colossal figure was supposed to stand at the cathedral.

"David" became one of the most famous works of the Italian Renaissance. This statue was already perceived by contemporaries as a symbol of the Florentine Republic. Vasari wrote that Michelangelo "created David as a sign that he protected his people and ruled them justly, so the rulers of the city should courageously protect him and rule them justly." It is no coincidence that the opening of the statue in 1504 was a solemn event for the whole city.

In "David" Michelangelo coped with a very difficult task - the creation of a marble block already damaged in the 15th century, moreover, of a complex shape, a statue. And he did brilliantly. Here his magnificent ability to extract maximum expressiveness from the stone was manifested. Later, he formulated this in one of his sonnets: the work is already embedded in the stone itself, you just need to be able to extract it from there.

A few decades ago, a huge block of marble was mined in Carrara, which lay in the courtyard of the church of Santa Maria del Fiore, intended for a colossal statue of the biblical hero David. The block was nine feet high. On August 16, 1501, an agreement was concluded. The sculptor said two years, counting from September 1st. September 13 on Monday, early in the morning, Michelangelo began work. Michelangelo prepared more than a hundred sketches of the future statue, made a small clay model, which he poured into containers with milk, with the help of which he determined the sequence of work on the marble block.

Due to the gross damage to the marble, it was necessary to mark the future statue with the utmost precision, up to a centimeter. First, the master carved the left hand of David. One arm of the giant figure had to be depicted bent at the elbow - due to potholes in the marble block.

4 months after the start of hard work on the David, the Tuscan winter set in, wind, snow and rain made Michelangelo's work difficult, and tools that quickly became dull from intensive work had to be forged. But Michelangelo could not afford to rest, often even sleeping at night at the workplace. According to Vasari, one who allows himself a break in work in Florence is doomed to oblivion, the air was so filled with the desire for fame and the thirst for recognition, the competition among the masters was very high. Anxiety and unrest in Florence from time to time interfered with the correct work, and the statue was completed only in 1504.

It is said that after finishing the statue, Michelangelo decorated it with a crown of sheet copper. This was not unusual at the time, many of the ancient statues that served as inspiration for the Renaissance masters were covered with gold or brightly decorated.

The image of David was traditional in Florence. Donatello and Verrocchio created bronze sculptures of a young man miraculously striking a giant, whose head lies at his feet. Michelangelo depicted David not as a fragile teenager trampling on the severed head of Goliath, as the masters of the 15th century did, but as a beautiful, athletically built giant at the moment before the battle, full of confidence and formidable strength (contemporaries called her terribilita - awesome). In contrast, Michelangelo depicted the moment preceding the fight. David stands with a sling thrown over his shoulder, clutching a stone in his left hand. The right side of the figure is tense, while the left is slightly relaxed, like an athlete ready for action. The hero of the Old Testament is depicted by Michelangelo in the form of a handsome, muscular, naked young man who looks anxiously into the distance, as if evaluating his enemy - Goliath, with whom he has to fight. The lively, tense expression of David's face is characteristic of many of Michelangelo's works - this is a sign of his individual sculptural manner.

Titanism, heroized by Michelangelo, manifested itself in David. In the beautiful face of the young hero, in his gaze, with which he meets the enemy, we catch that formidable expressiveness that contemporaries considered the inalienable property of Michelangelo's creations. Without resorting to strong compositional dynamics, to complex movement, the master created a type of hero full of courage, power and readiness for action.

Michelangelo depicts David naked, proceeding from the ancient ideals of human beauty, translating in marble ancient ideas about the correspondence of physical beauty, power and fortitude.

He stands calmly, confident in his rightness and in the coming victory. He has disproportionately large limbs and a heavy head, which emphasizes the youthful character of the physique. A beautiful, courageous face is marked by an extraordinary nobility, a powerful torso and superbly modeled arms and legs not only express physical strength, but also emphasize strength of mind. David is depicted before the battle with Goliath. He is all concentration and expectation. After all, nothing has happened yet. Thus, David, by no means is Michelangelo's final solution to the problem of man, but only the posing of a question - we find the answer to this question in the further work of Michelangelo.

In 1504, the work was completed; on January 25, a commission of experts was convened, at which the question of where to place the statue was discussed. During the commission's discussion of the statue, Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci met for the first time. It was not an opportune moment for a friendly meeting. Leonardo was at that time over 50 years old, he had already created The Last Supper and Mona Lisa and was inferior to Michelangelo in sculpture. Da Vinci's only rival, Michelangelo, was not even 26 years old at that time. His "David", in the words of his contemporaries, "even the ignorant were surprised." At the request of Michelangelo, they decided to place it at the entrance to the Palazzo Signoria, where she stood for three centuries.

