Biblical scenes in painting

Completed by a 6th grade student

gymnasium No. 587

Nikitin A. A.

Saint Petersburg

For two thousand years, the whole world has been brought up on fairy tales and legends, songs and parables taken from the Bible.

The Bible has reached us through the centuries. They banned her and burned her, but she survived. It took 18 centuries to compile the Bible. Over 30 authors worked on it. 66 books of the Bible were written in different languages ​​by people living at different times.

The great artists of the world depicted in their paintings biblical stories.

In the history of fine art of past centuries, the brilliant Dutch artist Rembrandt, perhaps more than anyone else, was able to deeply moving, truthfully reveal the inexhaustible wealth of the inner world of man.

Dutch painters were the first to see a person as he is in life, and reflected in art different sides his daily life. Some of them approached the solution of a more complex task - to reflect the beauty and significance of the spiritual world of an ordinary person

It would seem that by turning to biblical and evangelical themes, Rembrandt is moving away from depicting the society of his time. In fact, his biblical and evangelical heroes are in many ways reminiscent of his contemporary ordinary people, invariably attracting the sympathy of the artist. In his mind, biblical heroes serve as vivid embodiments of wonderful human qualities. The artist sees in them spiritual greatness, internal integrity, stern simplicity, and great nobility. They are not at all like the petty, self-satisfied burghers of his contemporaries. Genuine images are increasingly reflected in the artist’s paintings. human passions, more often theatrical drama, the “terrible” event will be replaced by the true drama of life.

These new features clearly appear in the Hermitage painting “The Descent from the Cross,” painted in 1634.

Night. Mournful silence. A silent crowd of people surrounded the huge cross on which Christ was crucified. They came to Golgotha ​​to pay their last respects to their teacher. In the cold light of torches, they remove his dead body from the cross.

One of the men, climbing the ladder, pulls out the nails with the help of which Christ was crucified on the crossbar; others take his sliding body into their arms; women prepare a bed for the remains by spreading a large heavy cloth on the ground. Everything is done slowly, in respectful and sad silence. The experiences of those gathered are different: some faces express bitter despair, others express courageous grief, others express reverent horror, but each of the people present is deeply imbued with the significance of the event. The sorrow of the old man who accepts the dead Christ is boundless. He holds it with noticeable effort, but very carefully, cautiously, touchingly touching his cheek to the lifeless body. Maria is exhausted from grief. She is unable to stand, loses consciousness, falls into the arms of the people who carefully surrounded her. Her emaciated face was deathly pale, her eyelids were closed, her weakened hand, outstretched forward, drooped helplessly.

The picture captivates with deep penetration and life truth. Only the exaggeration of some movements and gestures reminds us of Rembrandt's baroque hobbies.

Throughout the 40s, Rembrandt several times addressed the theme of the holy family. One of the best solutions to this theme is the Hermitage painting “The Holy Family”, created by the artist in 1645. The gospel scene gives the viewer many associations with everyday folk life contemporary with Rembrandt. Silence and peace are disturbed only by the usual sounds of life at home. Burning wood crackles, and the quiet, monotonous sound of a carpenter's ax is heard. The room is shrouded in gentle twilight; from different sources Light gently pours in, tremblingly sliding across Mary’s face, illuminating the cradle, giving the image a touch of spirituality. The baby moved slightly, and the woman, obeying the subtle maternal instinct, breaks away from her lecture, lifts the curtain and looks at the baby with concern. She is the very sensitivity, the very alertness. Essentially, the great humanity and soulfulness of the picture is created with just one glance. The bright sublimity of the captured moment is also reflected in the fact that angels silently descend to the mother and boy.

In 1660 Rembrandt creates famous painting"Assur, Haman and Esther." The plot of the film was based on a biblical myth known as “The Feast of Esther.” Haman, the first vizier and friend of the Persian king Assur, cruelly slandered the Jews before the king, hoping to achieve their extermination. Then Queen Esther, who came from Judea, stood up for her people. Having invited Assur and Haman to the feast, she told about the vizier’s slander, and the treacherous face of the man whom he considered his friend was revealed to the king.

The artist depicts the moment of the feast when Esther finished the story and a deep, painful silence reigned. The queen's beautiful eyes are sad. Without looking at her hands, Esther mechanically wrinkles her handkerchief. She is still completely at the mercy of what she has experienced. It was painfully difficult for her to utter words of reproof; like the king, she believed the vizier and treated him as a friend. Assur was shocked by what he heard and bitterly disappointed. His big eyes filled with tears. At the same time, noble anger awakens in him, and he powerfully clutches the scepter.

Haman is depicted in deep shadow and alone. An invisible abyss separated him from the king and queen. The consciousness of doom presses him like an unbearable burden: he sits hunched over, head down, eyes closed; the hand holding the cup lies powerless on the table. He is oppressed not even by the fear of death, but by the grave consciousness of moral loneliness. He understands that Assur and Esther will never forgive him, no matter how hard it is for them to condemn their friend.

If in paintings dedicated to the history of Haman, the result of the conflict is irreconcilable condemnation, no matter how difficult it may be for those who pass the sentence, then humane forgiveness and deep repentance of a person who has made a bitter mistake are narrated in Rembrandt’s famous work “The Return of the Prodigal Son”. The work was written by Rembrandt in the year of death. Forgotten by his contemporaries, completely alone, he creates his last brilliant creation.

Again a great human tragedy. After long wanderings in a hostile, uncomfortable world, the prodigal son comes to his abandoned father with a plea for forgiveness. Full of shame and repentance, he is on his knees, ragged, with the shaved head of a convict, trampled sandals, showing the viewer his rough heels. For the first time in many years, feeling the warmth of human affection, he clung to his father, hid his face in his chest, trying to lose himself in his father’s arms. The old man expresses neither surprise nor indignation; He forgave his son a long time ago and had been waiting for this meeting for a long time. In the look of his downcast eyes one can read both silent reproach and sorrowful humility. He gently bent over his son, placing his weak, senile hands on his back. Again Rembrandt embodies his idea that the harsh trials of fate bring people together. Above delusions, insults, and vanity are love, trust, and mutual understanding.

But still, in this meeting there is more grief than joy: the tragic mistake of the son left too deep a mark in the lives of both. Not only the son is broken, but also the father. It is enough to pay attention to the facial expression, the sadly bowed head, the hunched figure, the drooping senile shoulders to feel it

“The Return of the Prodigal Son” is, as it were, the result of Rembrandt’s wise thoughts about the world and people. His pessimistic attitude to reality in the last years of his life, on the one hand, and his unbroken faith in man and his moral height, on the other, resound with equal force in the last work of the brilliant artist.

There are few personalities in the history of art as mysterious and controversial as Bruegel. He did not write articles or treatises, left no correspondence and, with the exception of two or three close-minded people, did not know any friends. Bruegel left no portraits of his wife, children, or friends. It is believed that he sometimes portrayed himself among his own characters - but there is no evidence of this. His portraits, engraved by his friends, bear no resemblance to each other.

The Renaissance idea of ​​the importance of the human personality did not fit into Bruegel’s artistic concepts. In his drawings and paintings, he often hides faces altogether, depriving the figures of any individuality. A similar trend can be seen in the depiction of biblical characters. He moves them somewhere to the side, hiding them among ordinary people. This is how we see Mary and the Lord in the village square, John the Baptist with Christ in the crowd of people, and the “Adoration of the Magi” is generally hidden behind a curtain of snowfall.

Bruegel's man has freedom of choice and bears responsibility for his own misfortunes. A person is forced to make the choice between good and evil, between faith and unbelief constantly, throughout his life - just as his ancestors were forced to make this choice, as many other people do today. Hence - another feature of Bruegel's works, which makes them similar to icons, but is very rarely found in modern art - the combination of temporal and spatial layers. In such paintings as “Procession to Golgotha”, “Census in Bethlehem”, “Massacre of the Innocents”, “Sermon of John the Baptist”, “Conversion of Paul”, “Nativity”, the engraving “Assumption of Our Lady”, biblical characters are present among Bruegel’s contemporaries going about their daily lives. normal life, biblical scenes are played out against the backdrop of Flemish urban and rural landscapes For example, the figure of the Savior bent under the weight of the cross is almost lost among the many other impressions of any of the people depicted in the picture, and these people make their moral choice, not realizing that they see God in front of them.

The years of Bruegel's creative maturity pass during a period of aggravation of contradictions between the Netherlands and the monarchy of Philip II, in the conditions of a menacingly growing revolutionary situation. The anti-feudal movement merges with the national liberation struggle against the rule of Spain. In 1561-1562, Bruegel created paintings united by a premonition of impending historical cataclysms, “The Triumph of Death” (Madrid), “The Fall of the Rebel Angels” (Brussels), “Mad Greta”, “The Battle of the Israelites with the Philistines”.

During his life, Bruegel was a resident of two very rich cities - first Antwerp, and later Brussels.

Antwerp's growth rate was equal in Europe; it became the new financial and economic center of the Western world. About a thousand foreigners lived in this “bazaar” city with the largest seaport; they were treated with suspicion. In a situation where people were not united by either faith or a single church, when Catholics, Protestants, Lutherans and Anabaptists lived in the same neighborhood, a general feeling of insecurity and anxiety grew. This is how a “multicultural society” was formed, where problems of communication arose especially acutely, primarily on religious grounds.

Antwerp was a symbol of peace. A tower that casts a shadow - contrary to all the laws of nature - not on the ground, but on the sky.

Bruegel painted The Tower of Babel at least three times. The Tower of Babel (1563) and the “Small” Tower of Babel (c. 1563) have survived. The gigantic structure was captured twice. Never before have artists been able to convey so vividly the monstrous size of the tower, the scope of construction, surpassing everything previously known to man.

IN later works Bruegel deepens the mood of pessimistic reflection. In the famous “The Blind” (1568), the gospel parable is used to embody the idea of ​​blind humanity, having lost the will to fight and passively following fate. The leader, leading the chain of blind cripples, falls, the rest, stumbling, uncontrollably follow him; their helpless gestures are convulsive, the stamp of destructive passions and vices sharply appears on their faces, frozen with horror, turning them into deathly masks. The intermittent and uneven rhythm of movement of the figures develops the theme of imminent death. However, as before, the serenely harmonious nature of the background appears as a contrasting alternative to human vanity, with its idyllic peace as if suggesting a way out of the tragic impasse.

The paintings of Caravaggio (1573-1610) caused heated debate, as they were striking in their unusualness. The character of this artist was also extraordinary - impudent, mocking, arrogant.

Among Caravaggio’s paintings there are no festive scenes - such as “The Annunciation”, “Betrothal”, “Introduction to the Temple”, which the Renaissance masters loved so much. He is attracted to tragic themes. On his canvases people suffer and experience cruel torture. Caravaggio observed these hardships of life. In the painting “The Crucifixion of St. Peter” we see the execution of the apostle, who was crucified on the cross upside down. “The Conversion of Saul” shows the merciless persecution of Christians, their death under the heel of a horse and Saul’s moment of insight. On the way to Damascus, he was suddenly blinded by a heavenly ray, and, falling from his horse, he heard the voice of Christ: “Saul, why are you persecuting me?” After his epiphany, Saul becomes one of the most devoted disciples of Christ - the Apostle Paul.

How folk drama Caravaggio shows the scene of the Entombment. The lifeless body of Christ is carefully supported by the disciples. The frozen hand of the Savior hangs from the gravestone above the black space of the grave.

IN Caravaggio's paintings The everyday appearance of the characters is striking in the gospel stories. In the gospel scenes, he shows the life of the common people. Caravaggio's contemporaries testify: he despised everything that was not copied from life. The artist called such paintings trinkets, children's and doll's things.

