Sandro Botticelli

Botticelli was born into a family of tanner Mariano di Giovanni Filipepi and his wife Smeralda in the quarter of Santa Maria Novella in Florence . The nickname "Botticelli" (keg) passed to him from his older brother Giovanni, who was a fat man.

Mastery Training (1460–1468)

The Madonna of the Eucharist

Botticelli did not come to painting right away: at first he was a two-year student at the goldsmiths of the master Antonio (there is a version that the young man received his last name from him ^[4] ). In 1462 (according to some sources - about 1464 ^[5] ) he began to study painting with Fra Filippo Lippi , in whose workshop he spent five years.

The young artist experienced "the influence of the creative manner of the teacher, combining the three-dimensional transmission of volumes on a plane with the late Gothic decorativeness of linear rhythms", as well as the Pollayolo brothers - Antonio and Pierrot . Together with Piero del Pollaiolo worked on allegories of Virtues for the hall of the Commercial Court in Florence ("Allegory of Strength", 1470) ^[5] .

In connection with the departure of Lippi in Spoleto, Botticelli moved to the workshop of Andrea Verrocchio , where a little earlier the young Leonardo da Vinci entered the apprentice.

The first independent works of Botticelli - several images of the Madonna - demonstrate a closeness to the works of Lippi and Masaccio , the most famous are: “Madonna and Child, two angels and the young John the Baptist” (1465-1470), “Madonna and Child with two angels” ( 1468-1470), “Madonna in the Rose Garden” (circa 1470), “Madonna of the Eucharist” (circa 1470).

Early work (1470–1480)

Since 1470, Botticelli had his own workshop (one of his students was the son of Fra Filippo Lippi - Filippino ) ^[5] not far from the Church of All Saints . The painting “Allegory of Power” (Fortitude), written in 1470, marks the artist's acquisition of his own style. In the years 1470-1472 he wrote a diptych about the history of Judith : "The Return of Judith" and "Finding the Body of Holofernes."

In 1472, Botticelli joined the Guild of St. Luke - his name was first mentioned in the Red Book of the guild. It also indicates that he has a student Filippino Lippi .

Sandro Botticelli's painting "Saint Sebastian" at a feast in honor of the saint on January 20, 1474 with great solemnity was placed on one of the pillars in the Florentine church of , which explains the elongated format of the work.

Around 1475, the painter painted for the wealthy city dweller Gaspare del Lama the famous painting “Adoration of the Magi” , on which, in addition to representatives of the Medici family , he depicted himself. Vasari wrote: “Truly, the work is the greatest miracle, and it is brought to such perfection in color, drawing and composition that every artist is still amazed by him” ^[6] .

At this time, Botticelli became known as a portrait painter. The most significant are “ Portrait of the Unknown with the Cosimo Medici Medal ” (1474–1475), as well as portraits of Giuliano Medici and Florentine ladies.

In 1476, Simonetta Vespucci dies - according to a number of researchers, secret love and a model of a number of paintings by Botticelli, who was never married.

Stay in Rome (1481–1482)

The rapidly spreading fame of Botticelli went beyond Florence. Since the late 1470s, the artist has received numerous orders. “And then he won such a fame in Florence and beyond that Pope Sixtus IV, who built a chapel in his Roman palace and wanted to paint it, ordered him to be put in charge of the work” ^[6] .

In 1481, Pope Sixtus IV called Botticelli to Rome. Together with Ghirlandaio , Rosselli and Perugino, Botticelli frescoed the walls of the papal chapel in the Vatican , which is known as the Sistine Chapel . After Michelangelo signed the ceiling and the altar wall under Julius II in 1508-1512, it will gain worldwide fame.

Botticelli created three frescoes for the chapel: “The Punishment of Korea , Dathan and Aviron ”, “The Temptation of Christ ” and “ The Calling of Moses ”, as well as 11 papal portraits.

Secular works of the 1480s

Botticelli attended the Platonic Academy of Lorenzo the Magnificent (a representative of the Medici family), where he met with Ficino , Pico and Poliziano , thereby falling under the influence of Neoplatonism , which was reflected in his secular paintings.