The installation of this statue was of particular political importance: at this time, at the very beginning of the 16th century, the Florentine Republic, having expelled its internal tyrants, the Medici family, was determined to resist the enemies that threatened it from within and without. They wanted to believe that little Florence could win, just as the once young peaceful shepherd David defeated the giant Goliath.

The transfer of a colossal statue from the workshop and its installation in front of the Palazzo Vecchio, the seat of the authorities of the Florentine Republic, turns into a solemn event. It took three days to deliver the marble giant to its destination. It is unknown why stones were thrown at the marble giant. Perhaps it was the work of solitary vandals. According to another version, the attack was organized by supporters of the Medici family in protest against the symbol of power of the new republican government.

After the statue was installed in its permanent place, Michelangelo probably carried out the final work, put the finishing touches, polished the surface of the "skin" to a mirror finish. Finally, all the work was completed By the beginning of September, it was time to open the statue on which Michelangelo had spent three years of tireless labor.

The opening of the "David" took place on September 8, and the Florentines were shocked by the completed view. The statue of David brought fame to Michelangelo and strengthened his reputation as the first sculptor in Italy. With this statue, Michelangelo proved to his fellow citizens that he not only surpassed all contemporary artists, but also the masters of antiquity. If until now the name of Michelangelo was known throughout Italy, after the completion of "David" he was proclaimed the greatest of Italian sculptors, and Michelangelo rightfully retained this title until the end of his life.

In 1873, the statue of David had to be transferred to the Florence Academy of Arts to protect it from the damaging effects of wind, rain and sun. Since then, an exact copy of the masterpiece has risen in its former place.

"Lamentation of Christ", or "Pieta" (c. 1498-1500)

Arriving in Rome in 1496, two years later Michelangelo received an order for a statue of the Virgin and Christ. He sculpted an incomparable sculptural group, including the figure of the Mother of God, grieving over the body of the Savior, taken down from the cross. Undoubtedly, this work testifies to the beginning of the creative maturity of the master. The "Lamentation of Christ" group, originally intended for the Chapel of the Virgin Mary in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, and to this day is located in St. Peter's Basilica, in the first chapel on the right.

The order for the sculptural group was received thanks to the guarantee of the banker Jacopo Galli, who purchased the Bacchus statue and some other works by Michelangelo for his collection. The contract was concluded on August 26, 1498, the French cardinal Jean de Villiers Fezanzac acted as the customer. According to the contract, the master was obliged to complete the work in a year, and received 450 ducats for it. The work was completed around 1500, already after the death of the cardinal, who died in 1498. Perhaps this marble group was originally intended for the future tomb of the customer. By the time the Lamentation of Christ ended, Michelangelo was only 25 years old.

The contract contained the words of the guarantor, “I, Jacopo Galli, promise your Eminence that the above-mentioned Michelangelo will complete the work you need within a year and that it will be the best work of marble that exists today, and that no master today will do it better”. Time has confirmed the words of Galli, who turned out to be a far-sighted and subtle connoisseur of art. "Lamentation of Christ" and now irresistibly affects the perfection and depth of the artistic solution.

This grand order opens a new stage in the life of a young sculptor. He opened his own workshop, hired a team of assistants. During this period, he repeatedly visited the Karr quarries, where he himself chose marble blocks for his future sculptures. For the "Pieta" it took a low, but rather wide block of marble, since, according to his plan, the body of her adult Son was placed on the lap of the Virgin.

This composition became the key work of Michelangelo's early Roman period, marking the beginning of the High Renaissance in Italian plastic art. Some researchers compare the value of the marble group "Lamentation of Christ" with the value of the famous "Madonna in the Grotto" by Leonardo da Vinci, which opens the same stage in painting.