Icon painting appeared in Rus' in the 10th century, after in 988 Rus' adopted the Byzantine religion - Christianity. By this time, in Byzantium itself, icon painting had finally turned into a strictly legalized, recognized canonical system of images. Worship of the icon has become an integral part of Christian doctrine and worship. Thus, Rus' received the icon as one of the “foundations” of the new religion.

For centuries, icons were the only objects of painting in Rus'. The common people were introduced to art through them.

Depicting events from the life of Christ, Mary, the apostles, icon painters

They found motives that touched the soul of every person, tried to express their ideas about good and evil.

The icon painter followed certain rules in his work, for example, he could not come up with a plot himself. But this does not mean that the painter was deprived of the opportunity to create. He could add some details, “read” the church plot in his own way, and choose color combinations. By these details one can distinguish the style of Andrei Rublev from the style of Theophanes the Greek or Dionysius.

The question of whether this or that work belongs to Rublev is now the subject of lively scientific discussions. The only reliable work of the artist is the Trinity icon. All other works are more or less likely attributed to the famous master.

According to Christian doctrine, God, being one in essence, is threefold in persons. The first person of the Trinity is God the Father, who created heaven and earth, everything visible and invisible. Its second person is God the Son, Jesus Christ, who took human form and descended from heaven to earth for the salvation of people. The third person is God the Holy Spirit, who gives life to all things. It is incomprehensible to the human mind how one exists in three persons, therefore the doctrine of the Trinity is one of the main tenets of Christian religions and as such is an object of faith, but not a subject of comprehension.

The true appearance of the deity is unknown to man - “no one has seen God” (John 1:18). However, sometimes, as Christian tradition says, God appeared to people, taking on a form accessible to man. The first person to see God was the righteous old man Abraham. God appeared to him in the form of three angels. Abraham guessed that, under the guise of three strangers, he assumed the three faces of the Trinity. Filled with joy, he sat them down under the shade of the Mamre oak tree, ordered his wife Sarah to bake unleavened bread from the best flour, and ordered the servant boy to slaughter the tender calf.

It was this biblical story that formed the basis for the iconography of the Trinity. She is depicted as three angels with wandering staffs in their hands. Angels sit solemnly at a table laden with dishes. In the distance you can see the Chambers of Abraham and the legendary Oak of Mamre. Pious Abraham and Sarah offer refreshments to the winged strangers.

Vikon Rublev is struck by the extraordinary simplicity, the “laconicity” with which the biblical event is reproduced. From the Old Testament story, the artist chose only those details that give an idea of ​​where and how the action took place - the mountain (symbol of the desert), the chambers of Abraham and the Oak of Mamre. It is in vain to look for such courage in approaching the sacred text in earlier icons. Ancient Russian painting, which previously followed the sacred text without reasoning, setting as its task to give a visible image of everything that the Bible and the Gospel tell about, in the person of Rublev, neglected the letter of the Holy Scripture and tried to reveal its philosophical meaning. From an illustrative art, icon painting has turned into a cognitive art.

In Russia in the 14th - 15th centuries, the doctrine of a trinity deity, representing “one force, one power, one dominion,” became a religious symbol of the political unity of the country. It is no coincidence that the motto of Moscow at the turn of the century was: “We live in Trinity, we move and we are.” Rublev’s “Trinity” is also imbued with the same idea, which has become, as it were, a moral symbol of the new Rus'.

So, despite the fact that biblical stories tell about days long past, artists turn to them in order to reflect contemporary reality through well-known plots.

List of used literature:

1.

Rose-Marie Hagen R. “Pieter Bruegel the Elder.” – “Art Spring”, 2000

2.

Andronov S. A. “Rembrandt. On the social essence of the artist” – Moscow, “Knowledge” 1978.

3.

Platonova N.I. “Art. Encyclopedia” - “Rosman-Press”, 2002

Almost from the very beginning of humanity, it has been brought up on parables and songs that are given in the Bible. In our time, the Bible has come through many centuries, overcoming many difficulties. It was forbidden to read, destroyed, burned in fire, but it is still intact. It took eighteen centuries to create it; it was worked on by about 30 brilliant authors who lived in different years and eras, a total of 66 books of the Bible were written in different languages.

According to the school curriculum, children are required to be taught about biblical topics in fine arts. Art in school thus introduces students to the biblical characters and stories described in the book.

Biblical scenes in painting. The great artist Rembrandt

The world's great artists have used biblical themes in fine art. Perhaps the brilliant artist Rembrandt left his mark more clearly. He managed to very truthfully and truly sincerely show the inexhaustible wealth of man through biblical scenes in painting. His heroes are similar to ordinary people, contemporaries, among whom the artist lived.

In a simple person, Rembrandt could see inner integrity, nobility and spiritual greatness. He was able to convey the most beautiful qualities of a person in a picture. His canvases are filled with genuine human passions, a clear confirmation of this is the painting “The Descent from the Cross” (1634). A famous painting is “Asshur, Haman and Esther,” based on which it tells how Haman slandered the Jews before King Asshur, desiring them death penalty, and Queen Esther managed to reveal the insidious lie.

Mysterious Bruegel

In the history of art it is difficult to find a more mysterious and controversial painter than Bruegel. He did not leave behind any notes, treatises or articles about his life, nor did he paint self-portraits or portraits of his loved ones. On his canvases, biblical themes in fine art are shrouded in mystery, the characters do not have memorable faces and all the figures are devoid of individuality. In his paintings you can see the Lord and the Holy Mary, Christ and John the Baptist. The canvas “Adoration of the Magi” is as if covered with a snow-white veil. That’s why the paintings are so attractive. Looking at them, you want to solve the mystery.

Bruegel's biblical heroes are depicted among their contemporaries, they lead their everyday life on Flemish city streets and in the countryside. For example, the Savior, burdened with the weight of his cross, is lost among a multitude of ordinary people who do not even suspect that they are doing their thing by looking at God.

Caravaggio's paintings

The great Caravaggio painted canvases that are striking in their unusualness; they still cause heated debate among art connoisseurs to this day. Despite the fact that during the Renaissance, festive subjects were a favorite theme for painting, Caravaggio remained true to himself and his tragic theme. On his canvases people experience terrible torment and inhuman suffering. Biblical themes in the artist’s fine art can be seen in the paintings “The Crucifixion of St. Peter,” which depicts the execution of the apostle crucified upside down on the cross, and “Entombment,” depicting a folk drama.

In his paintings there is always the everydayness and ordinariness of human life. He in every possible way despised paintings with a fictitious plot, that is, copied not from life; for him such canvases were trinkets and childish fun. I was sure that only canvases depicting real life could be considered real art.

Iconography

In Rus', icon painting appeared in the 10th century, after Rus' adopted the Byzantine religion - Christianity in 988. In Byzantium at that time, iconography and subjects Old Testament in the fine arts, have turned into a strict, canonical system of image. The veneration of icons became a fundamental part of doctrine and worship.

For a couple of centuries in Rus', the only subject of painting was iconography, through which the common people became familiar with beautiful art. By depicting moments from the life of Christ, the Virgin Mary and the apostles, icon painters tried to express their individual ideas about good and evil.

Icon painters always had to adhere to strict rules, they could not depict a fictitious or fantasized plot. But at the same time, they were not deprived of the opportunity to create; they could interpret biblical scenes in fine art at their own discretion, choosing a different combination of colors. The icons of some icon painters differ from others in their special writing style.

Icons of Andrei Rublev

Often the subject of scientific debate is the identity of individual icons in Rublev’s work. The only work that Rublev accurately painted is the Trinity icon. The authorship of the others is still in doubt.

The Trinity depicts the extraordinary simplicity and “laconicity” of the biblical event. With the greatest skill, the artist highlighted precisely those details that help to recreate the representation of the event taking place - this is a mountain symbolizing the desert, the chamber of Abraham and Thanks to this icon, art that simply illustrates the Bible has turned into a cognitive one. Previously, no one dared to such a transformation of the sacred text in the picture.

Old Russian painting always strictly followed the biblical text; its initial task was to recreate the image described in the Bible and the Gospel. Rublev managed to reveal the philosophical meaning of biblical scripture.

Subjects of the New and Biblical themes in the visual arts

Scenes from the New and Old Testaments occupy one of the main places in Christian painting. When depicting biblical scenes, the artist must transfer the sacred text onto the canvas, promote understanding, enhance emotional perception and strengthen faith. Therefore, fine art and the Bible are closely related; their history has changed together.

Christian art did not easily reproduce biblical scenes. Talented artists created stunning paintings, each of which is unique, thanks to the fact that they tell a biblical story in a special way.

Initially, Christianity arose as a new doctrine in Judaism, so early Christian art was dominated by scenes from the Old Testament. But then Christianity began to move away from Judaism and artists began to depict scenes from

Abraham in fine art

One of the characters that unites several faiths (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) is Abraham. His image combines several facets:

• the ancestor of the Jews, and through the children of Hagar and Keturah - of various Arab tribes;
• the founder of Judaism, personifying the ideal of devotion to faith;
• intercessor of humanity before God and hero-warrior.

In Jewish and Christian ideas, there is the concept of “Abraham’s Bosom” - this is a special otherworldly place for the rest of the dead righteous. In paintings, Abraham is depicted sitting on his knees, with the souls of believers in the form of children sitting in his bosom or in his womb. This can be seen in the paintings “Golden Gate” and “Princely Portal”.

Sacrifice of Isaac

But the most favorite plot associated with Abraham is sacrifice.

The biblical scripture tells how God asked Abraham to burn his son Isaac to prove his loyalty. The father built an altar on Mount Moriah, and at the last moment of the sacrifice of Isaac, an angel appeared to them and stopped him. Instead of a child, a lamb was burned.

Such dramatic episode leads to the deepest thoughts about God's justice.

Biblical themes in the visual arts have always attracted artists. Despite the fact that biblical stories are a thing of the past, painters manage to reflect the modern reality of life through them.

(Fine arts, Fundamentals of Orthodoxy, Orthodox local history)

on this topic

7th grade lesson No. 21.

Completed by: Usova Lyudmila Nikolaevna

MKOU Podgorenskaya secondary school

District: Kalacheevsky

Region: Voronezh

Lesson summary

Teacher: Lyudmila Nikolaevna Usova

Subject: Fine arts, Fundamentals of Orthodoxy, Orthodox local history.

Class: 7

UMK:

Topic: Biblical themes in the visual arts.

Lesson type: formation of new knowledge.

Lesson type: integrated with elements of project activities.

Lesson #21

Target: develop children's artistic and creative abilities, cultivate emotional responsiveness.

Tasks:

1) To form an idea of ​​the complex world of subject-thematic paintings using the example of paintings of the religious-mythological genre, frescoes and icons of the Transfiguration Church in the village of Podgornoye, Kalacheevsky district.

2) Continue to get acquainted with the work of great artists and the history of the creation of famous paintings, with the work of masters native land(fresco painting and iconography of the Transfiguration Church)

3) To develop spectator skills.

4) Develop associative-figurative thinking and skills public speaking, emotional responsiveness to the beautiful and the ugly in life and art.

5) Develop an interest in art, and the art of your native land.

UUD:

1) personal – to direct the value and semantic orientation of students to achieve their goal;

2) regulatory – the ability of students to organize their educational activities;

3) cognitive - using general educational, logical actions, actions of setting and solving problems to achieve certain results in the implementation of projects;

4) communicative - teach children to participate in collective discussion of problems, build productive interaction and cooperation with peers and adults.

Personal results:

- development of interest in art and art of the native land

Development of skills of a creative approach to the task being performed, self-control, reflection and self-esteem.

Respect for the heritage of ancestors, cultural monuments, to creative individuals.

Meta-subject results:

Formation of positive motivation for the study of fine arts, Fundamentals of Orthodoxy and Orthodox local history.

Development of skills and abilities of independent work, searching for material.