The most famous and most mysterious work of Botticelli - " Spring " (Primavera) (1482). The painting, together with “ Pallas and the Centaur ” (1482–1483) by Botticelli and “Madonna and Child” by an unknown author, was intended to decorate the Florentine palace of Lorenzo di Pierfranchesko de Medici, or Lorenzo Popolano , cousin of Lorenzo the Magnificent. In particular, the fragment from the poem of Lucretius “ On the nature of things ” inspired the creation of the painter’s canvas:

The allegorical nature of “Spring” provokes numerous discussions regarding the interpretation of the picture.

In 1483, the Florentine merchant Antonio Pucci ordered Botticelli four paintings of an elongated format with scenes of a love story from Boccaccio 's Decameron about Nastaggio degli Onesti .

The theme of love is dedicated to the painting " Venus and Mars " (circa 1485).

Also, around 1485, Botticelli creates the famous canvas “The Birth of Venus ”. “... What distinguishes the work of Sandro Botticelli from the manner of his contemporaries - masters of the Quattrocento, and indeed, painters of all times and peoples? This is a special melodious line in each of his paintings, an extraordinary sense of rhythm, expressed in the subtlest nuances and in the wonderful harmony of his “Spring” and “Birth of Venus”. The color of Botticelli is musical, the leitmotif of the work is always clear in it. Few people in world painting sound like the plastic line, movement and excited, deeply lyrical, far from mythological or other plot schemes. The artist himself is the director and composer of his creations. He does not use stilted canons, because his paintings so excite the modern viewer with his poetry and the primacy of worldview ” ^[8] .

Between 1480 and 1490, Botticelli performed a series of pen illustrations for Dante 's Divine Comedy . “Sandro painted extremely well and so much that long after his death every artist tried to get his drawings” ^[6] .

Religious paintings of the 1480s

“ Adoration of the Magi ” (1478–1482), “ Madonna and Child on the Throne ” (Bardi's altar) (1484), “Annunciation” (1485) - Botticelli's religious works of this time are the highest creative achievements of the painter.

In the early 1480s, Botticelli created the Madonna Magnificat (1481–1485), a picture glorified during the artist’s life, as evidenced by numerous copies. She is one of the Totto Botticelli. Similar paintings in the shape of a circle were very popular in Florence of the 15th century. The background of the picture is the landscape, as in “Madonna with the Book” (1480–1481), “Madonna and Child with Six Angels and John the Baptist” (circa 1485), “Madonna and Child with Five Angels” (1485–1490).

In 1483, together with Perugino, Ghirlandaio and Filippino Lippi, he works on frescoes in the villa of Lorenzo the Magnificent near Volterra .

Around 1487, Botticelli writes The Madonna with Pomegranate. The pomegranate, which the madonna holds in her hand, is a Christian symbol ( Rafael’s " Conestabile Madonna " also had a grenade in her right hand, instead of the book).

Late Works (1490–1497)

In 1490, the Dominican monk Girolamo Savonarola appeared in Florence, in the sermons of which there was a call for repentance and abandonment of a sinful life. Botticelli was fascinated by these sermons, and even, according to legend, watched his paintings burn at the stake of vanity . Since then, Botticelli's style has changed dramatically, it has become ascetic, the gamut of colors is now restrained, with a predominance of dark colors.

The artist’s new approach to creating works is clearly visible in The Coronation of Mary (1488–1490), The Mourning of Christ (1490), and a number of images of the Madonna and Child. Portraits created by the artist at this time, for example, a portrait of Dante (circa 1495), are deprived of landscape or interior backgrounds.

The style changes are especially noticeable when comparing “Judith Leaving Holofernes' Tent” (1485–1490) with a painting about the same plot created about twenty-five years before.

In 1491, Botticelli participated in the work of the commission for the consideration of designs for the facade of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore .

The only later painting on a secular theme was the “ Slander of Apelles ” (circa 1495).