“... These things aroused the desire of Cardinal St. Dionysius, called the French Cardinal of Rouen, to leave, through the mediation of an artist so rare, a worthy memory of himself in a city so famous, and he ordered him a marble, entirely round sculpture with mourning for Christ, which, upon its completion was placed in St. Peter's in the chapel of the Virgin Mary, the healer of fever, where the temple of Mars used to be. Let it never occur to any sculptor, if he were a rare artist, the idea that he could add something to such a drawing and to such grace and by his labors he could someday achieve such subtlety and purity and cut marble with such skill as Michelangelo showed in this thing, for it reveals all the power and all the possibilities inherent in art. Among the beauties here, in addition to divinely made robes, the deceased Christ attracts attention; and let it not even occur to anyone to see a naked body, made so skillfully, with such beautiful members, with muscles, vessels, veins so finely trimmed, dressing his skeleton, or to see a dead man more like a dead man than this dead man. Here is the most delicate expression of the face, and a certain consistency in the binding and mating of the arms, and in the connection of the torso and legs, and such processing of the blood vessels that one is truly plunged into amazement, how could the artist's hand in the shortest possible time so divinely and impeccably create such a marvelous thing; and, of course, it is a miracle that a stone, originally devoid of any form, could ever be brought to that perfection, which even nature hardly gives to flesh.

In this creation, Michelangelo invested so much love and labor that only on it (which he no longer did in his other works) did he write his name along the belt that tightens the chest of the Mother of God; it so happened that one day Michelangelo, approaching the place where the work was placed, saw there a large number of visitors from Lombardy, who praised it very much, and when one of them turned to another with a question who did it, he replied: “ Our Milanese Gobbo. Michelangelo said nothing, and it seemed at least strange to him that his works were attributed to another. One night he locked himself in there with a lamp, taking his chisels with him, and carved his name on the sculpture. And truly, she is such, as one of the most beautiful poets said about her, as if referring to a real and living figure:

Dignity and beauty
And sorrow: over this marble it is full of you to moan!
He is dead, having lived, and taken down from the cross
Beware of raising songs
In order not to call from the dead until the time
The one who accepted grief alone
For all who are our lord,
You are father, husband and son now,
O you, his wife, and mother, and daughter Vasari.

This beautiful marble statue remains to this day a monument to the full maturity of the artist's talent. Sculpted in marble, this sculptural group impresses with its bold handling of traditional iconography, the humanity of the created images, and high craftsmanship. This is one of the most famous works in the history of world art.

“And it was not for nothing that he acquired the greatest fame for himself, and although some, after all, but still ignorant, people say that the Mother of God is too young for him, but did they not notice or do they not know that undiscredited virgins for a long time hold and keep their facial expressions undistorted, while burdened with sorrow, such as Christ was, the opposite is observed? Why such a work brought honor and glory to his talent more than all the previous ones taken together. Vasari.

The young Mary is depicted with the dead Christ on her knees, an image borrowed from Northern European art. The earliest versions of the Pieta also included the figures of St. John the Baptist and Mary Magdalene. Michelangelo, however, limited himself to two key figures - the Virgin and Christ. Some researchers suggest that Michelangelo in the sculptural group depicted himself and his mother, who died when he was only six years old. Art historians note that his Virgin Mary is as young as the sculptor's mother at the time of her death.

The theme of the mourning of Christ was popular both in Gothic art and in the Renaissance, but here it is treated rather restrainedly. Gothic knew two types of such mourning: either with the participation of the young Mary, whose ideally beautiful face is not able to overshadow the grief that befell her, or with the elderly Mother of God, seized with terrible, heartbreaking despair. Michelangelo in his group decisively departs from the usual attitudes. He portrayed Mary as young, but at the same time she is infinitely far from the conventional beauty and emotional immobility of Gothic Madonnas of this type. Her feeling is a living human experience, embodied with such depth and richness of shades that here for the first time we can talk about introducing a psychological principle into the image. The whole depth of her grief is guessed by the outward restraint of a young mother; the mournful silhouette of a bowed head, the gesture of a hand that sounds like a tragic question, everything adds up to an image of enlightened grief.

Mary's look is not so sad as solemn. This is the highest point of creativity of the young Michelangelo. In the image of the Madonna, young and beautiful, a huge human feeling is conveyed with amazing force - the grief of a mother for her lost son. According to the subtle observation of V. Lazarev “her beautiful face breathes sorrow, but there is not even a hint of despair in it. She perceives the death of her son as the fulfillment of what was destined by fate. And her grief is so immeasurable and great that it develops from personal grief into the grief of all mankind..

Death and the sorrow that accompanies it seem to be contained in the marble from which the sculpture is carved. The ratio of the figures is such that they form a low triangle, more precisely, a conical structure. The naked body of Christ contrasts with the magnificent robes of the Mother of God, rich in chiaroscuro. Michelangelo portrayed the Mother of God as young, as if it were not the Mother and Son, but a sister mourning the untimely death of her brother. This kind of idealization was used by Leonardo da Vinci and other artists. In addition, Michelangelo was an ardent admirer of Dante. At the beginning of St. Bernard's prayer, in the last canzone of the Divine Comedy, it says: "Vergine Madre, figlia del tuo figlio" - "Our Lady, daughter of her Son". The sculptor found the perfect way to express this deep theological thought in stone.