Developing the ability to listen to the topic being studied, observe, make comparisons and extract the necessary information.

Development of skills to compare, analyze, summarize the information received, build a message based on the knowledge gained.

Development of skills to work individually, in pairs, in groups.

Subject results:

Introducing students to other cultures based on the works they study, including Orthodox culture and national culture

Expanding educational horizons within the framework of the topic being studied - studying the culture of the place where students live.

- extension vocabulary students within the topic.

Working methods: active, interactive, research, project.

Content: Archival and local history documents of the Museum "Living Sources", material on the topic of the lesson taken from the textbook "Biblical themes in the fine arts".

Forms of organizing student work: individual, pair, group.

Equipment: computer, interactive whiteboard, self-assessment sheets, handouts, emoticons for reflection, multimedia presentation for the lesson, student project work, photographs of the Transfiguration Church by L.N. Usova.

Literature:

1. A.S. Piterskikh, G.E. Gurov “Fine arts grades 7-8” edited by B.M. Nemensky, “Enlightenment”, Moscow 2009

2. F.F.Lutsenko “Chronicle of the settlement of Podgornaya”, documents of the museum “Living Sources” of the village of Podgorny, Kalacheevsky district, Voronezh region”

3. V. Hugo Poem about the Bible (Internet)

4. M.N. Bosikova Poem "I Love My Land"

5.Usova L.N. Poems for the lesson

During the classes

Main stages of the lesson

Purpose of the stage

Content of pedagogical interaction

Teacher activities

Student activities

Cognitive

Communicative

Regulatory

1.Organizational and motivational

Psychological mood of students;

ensuring a normal environment in the classroom.

Greets students and gets students ready for work.

They prepare for the lesson, take their seats, check the availability of material and equipment for the lesson.

Plan educational cooperation with students and teacher. They communicate in pairs and groups. They are preparing to implement the project.

Select funds to implement your project

2-3 minutes

Teacher:

The bell has rung, friends.

The lesson begins.

All the briefcases were put aside.

All is ready? We looked.

They stood up straight and sat down quietly.

And they wanted to study.

I'm glad to see you today.

How was it, guys?

You learned to work.

Did all the projects succeed?

And now, I ask you,

To make the class serious...

2. Goal setting

Indicate the topic of the lesson using examples from various sources.

The teacher suggests watching the video “My Spring” to determine the topic of the lesson. Asks leading questions to students. Reads a poem by V. Hugo about the Bible.

Cooperation with the teacher and classmates. Benevolence is emotional - moral responsiveness.

5-6 minutes

Guys, I’m now going to read a poem by the famous writer V. Hugo.

Slide No. 2

And nowwatch the video "My Spring" carefully

Slide No. 3

What do you think will be discussed in today's lesson?

Let's try to tie the topic together.

Today in class we will get acquainted with a topic related to the Bible, the history of our native land and Orthodox church. Let's define a topic.

Slide No. 4

Guessing riddles

So: our theme sounds -"Biblical themes in fine arts"

Slide No. 5

The most interesting thing is that today we have not only a lesson in Fine Arts, but also the Fundamentals of Orthodoxy and Orthodox Local History. Three lessons linked together. So, let's begin.

3. Updating knowledge on the topic

Lead students to determine the relevance and necessity of this lesson topic.

Draws a line at determining the level of preparation of material for projects.

The ability to structure knowledge, the ability to consciously construct speech statements.

Cooperation with the teacher and classmates.

Highlighting the main thing and realizing what has already been learned.

10-13 minutes

Guys, in the last lesson you chose tasks for independent work at home, projects. Let's see what we got. In front of you is a sign that must be quickly filled out during the presentation of students who have prepared their homework and projects.

Student projects

Project evaluation

What did you like?

What didn't you like?

New words

Project "History of the Church of the Transfiguration in the village of Podgorny, Kalacheevsky district, Voronezh region"

Project "Frescoes of the Church of the Transfiguration in the village of Podgornoye, Kalacheevsky district, Voronezh region"

Project "Icons of the Church of the Transfiguration in the village of Podgorny, Kalacheevsky district, Voronezh region"

Project on the history of the Transfiguration Church in the village of Podgornoye Kalacheevsky district, Voronezh region"

1. Project "History of the Church of the Transfiguration in the village of Podgorny, Kalacheevsky district, Voronezh region"

Slide number 6 ( teamwork 3-4 students)

2. Project "Frescoes of the Church of the Transfiguration in the village of Podgornoye, Kalacheevsky district, Voronezh region"

Slide No. 7 (team work of 3-4 students)

3. Project "Icons of the Church of the Transfiguration in the village of Podgornoye, Kalacheevsky district, Voronezh region"

Slide No. 8 (team work of 3-4 students)

During the show from 6 to 8 slides, students present a project on the history of the Transfiguration Church in the village of Podgornoye (collective work of 3-4 students)

The history of the village of Podgornoye and the history of its Transfiguration Church are very old. After the settlement of Podgornaya at the beginningXVIIIcentury there was a need to build a temple. The tsarist government, at that time, demanded the presence God's Temple in every major locality. And therefore, a gathering of citizens decided to build a church. But for what money? Our ancestors were not rich people, donate a large sum Not everyone could.

Over time, a solution was found. At that time, neighboring Kalach was already built up. Quite a lot of rich people lived there, engaged in arable farming and trade. Since the black earth lands of our region have always been highly valued, there was one rich man, nicknamed “The Naked Pan,” who, on favorable terms, received the land for use for a fee. He got on the northern outskirts of the settlement, on the river under Sapozhkova Mountain, a square of land of 50 dessiatines, of which 15 dessiatines were suitable for use, and the rest were small marshy swamps, overgrown with alder, willow, vines and reeds.

For the money received from the master, the society of the Podgornaya settlement bought a finished wooden church on the side, which in 1730, according to other sources, in 1740 already stood on the square. It received its name in honor of the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord.

Time passed, the church fell into disrepair, and the population of Podgorny increased greatly. The Podgornaya settlement society decided to build a brick church. It was built at the expense of believers. Wealthy peasants were not particularly generous enough to donate larger sums to the church, and the poor had nothing to give. Therefore, everything had to be done by collecting money from the “Churchmen” on the side. Selected people from among the believers walked around the courtyards with bells all year round and collected who would give what for the construction; over a number of years, a decent amount of money was obtained. The Transfiguration Church took 12 years to build, after which it was completed 2 times. The church was finally completed in 1822.

The Transfiguration Church is located in the center of the village. It is characteristic of churches in the southeast of the Voronezh region at the endXVIII- startedXIXV. volumetric composition. The temple part (the core of the temple and side chapels) stretching from north to south is adjacent to three rectangular apses with rounded corners and a wide refectory - the winter church. The core of the temple is crowned with a tall light octagon with an eight-tray dome and an octagonal blind dome. From the west, a three-tier bell tower with side volumes of the first tier adjoins the refectory. The bell tower is completed with a dome on a high octagonal leg.

The decor of the facades is made in the Russian style, characteristic of the 3rd quarterXIXV. Paneled pilasters flank the facades of all volumes and divide the aisles into spindles, each of which is completed with a kokoshnik pediment. The tympanums of the pediments have carpet ornamental filling with plaster rosettes and half-rosettes. Similar pediments complete the northern and southern facades of the first tier of the bell tower. The facades of the refectory and apses are surrounded by several frieze beams. Window openings - arched framedwith keel-shaped archivolts. The entrances to the church have beamed lintels and are framed by pilasters on which sandriks in Baroque forms rest.

The church is made of locally produced bricks. Under the mountain (rich in red clay) the production and firing of bricks was established. We don’t know what the structure was like, where the bricks were made. But the pits from which the clay was taken are still visible.

The foundation of the building is not high, about 50 centimeters high, made of limestone with a volume of 100x50 x50 centimeters. Since the stone is very strong, we can conclude that it was brought from other places. Our local stone is not suitable for such work. Over a period of 200 years, the church did not sag or crack only thanks to the foundation.

The walls of the temple are more than half a meter thick. The windows are barred with homemade forged bars, painted blue (traces of paint are still visible here and there).

The floors in the temple have been preserved since its construction. They are made from local material(willow and oak).

Our church is three-altar. Its boundaries are consecrated in honor three holidays. The Transfiguration of the Lord is in the center. On the right side is the limit of the “Holy Fathers”IEcumenical Council." On the left side is the limit of “Our Lady of Sorrows of All Joys”.

There were many frescoes inside the temple, most of which have survived to this day. The icons hanging on huge columns were painted on canvas oil paints. In the village, local residents still have icons from the Transfiguration Church. The central part of the temple was decorated with a seven-row iconostasis. Which was very rare for rural churches in our area at that time. The other two limits were decorated with three-row iconostases. The decoration of the church was also beautiful. Under the central dome there was a large chandelier with candlesticks. Exactly the same, but smaller chandeliers were in the central part of each limit.

By the Decree of the Head of the Voronezh City Administration “On accepting historical, archeological and architectural monuments of the city of Voronezh under state protection” dated October 22, 1992 No. 472. The Church of the Transfiguration was assigned No. R (R is an object of cultural heritage of regional significance).

The church closed in 1936. The temple restoration project began its work in 2004. The temple was opened in 2008.

Teacher: Guys, hand in your notes, they will help me evaluate your work on homework and sort out the incomprehensible in the next lesson: words, statements, clarify data on topics.

Physical education minute

Teach students to relax, rest, relax, switch from one activity to another.

Shows various physical exercises for warming up.

They will find out how to spend a physical education session in a fun and unusual way.

Learn to work in a group.

2-3 minutes

(set of exercises, conducted by class attendants)

Teacher:

That's it guys, let's take a rest.

We do physical exercises.

We rest for two minutes.

And let's get to work.

The duty officers are coming to us,

They will give you a physical minute.

4. Learning new material

Immersion in the problem of a given topic, work on projects.

The teacher organizes an immersion in the problem of the lesson.

Acquiring new knowledge. Construction of a logical chain of reasoning.

Initiative cooperation of students in searching and selecting information, in choosing a way to implement it, and present it to the class.

Highlighting new information.

15 minutes

Teacher . Listen to the poem. Explain what “trace” the poet is talking about. What mark would you like to leave on earth?

They say talent comes from God

This one is given, but this one is not...

But everyone is given a way

Who will leave which mark?

S. Vikulov.

In this quarter, we are getting acquainted with the thematic picture.

What genre did we talk about in the last lesson? (About the historical )

What other genres of thematic paintings do you know? (Everyday, fairy-tale-epic, religious-mythological )

Students are offered handouts, a table that must be filled out in the process of explaining new material.

Artists

Paintings

The Bible is the most important treasury of spiritual and cultural heritage. It embodies the ideals of goodness, justice, selfless service to humanity, and faith in the value of the human person. The Bible, like life itself, suggested to artists, sculptors, and architects the most important, vital images for them, the optimal artistic solutions. Biblical themes permeated the work of the greatest masters of world culture: Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Rubens, Rembrandt, Rublev, Kramskoy, Surikov, Ivanov. For European art, for paintings, fresco mosaics, Biblical themes provided material for imagination, for expression through the subjects of the Bible own attitude to the world. In the easel art of Western Europe and Russia there is a rich range of brilliant works. In today's and subsequent lessons we will talk about biblical themes in painting and in the next one we will make our own drawings based on scenes from the Bible. To do this, you were given the task of repeating the material studied in the lessons of Orthodox culture, choosing the most interesting plot for yourself for further illustration. But first, in today's lesson, we will get acquainted with the work of famous painters.

Slide No. 10 "Biblical themes in fine arts"

1. Leonardo da Vinci "The Annunciation".

The plot of the film is based on 15th century Bibles. Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary with news.

