One of the most frequently discussed and most beloved Renaissance masterpieces is the painting "Sistine Madonna" by Raphael. For many people, she remains an example of high Western painting. Her popularity is almost as great as that of Mona Lisa. Everyone who studied this canvas recognized the strange and confusing expressions of the faces of Mary and the baby Jesus, but all attempts to decipher their meanings were often unsuccessful.
A little story of a great masterpiece
The works of Raphael are unusually significant and interesting. When he wrote his painting "Sistine Madonna", he made a breakthrough in his work and left a unique masterpiece for posterity. Initially, this picture was rejected by customers and doomed to years of wandering. She saw the asceticism of the monastery walls and the luxury of the royal palaces. In the 16th century, this unique work was almost forgotten, in the 19th century it became one of the most popular creations of world art, and almost died in the mid-20th century. All these ups and downs fell on the canvas, which was written by Rafael Santi, - "The Sistine Madonna."
A masterpiece that cannot leave you indifferent
The great Italian artist of the Renaissance was called the poet of the image of the Madonna. The motive of the mother with the baby remained unchanged in many of Raphael’s works, but the Sistine Madonna impresses the viewer most of all - the eyes of the Madonna look trustingly and at the same time anxiously.
With greatness and simplicity, a woman carries the most precious things to people - her son. Madonna easily and confidently walks through the clouds that swirl under her bare feet. A gentle breeze throws back the edge of her simple cloak. With all its appearance, the Madonna resembles an ordinary peasant woman. She even holds her son as peasant women usually keep children. That is how the author of the "Sistine Madonna" conveyed the image of the Virgin Mary.
The assumptions of art historians about the masterpiece of Raphael
This simple woman is greeted as the Queen of Heaven. An old man in a ceremonial papal mantle looks admiringly at Madonna - this is Saint Sixtus. It was to him that the Mother of God appeared together with her companion, Saint Barbara, who facilitates the torment of the dying.
Art historians pay close attention to the work of Raphael "The Sistine Madonna": the description of the painting and its detailed study occupies the minds of researchers for many decades, because this is a tombstone that the artist created to the death of his benefactor Pope Julius II. That is why Julia's facial features are imprinted in the image of St. Sixtus, and the papal tiara, standing on the parapet, is crowned with an acorn, the emblem of Julius the Second.
Tombstone order
The patron saint of Raphael Santi was a wayward old man. He could beat the artist with his staff or order the destruction of frescoes that he did not like. At the same time, Julius spared no funds for decorating palaces and churches.
By his order, Raphael painted the halls of the new papal palace in Rome and created majestic frescoes "School of Athens", "Disputation", "Parnassus" and others. In 1513, Julius II died, and Raphael, as one of his favorite artists, was asked to paint a picture that was supposed to be above the tomb of the Pope in the Roman Cathedral of San Pietro. Of course, Rafael Santi agreed to do this work. "Sistine Madonna" has become a tombstone.
Bicentennial wanderings of the famous canvas
It is assumed that the artist worked on his work in 1513, but the pope’s relatives changed their minds and installed a statue in the cathedral instead of the painting. It was a sculpture "Moses" by Michelangelo, the eternal rival of Raphael. And the rejected masterpiece of the artist was taken out of Rome. Thus began the wanderings of the "Sistine Madonna."
For two centuries, the painting was in the provincial town of Piacenza, in the Benedictine monastery.
This gave rise to the legend that the "Sistine Madonna" was written by order of the monks for the church altar. More than two centuries passed, and the painting in 1754 was acquired by the passionate German art collector Augustus the Third. He paid for it 20,000 guild, a considerable amount at that time. The work was brought to Saxony, in the Dresden palace ensemble, but only a select few could see it. The pearl of the gallery, which was written by Rafael Santi, "The Sistine Madonna," for the next 100 years was hidden from prying eyes in one of the uninhabited halls of the palace.
Historical events that a famous masterpiece had to go through
Meanwhile, Europe was shaken by revolution. In 1749, a popular uprising began in Germany. During the street battles in Dresden, the Zwinger concert hall caught fire, but, fortunately, the paintings were not affected. After 6 years, the damaged part of the palace was restored.
In 1855, the Sistine Madonna, along with other masterpieces, was transferred to another wing of the building. The Dresden Gallery has become a pilgrimage site for thousands of people from many countries of the world. May 8, 1945 Dresden attacked one and a half thousand American bombers. The historical center of the city, having a three hundred year history, was destroyed in an hour and a half. The architectural ensemble of Zwinger was turned into ruins.
But two months later, near Dresden, Soviet soldiers discovered an abandoned quarry. There, directly on the raw stones, the canvases of the Dutch masters lay, and only one painting was carefully packed in a box with special shock absorbers. Of course, it was the famous masterpiece that Rafael Santi created - the Sistine Madonna.
Travel to Russia
In the summer of 1945, this painting, along with other canvases from German museums, was exported to Moscow. For nine years, the best restorers returned to life a damaged work of art. And in 1954, the Sistine Madonna and other exhibits of the Dresden Museum were exhibited for two months at the Pushkin Moscow Museum of Fine Arts, after which they were returned to the German Democratic Republic.
Over the years of his life, many works have been written by Rafael Santi. The paintings "Sistine Madonna", "Three Graces", "Teaching of the Virgin Mary", "Triumph of Galatea" and many others evoke a feeling of admiration and awe.