The severity of the hood of the Virgin, forcing her to bow her head down to the hand of Christ, lying near her heart, stopped the attention of the audience on the dead body, prostrate on her mother's knees. his face, his eyes peacefully closed in deep sleep, his straight, not so thin nose, his clean and smooth skin on his cheeks, his curly beard, his mouth distorted by agony. Bowing her head, the Mother of God looked at her son. All those who see the statues will feel that the dead body of her son lies on her knees with an unbearable weight and that a much greater weight has fallen on her heart. The figures of the seated Madonna and the dead Christ prostrated on her lap are united into an inseparable whole. The movement of the Madonna is full of naturalness and severity, her bowed head, beautiful features of a mournful face are framed by the soft folds of the veil. The questioning gesture of her left hand is expressive. It contains despair and a question. She seems to refuse to believe in an irreparable loss. Cascading folds of her long garment. And the rhythm of these folds emphasizes the curve of the motionless body of Christ. The contrast between the lifeless body of Christ and the full life of the Madonna is accurately conveyed.

This sculptural composition does not yet have the expression that is characteristic of the later works of Michelangelo, but it makes a strong impression on the viewer, intensified by the contrast of the mourning living figure and the dead body of Christ. To combine two life-size figures in one sculpture, to put a full-grown man on a woman's lap - this was a bold new, unusual step in sculpture, which rejected all previous ideas about the "Lamentation".

On the sash running over the left shoulder of the Madonna, Michelangelo carved the signature for the first and last time: "Michelangelo Buonarroti the Florentine performed" .

In his declining years, the master once again turned to this plot, creating a composition "Descent from the Cross", or "Pieta with Nicodemus", And "Pieta Rondanini".

The seal of a deep inner experience that marks Michelangelo's "Lamentation of Christ" is apparently associated with the feelings that were caused in the sculptor by the execution of Savonarola (May 23, 1498). The monk was burned at the stake in that same Florence that idolized him, in that square where his passionate speeches thundered and where the people for whom he lived and died now stuck nails between the boards on the path of the martyr, walking barefoot to the fire.

Already after the installation of the sculptural group "Pieta" in St. Peter's Cathedral, the superiority of Michelangelo over the rest of his contemporary sculptors became obvious. The name of a hitherto unknown young sculptor thundered throughout Italy and most of Europe. Plaster casts of the body of Jesus were sent to various schools and academies, so great was the perfection in finishing the smallest details.

After finishing work on the Lamentation of Christ, Michelangelo received several orders, not so grandiose. The banker Galli contracted Michelangelo to create an altarpiece for the tomb of the cardinal at St. Agostino, but the work was never completed.

By the age of 25, the period of formation of his personality ended, and he returned to Florence in the prime of all the possibilities that a sculptor can have.

Mother and newborn baby is one of the most popular subjects in art.

He was given special attention by both popular and well-known artists (Leonardo da Vinci and Rafael Santi), and 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 Sienese school of fine arts. His fate is quite interesting, because in the middle of the XIII century. he participated 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 picture presents the viewer with the Virgin Mary sitting on a throne, slightly raising one leg so that the baby would be more comfortable sitting in her arms. She touchingly holds his leg, and he reaches out to her hand. They already have some noticeable interaction, which was not observed in earlier paintings.

The head of the Virgin 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 for greater chic, the artist painted the draperies in gold. On the sides, left and right, are angels depicted in full growth (this is the tradition of Florence). 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.

From the less well-known, let's move on to the more popular ones and take a closer look at the brightest paintings on this topic.

"Madonna Litta" by Leonardo da Vinci

One of the most depicting the Madonna and Child is the painting "Madonna Litta" by the brightest Leonardo da Vinci. Now it can be seen among the masterpieces kept in the Hermitage.

The main face on this canvas is a young woman who holds a baby in her arms and breastfeeds him. As in all, it stands out more than the background, where the viewer can observe the windows in the form of arches, through which one can see a bright blue sky with fluffy white clouds. It is worth noting that the Madonna and Child are drawn very clearly, her features seem to be highlighted, as if drawn under a camera flash, compared to a somewhat smeared background - these are also distinctive features of portraits of that era.