He kneels before her and tells her the good news that she has been chosen to bear the Son of God. The scene on the right corresponds to the architecture of that time. Archangel Gabriel holds a lily in his hand (a symbol of Mary's purity). Leonardo was the first to masterfully use the landscape, which enhances the impression of the painting.

2. Michelangelo Buonarroti "Separation of light from darkness."

A story from the Bible about the creation of the first people on earth.

The image of God - a majestic, mighty old man - is emphasized by the creative impulse expressed in the movements of his hands, as if truly capable of creating worlds and giving life to man.

3. Peter Paul Rubens "The Adoration of the Shepherds".

The bright, lush Rubensian style is characterized by the depiction of large, heavy figures in rapid movement, an emotionally charged atmosphere. The sharp contrasts of light and shadow give the painting an emotionally charged atmosphere. Rich colors imbue the image with ebullient energy. Although he painted rough biblical scenes, the canvas always contained the highest drama of life.

4. Rembrandt Harmens van Rijn "The Return of the Prodigal Son".

Rembrandt "Return of the Prodigal Son" The story of the Prodigal Son is one of the most famous biblical stories. It has been used by many artists. Rembrandt was no exception and repeatedly turned to him. In the Bible we're talking about about the son of a rich man, who asked his father to give him his part of the inheritance, left his home and spent the money in revelry and debauchery. The poor and sick son returns to his father, and he joyfully greets him, which causes anger on the part of the second son, who has spent his entire life in labor. The father explains to him that his brother "was dead, but came back to life." The exact date of the painting has not been established, but it is believed that this is one of Rembrandt’s last works.

5. Andrey Rublev "Trinity".

The main creation of Andrei Rublev, the pinnacle of his art, was the “Trinity” (1420s), the most beautiful and perfect Russian icon, executed in memory and veneration of the great enlightener of Rus', St. Sergius of Radonezh (XIV century). In "Trinity" the triune deity is presented in the form of three angels seated around a table with a sacrificial bowl. The image on this icon is interpreted in different ways. According to one interpretation, the angel placed in the center personifies the second person of the Trinity - God the Son, Jesus Christ. The left angel is the first person of the Trinity - God the Father, the right angel is the Holy Spirit. During the time of Andrei Rublev, the theme of the Trinity, the triune deity, was perceived as the personification of spiritual unity, harmony, mutual love and humility.

6. Kramskoy Ivan Nikolaevich “Christ in the desert.”

“Christ in the desert”, “My God is Christ,” wrote Kramskoy, “because He himself dealt with the devil. He draws strength from Himself...” The plot is taken from the Gospel. It tells how the Savior was in the desert for 40 days after Baptism, tempted by the devil. Fought. And he won.

7. Surikov Vasily Ivanovich “The Merciful Samaritan”.

The plot of the picture is written on one of the famous Jesus Christ, mentioned in . She talks about mercy and selfless help to a person in trouble from a passerby - a representative of an ethnic group that Jews do not recognize as fellow believers. According to some theologians, this parable shows that "examples of human kindness are found among all peoples and in all faiths, that the Law and commandments of God are fulfilled by people of different nationalities and different religions ».

8. Ivanov Alexander Andreevich “The Appearance of Christ to the People.”

On the canvas, the viewer sees people coming from the hill, as well as those who have already completed their ablutions and are preparing to listen to the prophet. And he says that you need to meet a certain guest who is still far away, but will soon be here, although not everything is as it should be. A. Ivanov attached particular importance to the authenticity and expressiveness of the landscape. He “sat for several months in the unhealthy Pontic swamps and deserted places of Italy, transferred into his sketches all the wild outbacks around Rome, studied every pebble and tree leaf.” What is first striking is the compositional skill with which Ivanov turns many clearly individualized characters towards a single sublime goal. At a very favorable distance for the picture, He is walking along a hard rocky path, whose path should have been strewn with flowers. With a quiet and firm step He comes to take upon Himself the sins of the whole world and die on the cross. How could an artist in the figure of the Savior (and at such a distance) express his divine wisdom, greatness, meekness of spirit and determination to achieve feat? The painting took 20 years to complete and was never finished. But it is still considered one of the world's masterpieces.

5. Reflection

activities:

- analysis and assessment of the success of achieving the goal

- analysis of business success

students in general and self-assessment of their work results

(3 min)

Summarize the lesson, evaluate the activities of your comrades. Choose homework taking into account the individual abilities of students.

Summarizes: what was done in the lesson and why, how the lesson went, what mood the children were in.

Carrying out self-assessment of one’s own activities.

The ability to express one’s thoughts with sufficient completeness and accuracy.

Become aware of cognitive reflection.

5-7 minutes

So we got acquainted with the work of great painters. Each of them reflected the biblical story in the picture in their own way, deeply experiencing it and passing it through their soul. And now you have to present one of the biblical stories in your own way. in the next lesson you will start working. In the next lesson you will make drawings in albums, but now we are with you.

The teacher organizes reflection by proposing to continue the statement:

-I know the pictures...

-I know artists who worked on biblical themes...

-I understand…

-It was a discovery for me...

-I managed…

-I like it…

- I would like, I would like to know...

- We need to work on this...

6. Homework

1 minute

Teacher: Guys, work on the plot of a future film on a biblical theme. You can make several sketches on your chosen topic.

7. Org. end of lesson

1 minute

Teacher: Guys, we worked very fruitfully in class today. I would like to mention everyone, and especially...

Spiritual masterpieces of painting, stories about our native places and works of art from our native land make us kinder and morally richer. Remember: Christ rose again after the way of the cross and crucifixion. Let the resurrection begin today in every family, in every soul. Let the images of the Bible and the greatest paintings come to your mind in days of sadness and joy, in moments of difficult choice of your path.

I would like to end the lesson with the words of a poem by our poetess, fellow countrywoman M.N. Bosikova.

I love my region.
How strange to hear
After all, every person loves his own land!
But the sky is blue here
the sun is higher!
And May is painted the color of lilac here.
Summer smells like rain and hay,
The river is calling with coolness...
And autumn is dressed in gold,
Clouds float in wisps,
Winter beckons into the distance along the ski track,
On a frosty morning the snow crunches,
And the river will overflow its banks in April.
The forest is noisy in the spring,
I love my region!
I've seen a lot of places
And you can go around half the world,
But closer and dearer than our native land,
I don't think I can find any more.

Department of Education of the Rechitsa District Executive Committee

State educational institution "Kholmechi Secondary School" of the Rechitsa district of the Gomel region

Competition of scientific works “Biblical subjects in world art”

Nomination: “Biblical subjects in world art”

Topic: “Biblical stories in works of fine art”

Daria Vitalievna, 8th grade.

Project manager: Petrienko

Anna Viktorovna, history teacher

Gomel region, Rechitsa district, Kholmech,

2012

Introduction 3

Biblical subjects in painting of the early Middle Ages 4

Renaissance Artists 7

A) Early Renaissance 7

B) High Renaissance 10

B) Late Renaissance 15

Northern European Revival 18

Biblical subjects in Russian painting 22

6) Biblical subjects in painting of the 20th century 25

7) Conclusion 28

8) Literature 29

Introduction

For two millennia, the whole world has been brought up on fairy tales and legends, songs and parables taken from the Bible.

The Bible has reached us through centuries. They banned her and burned her, but she survived. It took 18 centuries to compile the Bible. Over 30 authors worked on it. 66 books of the Bible were written in different languages ​​by people living at different times.

Great artists of the world depicted biblical scenes in their paintings. Both artists and those interested in fine arts have their own idea of ​​the Bible: after all, it served as a source of subjects for countless works of painting, graphics and sculpture created over a huge, almost two-thousand-year historical period. Biblical stories have been given visual form in thousands of sculptures, frescoes, icons, paintings, drawings and engravings. Each such work offers its own version of a plot drawn from the Bible, the originality of which is determined by the personality and talent of the artist, who was influenced by a great variety of social and social factors. cultural life of his country and his era.

In the process of implementing the research, it is planned to carry out the following tasks:

generalize the study of the Bible by illustrating its individual plots with masterpieces of world painting;

improve the skills of analyzing paintings acquired in history lessons, the ability to correlate what they read with what they saw;

learn to see beauty in painting.

Biblical stories of the early Middle Ages

We can talk about the formation of a certain artistic style from about the 10th century. At that time, the peculiarity of medieval art was already clearly visible. They are just as typical for the popular perception of painting, for they are heard again and again in orders for the design of altar images and panels. A devout layman wanted to know more about the suffering and death of Christ than could be read in the Gospels. This desire to “see as much as possible” (or, more precisely, the desire to examine the Gospel scenes in the smallest detail) was reflected both in direct religious experiences and in the sense of closeness of religious experience to everyday life characteristic of that era. This integration of event art into reality required new ways of seeing - ways that found expression in the development of various forms and new motifs. Studying the main period of Gothic painting, which lasted from the mid-13th to the mid-15th centuries, we can easily trace this process of aesthetic and thematic reorientation in early Netherlandish art, and primarily in the work of Jan van Eyck. His famous works this is the Ghent Altarpiece (see page 3) commissioned by Jos Veidt for his family, V . Inscription on reports that it has been started, "the greatest of all", and finished by his brother, “second in art.” Consecrated. consists of 24 panels depicting 258 human figures. The height of the altar in the central part reaches three and a half meters, the width (when open) is five meters. The paintings that make up the altar are located on the outer and inner sides of the altar. In the closed state - on the outside of the altar is depictedand his wife praying in front of the statues And . The middle row shows the scene. Shapes and separated by an image of a window in which one can see, which is believed to correspond to the view from the window in the Veidt house. The top row of paintings shows figures And prophetesses who predicted the coming. When opened, the size of the altar doubles. In the center of the top row is God the Father sitting on a throne (some sources write Christ). At the feet of God the Father lies a crown, symbolizing superiority over all kings.

To the left and right of the throne are images of the Mother of God and John the Baptist. This is followed by images of angels playing music. Angels - without wings. One of the angels (St. Cecilia) plays an organ with metal pipes. The series is completed by nude figures and. Above Adam and Eve are scenes of the murder and sacrifice of Cain and Abel. In the middle of the lower tier is a scene of worship of a sacrificial lamb, symbolizing Christ. In front of the altar is a symbol of Christianity. To the left of the fountain is a group of Old Testament righteous people, to the right are the people, and behind them are the lay people. Processions and pilgrims are depicted on the right side doors. On the left wings there is a procession of the army of Christ and the Righteous Judges.

Van Eyck's first dated work, Madonna and Child, or Madonna under the Canopy (1433). Madonna sits in an ordinary room and holds a child on her lap, leafing through a book. The background is a carpet and a canopy, depicted in perspective reduction. In “The Madonna of Canon Van der Paele” (see page 4) (1434) the elderly priest is depicted so close to the Mother of God and his patron St. George, which almost touches the white robes of her red cloak and knightly armor of the legendary dragon slayer.

