" Dido , founder of Carthage " otherwise "Dido at the foundation of Carthage, or the heyday of the Carthage Empire" ( Eng. Dido building Carthage, or the rise of the Carthaginian Empire ) - painting by William Turner , written in 1815. Since 1856 [1] is kept in the National Gallery .
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| William Turner | ||
| Dido, founder of Carthage . 1815 | ||
| Dido building Carthage, or the rise of the Carthaginian Empire | ||
| Canvas, oil. 155.5 × 230 cm | ||
| National Gallery , London | ||
| ( inv. ) | ||
Story
The plot is taken from Virgil 's Aeneid . Dido , the sister of Pygmalion, king of the Tyrians , and the wife of Shechea , fled to Libya after being defeated in the struggle for power. Here, according to legend, she founded the city of Carthage. Turner often turned to classic plots, and the story of Dido and Aeneas was one of his favorites: before his death, he completed four paintings on this subject.
In Dido, the idealistic approach to representing the world in art, which was formed by the artist under the influence of Reynolds , whose lectures Turner attended at the Royal Academy , is most fully reflected.
True to his beliefs that the painting should carry a charge of edification, the artist contrasts the boiling life of the city and death - on the right side of the picture shows the tomb of Sikhei [1] .
Undoubtedly, the influence of the historical landscape of Lorren's “Departure of the Queen of Sheba”, which made an indelible impression on Turner back in 1799. Seeing this canvas, owned by the London collector Engerstein, the artist burst into tears. Turner exclaimed to the host’s questions: “This is because I can never draw anything like that!” The artist, who considered Dido to be his masterpiece, in the first edition of his will set the condition for his body to be wrapped in a picture before being lowered into the grave. However, Turner changed the will after the remark of the executor that the will will be fulfilled, but the body is immediately taken out to return the canvas. Turner invariably refused all offers to sell Dido. He bequeathed a picture to the National Gallery with the condition that it be exhibited next to the “Departure of the Queen of Sheba” [2] .
It is possible that the unusual glow of the sun depicted on the canvas is the result of Turner's observation of the light effects generated by the eruption of the Indonesian volcano Tambora [3] . In April 1815, as a result of this natural disaster, more than 100 cubic kilometers of ash were thrown into the atmosphere. This caused climate change on the entire planet, gave rise to endless fogs, and the next year , 1816 , became known as the “ year without summer ”.
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 Dido building Carthage, or The Rise of the Carthaginian Empire // National Gallery Picture Library.
- ↑ William Turner / Translated from English by A.E. Moseychenko. - M. , 2007 .-- S. 96–97.
- ↑ Joseph Mallord William Turner - Biography, life and works .
Literature
- William Turner / Translated from English by A. E. Moseichenko. - M .: ZAO BMM, 2007. - 256 p. - 2000 copies. - ISBN 5-88353-278-0 .
- Zuffy S. Great atlas of painting. - M .: Olma-Press, 2002 .-- S. 244. - 431 p. - ISBN 5-224-03922-3 .