Mom looks at the child with tenderness. It seems to some that she smiles slightly (the "Leonardo smile" popular for the artist's paintings), in fact, the Madonna is thoughtful. The child looks at the viewer, holding a bird in one of the handles - a small goldfinch.

Goldfinch in the painting "Madonna Litta"

There are various versions of why the chick is depicted in this picture.

The bird as a symbol of the future suffering of Christ, where the red head of the carduelis denotes the blood shed by the Son of God. According to legend, when Christ was being led to Golgotha, a goldfinch fell on him, pulled a thorn out of Jesus' eyebrow, and blood dripped on him.

Goldfinch, symbolizing 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 picking it up, 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. Raphael Santi was the one who wrote it. Or rather, he has a lot of paintings with such a plot: this is the well-known and kept in the Hermitage "Madonna Conestabile", and the extraordinary "Madonna with a Veil", which depicts not only a mother and child, but the entire Holy Family.

Directly the picture with the title "Madonna and Child" Raphael painted in 1503. The woman on it is more refined and, undoubtedly, younger than that of da Vinci. Obviously, the bond between mother and child is more pronounced. They look at each other with touching love and light thoughtfulness, the mother supports the baby by the back with her hand. This is no longer the disturbing Virgin that can be seen in the early paintings of the artist.

Together they read the Book of Hours - a symbol of the authority of the church - which contains the texts of prayers, psalms, church services (earlier, by the way, it was from this book that they learned to read). According to some reports, the Book of Hours is open on the page that corresponds to nine o'clock, and this is the time when Jesus was crucified on the cross.

A smoky landscape with a church and trees is drawn in the background. 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.

It makes no sense to determine whose picture is better: da Vinci or Raphael. Madonna and Child each of them looks original and unique.

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

Madonna and Child in sculpture

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

This masterpiece, according to the plan of the customers, was supposed to be at a height of about nine meters, so the audience would look at it from the bottom up, like a deity. By the way, it is for this reason that the eyes of the mother and child are directed downwards.

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. They became de Mouscron - a merchant from the city of Bruges. He then handed it over 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 placed it behind bulletproof glass.

"Madonna Doni" Michelangelo

In addition to being an excellent sculptor, Michelangelo was also a wonderful painter. 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 incredible plasticity, it seems that even when drawing, he "sculpts" the figures, endowing them with 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 sum up. 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, of course, is the work of Michelangelo.

Whose work undoubtedly left a mark on history and influenced the development and formation of Western art. In the West, he is considered the greatest sculptor, and although he spoke not flatteringly about painting, his frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, the Last Judgment, and other works helped to establish him a place among the greatest artists. In addition, Michelangelo was one of the best architects of his time. This list of works included both sculptures and architectural projects, as well as paintings.

10 Iconic Works by Michelangelo

10. Madonna Doni.

Type: Tondo.
Year of writing: 1507.

Madonna Doni

Angelo Doni in the early 1500s gives the master an order to depict the “Family of Saints” in order to present it to his wife in the future. The master used a round frame (tondo) for the picture.

The Doni Madonna includes the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, the Christ Child and John the Baptist. Behind are five nude male figures.

9. Bacchus.

Type: Marble statue.
Year of creation: 1497.

This statue was completed by the sculptor at the age of 22. The famous work depicts the Roman god of wine, Bacchus, holding a glass of wine in his right hand and a tiger skin in his left. Behind him sits a faun eating a bunch of grapes. "Bacchus" is one of two surviving sculptures from the early period of Michelangelo's work in Rome.

8. Madonna of Bruges.

Type: Marble statue.
Year of creation: 1504.

Madonna of Bruges

"Madonna of Bruges" depicts Mary with the baby Jesus. In this sculpture, Michelangelo does not adhere to the traditions of depicting this composition. The face of the virgin is removed, she does not look at Christ, as if she knows his future. At this time, the baby, without maternal support, departs into the world.

7. Laurentian Library.

Type: Architecture.
Year of creation: 1559.

Laurentian Library

The Laurentian Library was designed by Michelangelo in 1524 for the church of San Lorenzo in Florence (Italy). The entire construction, including the interior of the premises, was developed by the master in an innovative, at that time, Mannerist style.

This work is one of the most important architectural achievements of Michelangelo. It is characterized by innovation and revolutionary ways of using space.

6. Moses.

Type: Marble statue.
Year of creation: 1515.

In 1505, Pope Julius II commissioned Michelangelo to work on his tomb. The statue is located in Rome (Church of San Pietro in Vincoli). There is a legend that when the work was completed, Michelangelo hit the right knee of the sculpture with a hammer, as she began to speak, he was so realistic.