It should not be forgotten that big role in painting were played by early Franco-Flemish illustrations for handwritten books and the work of Robert Campin (Master of Flémalles) - one of the founders of the art of the Northern Renaissance, was among those masters who laid the foundations for a new, more free approach to displaying the surrounding world and man, to the interpretation of religious images Unfortunately, from most of the early works, which were significant altar compositions, only fragments have reached us. However, they also allow us to judge characteristic properties artist's creativity. Kampen’s desire to “ground” the gospel stories and emphasize the common people’s thoroughness of the characters is noteworthy. The composition “Christmas” (see next 5) is one of the most bright works Campena. All the characters in this picture - from the majestic kneeling Mother of God to the ox looking through the shingles of the dilapidated wall of the stable - are conveyed vividly and convincingly, with remarkable perfection. At the same time, they are not related to each other; they can only be considered according to

separately. The master came close to solving the problem that invariably faced painters at that time: how to “put in place” various figures and objects, how to bring order into the world of the picture? To this question, Kampen found a surprisingly simple answer: he subordinated the composition of the painting not to the laws of geometry and optics (as his contemporaries did in Italy), but to the simple logic of home comfort, so familiar to any Dutchman. Kampen builds the compositions of his paintings with the same familiar ease with which a caring and experienced housewife puts things in order. “The Evil Thief on the Cross” (see page 6) (1430-1432) is the only surviving fragment of a large triptych. A gold background is traditional, on which the figures of the crucified man and two witnesses to his torment are depicted. At the same time, the plasticity of the naked body in Kampen’s painting is devoid of convention; it seems to have been painted from life. The faces of those present at the execution are very individual and expressive. Using a golden background, the artist, as in the Frankfurt altarpiece, leaves the lower part of the picture open, in which a distant landscape space appears. Approximately the same time can be attributed to the tiny Hermitage diptych, on the wings of which the “Trinity” and “Madonna and Child by the Fireplace” are depicted (see page 7). The image of God the Son here is close in design to the Christ of the Frankfurt “Trinity”, but his dead body does not imitate sculpture, but is subordinated to the general pictorial structure of the composition. If the left door gives a picture of the supersensible world, then on the right the artist turns to showing the real environment: in front of the viewer is a typical room of a burgher house with the characteristic furnishings of that time. The houses of the town are visible behind the lattice window. Maria is depicted in a cozy interior: with the naturalness of a simple woman, she sits by the fireplace, surrounded by ordinary household items. However, at first glance, the viewer sees in this picture something more that goes beyond the ordinary: the life of the space depicted by the artist seems to have stopped, not subject to the usual flow of time; things, with all their concreteness, are perceived as belonging not to prosaic reality, but to some other, ideal to the world. Each depicted object, becoming a symbol, seems to radiate imperishable beauty: thus, the washbasin and towel symbolize the purity of Mary, the open window and the light pouring from it - the presence of the spiritual principle, the fireplace - the evil forces from which Mary protects the baby.

Renaissance Artists

The Renaissance is a very difficult era. Here we see hundreds of names, dozens of treatises on art, and only some of them are directly devoted to aesthetics.

Renaissance culture is rich in names, especially the names of artists Michelangelo Buonarotti (1475-1564), Raphael Santi (1483-1520), Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), Titian Vecellio (1488-1576), El Greco (1541-1614) and etc.

Artists strive to generalize ideological content, synthesis, and their embodiment in images. At the same time, they are distinguished by the desire to highlight the main thing, the main thing in the image, and not the details, particulars. In the center is the image of a person - a hero, and not of divine dogma taking on human form. The idealized person is increasingly interpreted as a citizen, a titan, a hero, that is, as a modern, cultured person.

Many artists of this time create one thing and think something completely different. They often create truly new artistic forms, so that there is no doubt at all about their novelty, but at the same time these same masters in their inner and spiritual life are literally torn to pieces, do not know what to do, endlessly repent and alternately throw themselves away. one artistic position to another.

The Renaissance itself is conventionally divided into a number of stages:

· Early Renaissance (trecento and quattrocento) - mid-XIV - XV centuries;

· High Renaissance (cinquecento) - until the second third of the 16th century;

· Late Renaissance - second third of the 16th - first half of the 17th century.

A) Early Renaissance - mid-XIV - XV centuries.

In the early Renaissance, free human individuality comes to the fore and that this individuality is usually expressed here very strongly.

Giotto di Bondone (a key figure in the early Renaissance, the first to endow the figure with feeling, defining the composition, and individualize space and event). His painting style was mandatory for the 14th century. With the name Giotto di Bondone (1266/1267 –

1337) is associated with a decisive turn towards realistic art. Most famous works Giotto's paintings on gospel subjects in the Arena Chapel in Padua and paintings on themes from the life of Francis of Assisi in the Church of Santa Croce in Florence are considered to have survived to this day.

In these masterpieces, the master abandons the flat character of iconographic images based on a synthesis of volume and plane. One of the most touching images created by Giotto is rightfully considered the image of Christ in the scene “The Kiss of Judas” (see page 9) (frescoes of the Arena Chapel in Padua, 1304-1306). The master managed to convey the high drama of the scene through the gaze of Christ turned to the traitor. At the same time, Giotto managed to convey the calmness of Christ combined with a clear awareness of his destined fate.

The theme of the fresco “Christ and Judas” runs as a leitmotif through the entire Padua cycle (“Meeting of Mary and Elizabeth” (see page 10), “Flight into Egypt” (see page 11), “Mourning of Christ” (see page 12 ) and etc.). Giotto's innovation had a tremendous impact on the fine arts of the Renaissance.

Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510) is considered an outstanding master of the Early Renaissance. His works are based on religious and mythological subjects, they are marked by spiritual poetry, the play of linear rhythms, and subtle color. “The Crucifixion” (see page 13), “Christ Carrying the Cross” and “The Mystical Nativity” (see page 14) represent the embodiment of Botticelli’s unshakable faith in the revival of the Church. These two paintings reflect the artist's rejection of the secular Florence of the Medici era.

The great painter of the early Renaissance was Masaccio (1401 - 1428) - a painter in whose paintings laconicism, energetic development of action, expressiveness of facial expressions and movements opposed the former leisurely verbosity, replete with inserted episodes of the story. “The Miracle with the Statir” (see pp. 16-17) (1428) is a multi-figure composition: upon entering the city of Christ, he and his disciples were asked for a fee - a statir (coin). By order of Christ, Peter caught a fish in the lake and found a statir in its mouth, which was handed over to the guard. The majesty of the figures of the apostles entering the city, the masculinity of faces with individualized features of people from

people, the naturalness of gestures and movements, the introduction of genre moments in the scene of Peter's search for a coin - everything is of a bright, deeply truthful nature.

In another work of Masaccio, the painting “Expulsion from Paradise” (see page 18), for the first time in Renaissance painting there is an image of naked figures powerfully modeled by side light. Confusion, shame, and repentance are depicted through movements and facial expressions. Masaccio's innovative quests are ways of further development of realistic painting.

The great Dutch painter Bosch represents a completely different artistic phenomenon. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of theology and science, literature and medicine. In some incomprehensible way, he managed to combine medieval fantasy, folklore, satirical and moralizing tendencies. All of the artist’s work is permeated by one theme: the struggle between good and evil, divine and hellish forces. “The Garden of Earthly Joys” 9 cm. sl 19-20) or “The Garden of Delights” (1503). On the left side of this triptych Paradise is depicted, on the right - Hell, and between them there is an image of earthly existence. The left side of the "Garden of Delights" depicts the scene of the "Creation of Eve", and paradise itself glitters and shimmers with bright, fulfilling colors. Against the backdrop of a fantastic landscape of Paradise, filled with a variety of animals and plants, the master shows the awakening Adam. Adam, who has just woken up, rises from the ground and looks in amazement at Eve, whom God shows him. The famous art critic C. de Tolnay notes that the amazing look that Adam casts on the first woman is already a step on the path to sin. And Eve, extracted from Adam’s rib, is not just a woman, but also an instrument of seduction. In the composition “The Garden of Earthly Joys” there are three plans: the foreground shows “various joys”, the second is occupied by a cavalcade of numerous horsemen who ride various animals, the third (the farthest) is crowned with a blue sky, where people fly on winged fish and with the help of their own wings The whole picture may appear before the viewer in a different light: the artist himself invented this nightmare, all the agonies and torments take place in his soul. However, Bosch was a deeply religious man, and he could not even imagine placing himself in Hell. Most likely, the artist should be looked for among those images that convey Light and Goodness in his paintings; it is not for nothing that he belonged to the Brotherhood of the Virgin Mary.

B) High Renaissance - until the second third of the 16th century.

The period of the High Renaissance was relatively short and is associated primarily with the names of three brilliant masters - Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), Raphael Santi (1483-1520) and Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564).

Leonardo da Vinci was the most striking personality, showing the world the ideal of the “universal man” of the Renaissance. Combining the development of new means of artistic language with theoretical generalizations, he created majestic canvases, among which the most famous are “The Last Supper” (see page 22) and “La Gioconda.” The composition of “The Last Supper” by Leonardo da Vinci was commissioned by Duke Lodovico Moro, who ruled Milan. From his youth, moving in a circle of cheerful bacchantes, the Duke became so corrupted that even a young innocent creature in the form of a quiet and bright wife was unable to destroy his destructive inclinations. But, although the Duke sometimes spent, as before, whole days in the company of friends, he felt sincere affection for his wife and simply revered Beatrice, seeing in her his guardian angel.

When she died suddenly, Lodovico Moro felt lonely and abandoned. In despair, having broken his sword, he did not even want to look at the children and, moving away from his friends, languished alone for fifteen days. Then, calling on Leonardo da Vinci, who was no less saddened by this death, the Duke rushed into his arms. Under the impression of the sad event, Leonardo conceived his work - “The Last Supper”. Subsequently, the Milanese ruler became a pious man.

For his fresco on the wall of the refectory of the monastery of Santa Maria, della Grazie da Vinci chose the moment when Christ says to his disciples: “Truly I tell you, one of you will give me.” These words precede the culmination of feelings, highest point the intensity of human relations, tragedy. But the tragedy is not only of the Savior, it is also the tragedy of the highest Renaissance, when faith in cloudless harmony began to crumble and life did not seem so serene.

“One of you will betray me...” - and the icy breath of inevitable fate touched each of the apostles. After these words on their faces

a variety of feelings were expressed: some were amazed, others were outraged, others were saddened. Young Philip, ready for self-sacrifice, Jacob spread his arms in tragic bewilderment, Peter, clutching a knife, was about to rush at the representative, Judas’s right hand was clutching a purse with fatal silver pieces... For the first time in painting, the most complex range of feelings found such a deep and subtle reflection. All this in the fresco is done with amazing truth and care, even the folds on the tablecloth covering the table look real.

In Leonardo's work, all the figures in the composition are located on the same line - facing the viewer. Christ is depicted without a halo, the apostles without their attributes, which were characteristic of them in ancient paintings. They express their emotional anxiety through their facial expressions and movements.

The most famous were also his paintings such as “The Annunciation”, “Madonna with a Flower” (see page 23) (Benois Madonna), “Adoration of the Magi” 9 cm. sl. 24), “Madonna in the Grotto” (see page 25). Before Leonardo da Vinci, artists usually depicted large groups of people, with prominent faces in the foreground and background. The painting “Madonna in the Grotto” for the first time depicts four characters: Madonna, an angel, little Christ and John the Baptist. But each figure is a generalized symbol. "Renaissance" knew two types of images. These were either a static image of a solemn ceremony, or a story, a narration on some topic. In “Madonna...” there is neither one nor the other: this is neither a story nor a foreshadowing, it is life itself, a piece of it, and here everything is natural.

Typically, artists depicted figures against the backdrop of a landscape, in front of nature. In Leonardo, they are in nature, nature surrounds the characters, they live in nature. Da Vinci moves away from lighting techniques and sculpting images with the help of light. It does not have a sharp border between light and shadow; the border seems to be blurred. This is his famous, unique “sfumato”, haze.

Younger contemporary of Leonardo, great painter Raphael went down in history as the creator of a series of masterpieces associated with the image of Madonnas ( artistic images Our Lady).