Recent works (1498–1510)

In 1498, Savonarola was captured, accused of heresy and sentenced to death. These events deeply shocked Botticelli.

In 1500, he creates “The Mystical Christmas ” - the only signed and dated work with a Greek inscription: “I, Alessandro, painted this picture in the troubles of Italy at the end of 1500 at half time after the time when [said] in chapter] of eleventh John, about the second mountain of the Apocalypse, at the time when the devil was released for three and a half years. Then he was shackled in accordance with the twelfth, and we will see him [trampled on the ground], as in this picture. "

Among the last few works of the artist of this period are scenes from the stories of the Romans of Virginia and Lucretia , as well as scenes from the life of St. Zinovia .

In 1504, the painter participated in the commission of artists, which was supposed to choose the location for the installation of " David " by Michelangelo.

Botticelli “left work and finally got old and impoverished so much that if he hadn’t remembered him when he was still alive, Lorenzo dei Medici, for whom, not to mention many other things, he worked a lot in the small hospital in Volterra, and his friends and many wealthy people, fans of his talent, he could starve to death ” ^[6] . On May 17, 1510, at the 66th year of his life, Sandro Botticelli passed away. The painter was buried in the cemetery of the Church of All Saints in Florence.

“Sandro does not go in the retinue of others, but, combining in himself a lot of what was scattered, he with surprising fullness reflects the ideals of his time. Not only do we like him, but he also enjoyed great success with his contemporaries. His purely personal art reflected the face of the century. In it, as in focus, everything connected that preceded that moment of culture, and everything that was “real” then ” ^[9] .

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  “Madonna and Child with Two Angels” (1465-1470)

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  “Allegory of Power” (c. 1470)

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  “ Portrait of the Unknown with the Cosimo de Medici Medal ” (1474-1475)

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  "Portrait of Giuliano Medici" (1478-1482)

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  Portrait of a Young Woman (1480-1485)

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  "Pallas and the Centaur" (1482-1483)

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  Venus and Mars (circa 1485)

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  Madonna della Melagrana (1478)

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  The Annunciation (1489)

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  "Mourning of Christ" (c. 1490)

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  "Portrait of Dante" (circa 1495)

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  “The Last Miracle and Death of St. Zinovius” (1500-1505)

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  The Mystical Crucifixion (1490-1500)

In honor of Botticelli named a crater on the planet Mercury .

• Sandro Botticelli is a character in the movie " Flemish Secrets " ("Secrets of the Flemings") 1974.
• 2009 - Secrets of Spring Botticelli / I Segreti della Primavera / I Misteri della Primavera (dir. Alessandra Gigante / Alessandra Gigante)

• Botticelli, Sandro // The Greater Caucasus - The Grand Canal [Electronic resource]. - 2006. - S. 101-102. - (The Big Russian Encyclopedia : [in 35 vols.] / Ch. Ed. Yu. S. Osipov ; 2004—2017, vol. 4). - ISBN 5-85270-333-8 .
• Botticelli, Sandro // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.
• Bulgakov, F.I. Sandro Botticelli (Alessandro Filipepi) // One hundred masterpieces of art. - SPb. : ed. ed. "The New Journal of Foreign Literature", 1903. - S. 15-16.
• Daimling B. Botticelli. Taschen. 2007.
• Zarnitsky Art. V. Botticelli. - M .: Young Guard , 2007 .-- 330 p. (The life of wonderful people )
• Petrochuk O.K. Sandro Botticelli. - M .: Art, 1984. - 224 p.
• Rykov A.V. On the historical significance of Botticelli's work: the concept of an aesthetic form // Bulletin of St. Petersburg University . Ser. 2. Issue 2 2010. S. 115–122.

• Sandro Botticelli Biography // art-klyan.com
• Botticelli at artcyclopedia.com
• Sandro Botticelli Biography, chronology of the artist’s life. Periods of creativity.
• Sandro Botticelli at the Web Gallery of Art
• Sandro Botticelli Paintings