Type: Marble statue.
Year of creation: 1499.

The pieta depicts the Virgin Mary mourning over the body of Jesus after the crucifixion, which lies on her lap. The statue is not based on real biblical stories, but still gained popularity in Northern Europe during the Middle Ages.

Buonarroti was only 24 years old when he completed what is now considered one of the world's greatest masterpieces of sculpture.

4. The Last Judgment.

Type: fresco painting.
Year of creation: 1541.

Last Judgment

In Western art, The Last Judgment is one of the most significant works. Painted on the altar wall of the chapel, it demonstrates the second coming of Christ to earth. Jesus is shown in the center and surrounded by eminent saints who have risen from the dead.

Type: Architecture.
Year of issue: 1626.

Located in the Vatican, St. Peter's Basilica is the most famous piece of Renaissance architecture. Many famous masters worked on the creation (including Antonio da Sangallo). Although Michelangelo did not create it from scratch, the cathedral has come down to our time in the form in which Buonarroti was conceived.

2. Creation of Adam.

Type: fresco painting.
Year of creation: 1512.

The cornerstone of Renaissance painting, The Creation of Adam, is located on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, which spawned a number of followers and a large number of parodies.

1. David.

Type: Marble statue.
Year of creation: 1504.

Probably the most famous work of Michelangelo is the masterpiece sculpture of the biblical character David, who is ready to fight Goliath. The theme of David and Goliath was quite popular in the art of that time. Caravaggio, for example, has three works dedicated to this subject.

The colossal statue, 5.17 meters high, demonstrates Michelangelo's exceptional technical skills as well as the power of symbolic imagination.

10 Iconic Works by Michelangelo updated: October 2, 2017 by: Gleb

In cities as ancient and untouched by time as Bruges, life is like a dream. Therefore, being in Bruges and dreaming about it are almost the same thing. However, only when you get to know this amazing city in person, you begin to understand why the great aesthetes of the early twentieth century were able to endure life exclusively in Bruges. One of the main attractions of the city, which in itself is one big attraction, is the Cathedral Church of Our Lady. The massive building, piercing with a long spire into the postcard Flemish sky, amazes with the diversity of architectural styles that it has absorbed over the 200-year history of construction.

The history of the Church of Our Lady begins no less than in the 9th century, when a small chapel was built outside the city ramparts. It was then replaced with a Romanesque basilica, and the construction of the modern Gothic church of Our Lady began in 1220. However, its 122-meter tower remains to this day the tallest brick building in Belgium. An eclectic mix of styles is characteristic of all Flemish churches that were built before the second half of the 16th century. The soaring gothic exterior of the cathedral is in harmony with the interior, made in the Baroque style interspersed with Rococo or Romanesque style. The reasons for this should be sought in the history of iconoclasm, as a result of which the interior decoration of almost all churches in those places was destroyed. They were restored much later, when the baroque ruled the world.

Behind the powerful walls of the Church of Our Lady, one of the most beautiful sculptures on earth is stored - the famous "Madonna and Child", which was created by the great Michelangelo in 1505 and became the only work of the author who left Italy during the life of the creator.

1501-1503. Vrouwekerk Gallery, Bruges. Michelangelo Buonarroti

The height of the sculpture is 128 cm, marble. Michelangelo Buonarroti depicted the classic version of Our Lady with the Christ Child. This kind of idealization has been used by many other artists. In addition, Michelangelo was an ardent admirer of Dante. At the beginning of Saint Bernard's Prayer, the last canzone of the Divine Comedy says: "Vergine Madre, figlia del tuo figlio" - "Our Lady, daughter of her Son." The sculptor found the perfect way to express this medieval theological thought in stone.

An unusually beautiful woman, on whose face the pain of her mother is read. A mother who knows that her beloved son in a few years will have to atone for the sins of mankind in terrible agony. Truly, only a genius can create so many emotions on a block of icy marble. The sculpture of Michelangelo alone deserves to be called the Church of Our Lady in Bruges as the main Belgian attraction. But the wealth of the Flemish merchants knew no bounds, so here you can also see the magnificent paintings of Peter Paul Rubens decorating the choir. In addition, the Church of Our Lady houses two of the most luxurious Flaming Gothic sarcophagi in Europe, which belong to the last Burgundian rulers of the Valois family - Charles the Bold and his daughter Mary, in whose reign Bruges reached the peak of its greatness.