Raphael's greatest creation is the “Sistine Madonna” (see page 27). In Raphael's painting the Madonna appears to the deceased Pope Julius II

turned into a phenomenon to her people, which was told about in ancient legends. Such legends expressed the people's aspirations for justice, the desire and need of ordinary people to imagine the heavenly queen and patroness in close proximity. However, Raphael did not limit himself to just retelling the medieval legend. In the history of the creation of Raphael’s most famous work, much is still shrouded in mystery; some art historians believe that his Mary has almost lost the halo of holiness; a crown does not flicker on her head; brocade fabrics are not held behind her; on the contrary, she is wearing a bedspread and a cloak of smooth fabric, legs her bare feet, and in essence it simple woman No wonder many people noticed that she was holding the baby the way peasant women usually hold them. But this barefoot woman is admired by the wind as a queen - the mistress of heaven. Pope Sixtus took off the tiara in front of her and carefully placed it in the corner. The earthly ruler, like the Magi before the Christmas manger, bares his forehead, and an old man appears before the viewer, almost trembling with excitement. There is no earth or sky in the picture, there is no familiar landscape or architectural decoration in the depths. All free space between the figures is filled with clouds, more dense and dark at the bottom, more transparent and radiant at the top. The heavy, senile figure of Saint Sixtus, buried in the heavy folds of the golden-woven papal vestments, froze in solemn worship. His hand extended to us eloquently emphasizes main idea the paintings are the appearance of the Mother of God to people. On the other side, Saint Barbara is leaning, and both figures seem to support Mary, forming a closed circle around her. Some call these figures auxiliary, secondary, but if you remove them (even if only mentally) or even slightly change their position in space, the harmony of the whole will immediately be destroyed. The meaning of the whole picture and the very image of Mary will change. Reverently and tenderly, Madonna presses her son, sitting in her arms, to her chest. Neither mother nor child can be imagined separately from each other; their existence is possible only in indissoluble unity. Mary, the human intercessor, carries her son towards the people. Her lonely procession expresses all the mournful and tragic sacrifice to which the Mother of God is doomed.

The last titan of the High Renaissance was Michelangelo - great sculptor, painter, architect and poet. Despite his versatile talents, he is called the first draftsman of Italy

thanks to the most significant work of an already mature artist - painting the vault Sistine Chapel in the Vatican Palace (see page 27) (1508-1512). The total area of ​​the fresco is 600 sq. meters. It is an artistic illustration of biblical scenes from the creation of the world. The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel depicts almost all the key moments from the Bible, from the creation of the world to the Last Judgment. On the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo created images in which to this day we see the highest manifestation of human genius and human daring. Meanwhile, the thought that some enemies were plotting against him did not leave him. “I do not care,” he wrote in one of his letters, “neither about health nor about earthly honors, I live in the greatest labors and with a thousand suspicions.” And in another letter (to his brother) he declared with full right: “I work through strength, more than any person who has ever existed.”

Greatest Representative Venetian school - Titian Vecellio (c. 1489/90-1576). Titian's works attract with the novelty of their solutions, especially coloristic and compositional problems. For the first time, an image of a crowd appears on his canvases as part of the composition. Titian's most famous works: “The Penitent Magdalene” (see pp. 28-29), “Saint Sebastian”, etc. The gallery of portraits of his contemporaries made by him was the subject of deep study and imitation for subsequent generations of European painters.

German Renaissance was the work of one generation of artists and was exhausted by the end of the 16th century. Worked simultaneously with Dürer greatest artist- Mathis Niethardt (1460/1470 -1528), nicknamed Grunewald. He is a master of expressive, dramatic religious images imbued with mystical vision. Grunewald is more associated with the Gothic heritage than Durer, but with the power of images and the grandeur of the sense of nature he is inseparable from the Renaissance. The coloristic richness of his painting belongs to the highest achievements of the national artistic culture Dürer was only 27 years old when he conceived the "Apocalypse" (see pages 30-31). Brave decision! Even the form of publication was unusual. Contemporaries were accustomed to religious books with engravings and illustrations, which they bought for the sake of the text; illustrations played a modest role in them.
Dürer conceived something completely new: 15 engravings with short quotes on

revolutions combined into one whole - Album of illustrations. Album of images. In Dürer's time there was not even a name for such a publication!
“Apocalypse” is the most mysterious, darkest, most confusing part of the “New Testament”. Dürer erected stone cities on the sheets of his “Apocalypse” and grew mighty trees, brought crowds of people, made rivers flow, forests rustle, grass rustle, ships sway on waves, and swans slowly glide through the water. And in the skies above this beautiful world he placed visions - sometimes mysterious and menacing, sometimes remaining in the mountain heights, sometimes flying to the ground.

“Adam and Eve” by Albrecht Durer is one of the artist’s greatest creations. This is a masterpiece of world painting of all times and peoples. For centuries, the story of Adam and Eve was told as the story of the Fall, for which the ancestors of mankind were expelled from paradise... Dürer forgot everything that he knew and taught about it from childhood. And I remembered everything I knew about beauty and love.

Along with portraits, Albrecht Dürer also painted altar paintings and compositions traditional for Northern Europe. The most tragic of them is “The Seven Passions of Mary” (see page 32), where Dürer dressed Christ’s tormentors in the clothes of his fellow tribesmen and contemporaries. And to those he said: Golgotha ​​is not somewhere and sometime. This is here and now. Golgotha ​​is everywhere, where defenseless people are persecuted and tortured, where heavy crosses of suffering are placed on them, where they are crucified. Golgotha ​​is everywhere where there are people who agree to knock together these crosses, put them on other people’s shoulders, pierce other people’s hands and feet with nails, torture and crucify those given into their power. The most festive, brightest with an impeccable color scheme is “The Feast of the Rosary” (see page 33), where, enjoying his skill, the artist painted red brocade, purple and violet velvet, dark blue silk, the menacing shine of steel, dark cloth, the sparkle of gold and precious stones, the noble pattern of the carpet, the tenderness of pale red and white roses.

In addition to the altar compositions, many images of the Mother of God have been preserved. Durer's Madonna (see page 34) is most often young, charming, with a soft face, tender lips, and thoughtfully half-closed eyes. When you look closely at her incarnations, it seems that they all go back to the real image.

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B) Late Renaissance - second third of the 16th - first half of the 17th century

The Late Renaissance period was marked by a number of important changes in art. Many painters, poets, sculptors, and architects abandoned the ideas of humanism, inheriting only the manner and technique (so-called mannerism) of the great masters of the Renaissance.

Among the major founders of Mannerism are Jacopo Pontormo (1494-1557) and Angelo Bronzino (1503-1572), who worked primarily in the genre of portraiture. The work of Jacopo Tintoretto (1518-1594), a representative of the Venetian school of the Late Renaissance, who tried to compete with Michelangelo in the grandeur of his plans, can be attributed entirely to mannerism. He creates a surreal world in which the artist’s personal emotions are always present.

Pontormo Jacopo (1494-1557) - founder of the so-called mannerist, or anti-classical movement. The term mannerism is based on the word "manner", that is, the method or nature of writing, in the narrow sense - the style of a work of art.

The greatest place in Pontormo’s work is occupied deeply tragic images, expressed primarily in his church paintings and paintings, in the “Entombment” created in 1525-1528 (see page 35) for the church of Santa Felicita. The action takes place against a fantastic neutral backdrop. The figures are piled one above the other along the plane of the picture, and they seem to be devoid of gravity, as if they are floating in various poses. The coloring is based on pure, dissonant colors. They are placed in large spots and create mystical lighting.

One of the greatest painters of Venice was Jacopo Robusti, nicknamed Tintoretto (1518-1594), who created his own artistic style. His complex compositions with an abundance of figures and the action of large masses in rapid motion are full of dynamism and expression. He is characterized by a tragic perception of life, caused by the discord between the ideal and the real. He turned to biblical themes. The paintings of this period are imbued with a certain amount of mysticism (“The Presentation of Mary into the Temple” (see page 36), paintings in the building of the brotherhood of St. Rocco). Tintoretto worked continuously, intensely and selflessly, often for free.

Domenico Theocopuli (1541-1614) (this is the real name of El Greco) a legendary master whose fate is mysterious and full of miracles. His painting occupies a very special place in the history of European art. El Greco - one of the outstanding painters late Renaissance, author of paintings on religious and mythological subjects and genre paintings.

Thanks to the altar paintings “Trinity” (see page 37), “Resurrection of Christ” and others, the artist gained wide fame.

In 1579, for the Toledo Cathedral, El Greco performed “Espolio” (see page 38) (“The Removal of Christ’s Clothes”). The composition was an unprecedented success.

The main motive of El Greco's work always remained religious paintings, executed for churches, monasteries, hospitals of Toledo, Madrid and other cities. The artist is interested in the motifs of the martyrdom of saints (“Martyrdom of St. Mauritius”), the theme of the “holy family” (“Holy Family” (see page 40)), scenes from the life of Jesus Christ (“Carrying the Cross” (see page 39) , “Prayer for the Cup”). A special place in El Greco’s art is occupied by images of saints; the artist often depicts them talking with each other (“St. John and St. Francis”, “Apostles Peter and Paul” (see page 41)). El Greco's later works (“Laocoon”, “The Opening of the Fifth Seal” (see page 44)), in which the artist’s imagination takes on bizarre, surreal forms, were not understood by his contemporaries.

The founder of the realistic movement in European painting of the 17th century is Michelangelo da Caravaggio (1573-1610). The master's canvases are distinguished by their simplicity of composition and emotional tension expressed through the contrasts of light and shadow. Among Caravaggio’s paintings there are no festive subjects such as “The Annunciation”, “Betrothal”, “Introduction to the Temple”, which were so loved by the Renaissance masters. He is attracted to tragic themes. On his canvases people suffer and experience cruel torment. Caravaggio observed these hardships of life. In the painting “The Crucifixion of St. Peter” (see page 43) we see the execution of the apostle, who was crucified on the cross upside down. “The Conversion of Saul” (see page 44) shows the merciless persecution of Christians, their death under the heel of a horse and Saul’s moment of insight. On the way to Damascus, he was suddenly blinded by a heavenly ray, and, falling from his horse, he heard the voice of Christ: “Saul, why are you persecuting me?” After Saul's epiphany

becomes one of the most devoted disciples of Christ - the Apostle Paul. Caravaggio shows the scene of the “Entombment” as a folk drama (see page 45). The lifeless body of Christ is carefully supported by the disciples. The frozen hand of the Savior hangs to the coffin slab, above the black space of the grave.

In Caravaggio’s paintings on gospel subjects, the everyday appearance of the characters is striking. In gospel scenes he shows the life of the common people. Caravaggio's contemporaries testify: he despised everything that was not copied from life. The artist called such paintings trinkets, children's and doll's things.

Europe accepted the innovative spirit of the Italian, and in Italy the Church decisively rejected Caravaggio's naturalism. And, apparently, not by chance, because the Italian Renaissance has already ended. Italy said almost everything she could say. It was the turn of the Northern European Renaissance.

Northern European Renaissance

The pinnacle of the Northern European Renaissance was the work of Harmens Van Rijn Rembrandt (1606 – 1669). Rembrandt, perhaps more than anyone else, was able to deeply moving, truthfully reveal the inexhaustible richness of the inner world of man.

Dutch painters for the first time saw a person as he is in life, and reflected in art various aspects of his everyday existence. Some of them approached the solution of a more complex task - to reflect the beauty and significance of the spiritual world of an ordinary person

It would seem that by turning to biblical and evangelical themes, Rembrandt is moving away from depicting the society of his time. In fact, his biblical and evangelical heroes are in many ways reminiscent of ordinary people of his time, who invariably attract the artist’s sympathies. In his mind, biblical heroes serve as vivid personifications of wonderful human qualities. The artist sees in them spiritual greatness, inner integrity, stern simplicity, and great nobility. They are not at all like the petty, self-satisfied burghers of his contemporaries. Genuine human passions are increasingly reflected in the artist’s canvases; more and more often, theatrical drama, a “terrible” event will be replaced by the true drama of life. These new features clearly appear in the Hermitage painting “The Descent from the Cross” (see page 46), painted in 1634. Night. Mournful silence. A silent crowd of people surrounded the huge cross on which Christ was crucified. They came to Golgotha ​​to pay their last respects to their teacher. In the cold light of torches, they remove his dead body from the cross. One of the men, climbing the ladder, pulls out the nails with which Christ is crucified on the crossbar; others take his sliding body into their arms; women prepare a bed for the remains by spreading a large, heavy cloth on the ground. Everything is done slowly, in respectful and sad silence. The experiences of those gathered are different: some faces express bitter despair, others - courageous grief, others - awestruck horror, but each of the people present is deeply imbued with the significance of the event. The grief of an old man who accepts the dead Christ is limitless. He holds it with noticeable effort, but very carefully, cautiously, touchingly touching his cheek

lifeless body. Maria is exhausted from grief. She is unable to stand, loses consciousness, falls into the arms of the people who carefully surround her. Her emaciated face was deathly pale, her eyelids were closed, and her weakened hand, outstretched forward, drooped helplessly. The picture captivates with deep penetration and life truth. Only the exaggeration of some movements and gestures reminds us of Rembrandt's baroque hobbies.

Throughout the 40s, Rembrandt several times addressed the theme of the holy family. One of the best solutions to this theme is the Hermitage painting “The Holy Family” (see page 47), created by the artist in 1645. The gospel scene gives the viewer many associations with everyday folk life, contemporary with Rembrandt. Silence and peace are disturbed only by the familiar sounds of life at home. Burning wood crackles, and the quiet, monotonous sound of a carpenter's ax is heard. The room is shrouded in gentle twilight; Light gently pours in from different sources, tremblingly sliding across Mary’s face, illuminating the cradle, giving the image a touch of spirituality. The child moved slightly in his sleep, and the woman, obeying the subtle maternal instinct, looks up from reading, lifts the curtain and looks at the baby with concern. She is the very sensitivity, the very alertness. Essentially, the great humanity and soulfulness of the painting is created by just one glance. The bright sublimity of the captured moment is also reflected in the fact that angels silently descend to the mother and boy.

In 1660, Rembrandt created the famous painting “Assur, Haman and Esther” (see page 48) . The plot of the film was based on a biblical myth known as “The Feast of Esther.” Haman, the first vizier and friend of the Persian king Assur, cruelly slandered the Jews before the king, hoping to achieve their extermination. Then Queen Esther, who came from Judea, stood up for her people. Having invited Assur and Haman to the feast, she spoke about the vizier’s slander, and the treacherous face of the man whom he considered his friend was revealed to the king. The artist depicts that moment of the feast when Esther finished the story and a deep, painful silence reigned. The queen's beautiful eyes are sad. Without looking at her hands, Esther mechanically wrinkles her handkerchief. She is still completely at the mercy of what she has experienced. It was painfully difficult for her to utter words of reproof; like the king, she believed the vizier, treated him as

to a friend. Assur was shocked by what he heard and bitterly disappointed. His big eyes fill with tears. At the same time, noble anger awakens in him, and he powerfully clutches the scepter. Haman is depicted in deep shadow, alone. An invisible abyss separated him from the king and queen. The consciousness of doom presses him like an unbearable burden: he sits hunched over, head down, eyes closed; the hand holding the cup lies powerless on the table. He is oppressed not even by the fear of death, but by the grave consciousness of moral loneliness. He understands that Assur and Esther will never forgive him, no matter how hard it is for them to condemn their friend.

There are few personalities in the history of art as mysterious and controversial as Bruegel. The Renaissance idea of ​​the importance of the human personality did not fit into Bruegel’s artistic concepts. In his drawings and paintings, he often hides faces altogether, depriving the figures of any individuality. A similar trend can be seen in the depiction of biblical characters. He moves them somewhere to the side, hides them among ordinary people. This is how we see Mary and the Lord in the village square, John the Baptist with Christ in the crowd of people, and the “Adoration of the Magi” (see verse 49) is generally hidden behind a curtain of snowfall.

Bruegel's man has freedom of choice, and bears responsibility for his own misfortunes. A person is forced to make the choice between good and evil, between faith and unbelief constantly, throughout his life - just as his ancestors were forced to make this choice and as many other people make it today. Hence, another feature of Bruegel’s works, which makes them similar to icons, but is very rarely found in modern art, is the combination of temporal and spatial layers. In such paintings as “Procession to Golgotha” (see page 50), “Census in Bethlehem”, “Massacre of the Innocents”, “Sermon of John the Baptist” (see page 51), “Conversion of Paul” (see page 52), "Nativity", in the engraving "Assumption of Our Lady" biblical characters are present among Bruegel's contemporaries leading their daily normal lives, biblical scenes are played out against the backdrop of Flemish urban and rural landscapes. For example, the figure of the Savior bent under the weight of the cross is almost lost among the many other impressions of any of the people depicted in the picture, and these people make their moral choice, not realizing that they see God in front of them. In Bruegel's later works the mood of pessimistic reflection deepens.

In the famous “The Blind” (see page 53) (1568), the gospel parable is used to embody the idea of ​​blind humanity, having lost the will to fight and passively following fate-fortune. The leader, leading the chain of blind cripples, falls, the rest, stumbling, uncontrollably follow him; their helpless gestures are convulsive, the stamp of destructive passions and vices sharply appears in their faces, numb with horror, turning them into deathly masks. The intermittent and uneven rhythm of movement of the figures develops the theme of imminent death. However, as before, the serenely harmonious nature of the background appears as a contrasting alternative to human vanity, with its idyllic peace, as if suggesting a way out of the tragic impasse.

Biblical subjects in Russian painting

Images of the Holy Land, evangelical events that took place in holy places, became the object of comprehension and depiction on canvas for many Russian artists. Some of them personally visited the countries of the biblical region, incl. and with the assistance of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society. Unforgettable impressions, unusual colors, and oriental flavor were reflected in the creativity of pilgrim travelers with easels, which made the impact of their paintings on the viewer stronger.

The beginning of time and everything on the planet, the creation of the world and man, the Fall in Paradise, the first murder of brother by brother, the global flood - reflection on these global philosophical topics described in the Bible, invariably provided food for artistic comprehension Old Testament events in Russian painting. These key subjects for the human worldview were addressed by masters of different schools and movements; they all wanted to convey to the audience their own vision of the images generated by their imagination and transferred to canvas. One of these masters was Ivan Aivazovsky. Belonging by religion to the Armenian Apostolic Church, Aivazovsky created a number of paintings on biblical subjects. Painting “Chaos. The Creation of the World" (see page 54) by Aivazovsky was honored to enter permanent exhibition Vatican Museum. Pope Gregory XVI awarded the artist a gold medal. On this occasion, Gogol jokingly told the artist: “Your “Chaos” created chaos in the Vatican.”

All the evangelists describe the miracles that Jesus Christ performed during his earthly life. These were both phenomena that changed the nature of things, as well as healings of the suffering or even the resurrection of the dead. All miracles were performed not as tricks, but were aimed at reassuring people and their salvation; not one of those healed or resurrected returned to their former sinful life. Thus, the Divine essence of the Son of God was revealed; witnesses of miraculous deeds were able to believe themselves and spread the teaching of the Truth to others. An example is the painting “Jesus Christ Saves Drowning Peter” (see page 55) by N. M. Alekseev (1813-1880). 1850

The allegorical and metaphorical nature of Christ’s preaching made it easier for followers to perceive His teaching. In the gospel stories

More than 30 completed stories are described in the form of parables - edifying figurative stories told by Christ to the people. The plots of the parables were simple, usually taken from everyday life, and were understandable to the listeners. Christ himself explained to the apostles the reason for using parables this way: “because it has been given to you to know the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but it has not been given to them..., therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, and they do not understand.” Russian artists willingly used the subjects of gospel parables for their paintings. “Conversation of Christ with the disciples” (see page 56) Botkin Mikhail Petrovich. 1867, “Sermon on the Mount” (see page 57) Lomtev Nikolai Petrovich (1817 - 1859). 1841, “Christ’s Sermon in the Temple” A. A. Ivanov. 1850s, “Christ the Sower” (see page 58) Kuzma Sergeevich Petrov-Vodkin. 1915, " Prodigal son"(see page 59) Nikolai Dmitrievich Losev. 1882

Popular in Western fine art and quite rare in Russian painting, the biblical story of the flight of the Holy Family to Egypt reflects events after Christmas. The flight to Egypt is mentioned only in the Gospel of Matthew. After the wise men, having brought their gifts to the baby Jesus, did not return to King Herod, an angel appeared to righteous Joseph in a dream, commanding: “Get up, take the Child and His Mother and flee to Egypt, and be there until I tell you, for Herod wants to look for the Child in order to destroy Him” (Matthew 2:13). Joseph carried out this order and at night with the Virgin Mary and the baby Jesus went to Egypt, where he remained until the death of Herod. This plot is depicted in the paintings “Flight into Egypt” (see page 60) by N. Koshelev (1890)

The Passion Cycle is a cycle of stories based on the final parts of the Gospels, telling about last days the earthly life of Jesus Christ, His sacrificial death and suffering (passion) on the cross: from the Last Supper with the disciples to the “Entombment” (see page 61) and the Resurrection. In this cycle we can highlight such subjects as “Prayer for the Cup” (see page 62), “Pilate’s Trial”, “Desecration of Christ”, “Flagellation of Christ”, “Carrying the Cross”, “Crucifixion”, “Entombment” "

After the Last Supper, Christ retired to the olive grove (Garden of Gethsemane) and prayed to the Father: “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup pass from Me” (Matthew 26:39). This episode is called “The Prayer of the Cup.” Next to Christ they show three disciples who had fallen asleep with Him in the garden: Peter, James, and John.
Then follow the episodes: “Carrying the Cross”, Crucifixion, “Entombment”. An image of the suffering Savior wearing a crown of thorns with his hands folded on his chest or with open palms,

showing wounds from nails, in ancient Russian art it is called “The Man of Sorrows”.

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Biblical scenes from 20th century painters.

Marc Chagall h a human torch illuminating with spiritual light that which is difficult for the eye to see, but for which every soul yearns to God - that's how it is image of Marc Zakharovich Chagall. “The Biblical Message of Marc Chagall” has 17 canvases and is thematically divided into two parts. The first part of the “Message”, united by a common blue-emerald color scheme, is mainly associated with the five books of Holy Scripture, called the “Pentateuch of Moses”. The second part, designed by the artist in bright red tones, is inspired by one of the most mysterious books of the Bible - “Song of Solomon.” The exhibition of “The Biblical Message” opens with a large multi-figure canvas “The Creation of Man” (see page 65). I note that the picture is programmatic for the entire first part of the “Message”. I would like to begin the story about her with words from “Genesis” - the first book of Holy Scripture: “And God created man in His own image” (Genesis 1:26). The Bible describes in great detail how God communicated with people. The Creator appeared to prophets or other chosen people, but He always remained invisible. Therefore, they could not imagine the appearance of the Creator, nor could they comprehend all of His infinite depth. On this basis, in the ancient Jewish and early Christian traditions, the image of God was absent. Hence, in this painting by Chagall, we do not see the Creator, but we contemplate His act: the creation of the first man. And although the artist follows tradition, nevertheless, it is in this painting that he touches on the theme of the similarity of the Creator with His creation, that is, with man. He solves it to the point of genius, simply and at the same time deeply sacred.

The image of Jesus Christ, depicted by Chagall at the most difficult and decisive moment for the fate of humanity - the crucifixion - is the key figure of the circle. The traditional Jewish prayer scarf (tales), depicted by Chagall as a loincloth of Jesus, emphasizes His belonging to the chosen people. It is known that the New Testament opens with four books of the Evangelists, which describe the life of Jesus, complementing and deepening one another, viewing history as if from the four corners of the world. Thus, in the third chapter of the Gospel of Luke (Luke 3.23-38) the family tree of Christ is recorded. Among His relatives or ancestors are the names of David, Jacob, Noah and Abraham. Here is the answer to this riddle. Chagall placed on the canvas “The Creation of Man” only those heroes of the Bible who have

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family connection with Jesus Christ. The first canvas of the second part is called “Paradise”, the second - “Expulsion from Paradise”. Along with Adam and Eve, the extraordinarily beautiful Chagall paradise is a full-fledged hero of these two works. In the Bible, Paradise - “Garden of Eden” or “Paradise” - is the earthly place of the creation of man. As in “The Creation of Man,” Chagall placed the sun in the center of the canvas “Paradise” (see page 66). Compositionally, it divides the canvas into two parts, which in turn display two events: on the left - Adam and Eve before the Fall, on the right - after it. Chagall filled his fabulous paradise with fantastic plants, mythical birds, animals and barely noticeable, as if otherworldly creatures. He created a special world where everyone who lives there moves in space as they please. Here fish swim in the sky together with people, and birds swim in the depths of the waters, not paying attention to the people frolicking nearby. More precisely, there are no such concepts as heaven and earth, here is another dimension. The life of creatures in Chagall's paradise is very similar to a dream in which any person can walk through a stone mountain or fly like a bird from branch to branch, or can feel like an animal, a fish, or even an unknown fantastic entity. The canvas “Expulsion from Paradise” (see page 66), saturated with emerald and cornflower blue tones, is an even brighter picture than the canvas “Paradise”. From the Bible we know that a river flowed through Eden. In Holy Scripture, water, be it a river or stream, is associated with life, and the absence of water is associated with death. Therefore, in biblical texts, rivers were often mentioned along with saving benefits. Thus, God guides the world like a river (Ex. 66:12), or the wisdom of the book of the covenant is compared to the watery wealth of rivers (Sir. 24:27). The Chagall River, reminiscent of a fluttering azure ribbon, is swift, like a mountain stream, and incredibly beautiful; it is truly a heavenly river, personifying life. Life inside and around her is simply in full swing. Before the Fall, people did not know what death was. Their life was endless, like this river. After people encroached on the forbidden fruit of paradise from the “Tree of Knowledge”, they were prohibited from living in Paradise. In the language of Chagall's painting, God separated the first people from the endless river of life. It is no coincidence that the Archangel, with his blue, like water, rod, drives Adam and Eve not from paradise in general, but from the river. The river, like a cobalt watershed, separates their former paradise life from their future life outside paradise. Ahead of people is not only goodness and love, but also the knowledge of evil and death. The next two canvases of the “Messages” are dedicated to the forefather Noah. In the painting "Noah's Ark"

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(see f. 68) Noah is presented with despondent and tired people floating in an unknown direction during the flood.

Salvador Dali also turned to biblical subjects in his work. Dali turned to the classical artistic heritage and became an ardent supporter of Catholicism. In 1949 he created a painting"Madonna of Port Lligat"» (see page 70), which was presented to Pope Pius XII. One of the brilliant paintings of this period -"Christ of San Juan de la Cruz" (1951. Glasgow. Art Museum). The pinnacle of Dali's spiritual quest was the canvas“The Last Supper” (see page 69)(1955. Washington. National Gallery). It, like many other works of the artist, is constructed as an encrypted text.

Conclusion

The Christian religion has always assigned a service role to the visual arts. The supporting role of a mediator, an illustrator of the Holy Scriptures. But this service function revealed the centuries-old vitality of Christian art. Works of the early Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and Russian painters invariably demonstrate spiritual power, artistic strength and the inexhaustibility of the religious canon. But starting from the Italian Renaissance, fine art gradually moved away from the power of the church, a special religious mission and Christian spirituality gave way to pragmatism, mercantile interests, sensuality and the vanity of the material world. The rapid secularization of fine art and the improvement of methods of form-making led to a noticeable degeneration of biblical subjects. They began to be used speculatively. Already in the paintings of Raphael, Madonna was represented as a simple, only slightly idealized Italian girl, John the Baptist in Leonardo da Vinci - as a sweet handsome man, the apostles in Caravaggio's depiction - as rude peasants. Angels became indistinguishable from cupids. Despite these disastrous trends, the art of the old masters preserved the harmony of image and word, the moral purity of the Christian idea and the sublime beauty of form. In the 17th century The Baroque style is still great, Rembrandt is amazingly spiritual; Flemish and Golan painters of the 17th – 18th centuries developed in detail the plots of the Old and New Testaments in their small paintings. In European Academies of Arts, the tradition of compulsory “programs” has been preserved - painting a picture based on a biblical story.

Biblical scenes were uniquely reflected in Russian academic art; special meaning has the creativity of A.A. Ivanova. A list of names of biblical scenes developed in the history of world fine art, even the most famous ones. Huge.

Literature

V.S. Koshelev /N. And Kosheleva / S.N. Temushev / World History 8th grade / Minsk “BSU Publishing Center” /2010

ON THE. Ionina / One hundred great paintings / Moscow “Veche” / 2001

Thein de Vries / Rembrant / Kyiv, “Mystique” / 1995

Internet sites:

ICONOPTION

In seventh grade, without a doubt, one of the most difficult is “Biblical Theme in Visual Arts.” This is due to the fact that fine arts teachers themselves cannot always explain to students how to complete a task.

While studying this topic, children should get acquainted with the special language of depiction in Christian art of the Middle Ages, with paintings on biblical themes created in Western Europe and Russia, with the art of Russian icon painting and do practical work on a biblical theme. Unlike a teacher of world artistic culture, a fine arts teacher cannot limit himself to an interesting show and story in a lesson; he must teach the child to create an independent composition.

Biblical themes can be difficult and boring for modern children, as they do not understand the plot of the picture well. In order not to waste class time on conversation, some teachers follow what they think is the simplest path: they invite children to draw an icon, believing that any student can cope with such an “elementary” task.

An icon is not an illustration of the Bible; an icon is an image painted according to canons (rules), which the icon painter must obey. An illustration is an artist's view of the events described in the Bible, independent choice plot, composition, his idea of ​​what the characters look like. In icon painting, the number of subjects is limited, composition and appearance characters are strictly regulated.

By asking children to paint an icon as an illustration for the Bible, the teacher is not following the general education curriculum. By the way, even in Sunday schools at churches and in Orthodox gymnasiums during fine arts lessons, children do not paint faces on icons, since they do not yet have enough skill for this. Moreover, we must not forget that in secondary school Children study not only from Orthodox Christians, but also from Muslim families and from families where parents are atheists; and an icon is a prayer, only written in the language of colors. Inviting children to paint an icon is the same as offering to learn or compose a prayer in a literature lesson.

A teacher can get children interested in the world biblical paintings and help you understand the language of the icon by talking about the symbolism of icon painting, introducing you to the work of an icon painter and giving you the opportunity to try yourself in the role of an experienced master “flag-bearer”, independently creating a composition for a given plot, or as a student in a team of icon painters. Novice icon painters depicted the details of the icon: hills, trees, architecture and animals, using “drawings” (1-4) - a contour drawing made on paper in one or two colors (black and red-brown).

Without the help of a teacher, only a few will be able to cope with practical work, and the teacher’s task is to make sure that every child in a fine arts lesson can feel like a real artist, capable of creating paintings on complex topics.

To illustrate the Bible, the easiest way is to choose scenes not from the New Testament, but from the Old Testament, and to create a composition, use the landscape genre that is already well known to children. The landscape can form the basis for the paintings “The Creation of the World,” “The Garden of Eden with the Tree of Life,” “The Flood,” and “The Flight of the Israelites from Egypt through the Red Sea.” As an example, we can show the illustrations of the Bible by our famous marine painter K. Aivazovsky (see “Creation of the World” (5) , "Global flood" (6) ).

The entire third quarter of the sixth grade was devoted to the topic “Portrait,” and in the seventh grade you can create a whole gallery of portraits of biblical characters. The Bible describes events that took place in Ancient Egypt(the characters Joseph the Beautiful, Moses) and Mesopotamia (the construction of the Tower of Babel), which means that children can use the knowledge previously acquired in history and fine arts lessons.

Thus, historical and biblical topics can be combined in one practical task. For illustration, you can also use gospel parables, showing Rembrandt’s paintings of different natures as an example. (7) and Bosch (8) on the theme of the parable of the prodigal son.

Acquaintance with biblical stories must begin with a conversation. If the teacher himself is not well versed in them, G. Doré’s engravings will help to conduct a conversation, since books with his illustrations always contain brief explanations for each engraving. Children should not be overloaded with new information, so during the conversation it is necessary to show such well-known plots as “Expulsion from Paradise”, “The Flood”, “Noah Releases the Dove” (9) , "Tower of Babel", "Annunciation" (10) , “Nativity”, “Baptism”, “Transfiguration”, “Resurrection of Lazarus”, “Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem”, “Crown of Thorns”, “Flagellation”, “Jesus under the weight of the cross”, “Crucifixion”, “Descent from the Cross” "

When demonstrating paintings of biblical subjects by Western European and Russian masters, it is necessary to show different attitude artists to the same subject. It will be easier for the children to discuss the paintings if the teacher leaves reproductions of engravings by G. Doré on the board. The paintings should not only be famous, such as “The Appearance of Christ to the People” by A. Ivanov, but also very emotional, like “Calvary” by N. Ge, “The Annunciation” (11) , "Rocky" (12) Fra Beato Angelico, "Dead Christ" (13) Andrea Mantegni, "Crown of Thorns" (14) , "Carrying the Cross" (15) Hieronymus Bosch, "In the Shadow of the Cross" (16) and "Annunciation" (17) Helia Korzheva, “Pieta” by Michelangelo. Such works of art will never leave children indifferent.

When talking about Russian icon painting, it is necessary to explain the difference between a painting and an icon, showing reproductions of icons (Annunciation. XII century. (18) ; Annunciation. XIV century (19) ) in parallel with reproductions of graphics and paintings. As a result of the conversation, each student should understand that a painting is an object of aesthetic pleasure, and an icon is an object of both aesthetic pleasure and prayerful veneration.

PRACTICAL WORK

Topics: “Garden of Eden”, “Noah’s Ark”. "Tower of Babel". Before you start depicting, you need to discuss with the guys the event that was chosen for illustration.

Work on illustrations for the Bible can be done using details of an iconographic landscape. The teacher explains the stages of work step by step on the board (20 a, b). To prevent children from repeating every stroke after the teacher and making their own individual composition, it is better for the teacher not to use paints for display, but to draw on the board only with chalk and water. The water dries quickly, the children have time to understand how to draw and how to work with strokes, but at the same time they do not copy every stroke made by the teacher from the board. The result can be interesting compositions. (21-23) .

The drawing of mountains and water can be done directly with paint. The background is painted over with strokes (the colors are mixed directly on the sheet): day - white and yellow gouache, night - blue, purple and a little white.

The color of the slides is made up of three colors: yellow, red and a small amount of black. If the sheet depicts night or rain, then you need to take blue and purple paints (you can add a little green). Paint the water blue with a small amount of white paint (you can add a little purple).

On the slides, horizontal strokes for the steps are outlined with white paint, then spaces are applied to the edges of the steps with a thin brush and washed upward with water. From below and from the side, each step is outlined with black paint and blurred vertically downwards (slides; 14th century. (24) ; slides in Stroganov style; XVII century (25) ).

The waves can be drawn with thin lines using blue and white paint.

Trees are depicted immediately with paint, without preliminary drawing with a simple pencil. Animals are first outlined with a pencil and then entered into the composition using clean bright colors. Bright colors won’t look rude against the background of the slides.

To complete the work, children will be helped by reproductions and drawings of icons depicting hills, trees and animals: “St. George” (26) , "Boris and Gleb" (27) , "Flor and Laurel" (28) , "Vlasiy and Spiridonius" (29) .