Adoration of the Magi Fabriano. The largest representative of international Gothic

Gentile da Fabriano (Italian Gentile da Fabriano, actually Italian Gentile di Niccolò di Giovanni Massi, ca. 1370, Fabriano, province of Ancona - September 1427, Rome) - Italian painter, the largest representative international gothic in Italy.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE ARTIST

Gentile da Fabriano was born in 1370.

He studied painting in his hometown Fabriano, from the minor artist Allegretto Nuzi, perhaps in his youth Gentile da Fabriano became close to one of the other Siena masters of painting and quickly achieved great fame.

Gentile da Fabriano worked mainly in Brescia, Venice, Florence, Siena, Orvietto and Rome, where from 1426 until his death he was engaged in decorating the Lateran Cathedral with frescoes depicting scenes from the life of John the Baptist. These frescoes, as well as works of the same kind by Gentile da Fabriano in other places, perished, and one can get an idea of his talent only from the few easel paintings of his work that have come down to us, of which the most remarkable are “The Adoration of the Magi” (found in Florentine academic art) and “Heavenly Crowning of the Blessed Virgin” (in the Brera Gallery in Milan). Their characteristic advantages are liveliness of composition, carefully designed, fine drawing, nobility and expressiveness of figures, freshness of colors. With the delicacy of his modeling of faces, the tender pallor of their carnation and the ability to animate them with a sense of piety, Gentile is reminiscent of Beato Angelico.

He had a significant influence on contemporary painting, especially Venetian painting, through his student Jacopo Bellini.

Gentile da Fabriano died in 1450.

CREATION

The frescoes in San Giovanni in Laterano, as well as works of the same kind by Gentile in other places (for example, in the Venetian Palazzo Doge) perished. One can get an idea of his talent only from the few easel paintings of his work that have come down to us, of which the most remarkable are “The Adoration of the Magi” (one of the best examples of international Gothic), “The Coronation of Mary” and “The Flight into Egypt”.

Their main advantages are the liveliness of the composition, carefully designed, delicate drawing, nobility and expressiveness of the figures, and the freshness of the colors.

With the delicacy of his modeling of faces, the gentle pallor of their carnation and the ability to animate them with a sense of piety, Gentile is reminiscent of Fra Beato Angelico.

The work of Gentile da Fabriano - typical sample the International Gothic style, which is characterized by refined elegance, increasing secular trends and the artist’s interest in naturalistic details. In the paintings of Gentile da Fabriano, the latter feature is manifested in the realistic interpretation of animals, birds and plants.

WORSHIP OF THE MAGI

The master created the altar “Adoration of the Magi” for the Strozzi Chapel of the Church of Santa Trinita in Florence. A crowded colorful procession is depicted moving towards the foreground of the picture. The Gospel story about the kings who came to worship the Infant Christ is interpreted here in the spirit of a medieval chivalric romance: a servant ties a spur to one of the wise men, which emphasizes that his master belongs to knighthood, scenes of hunting are interspersed in the picture, and the manner of many of the characters can be described as “courtly” - just look, for example, at the maids on the left. This work is interesting to look at because it is full of wonderful details, for example, the Infant Christ strokes the head of an elderly sorcerer who kisses His foot. Among those who came from afar, there is everyone - young and old, knights and hunters. The picture contains not only people, but also animals - a lion, a cheetah, monkeys, a falcon. It seems that the artist also used the plot in order to depict the richness of the world he knew.

This altar image is painted with pure, shining, jewel-like colors, and its decorativeness is enhanced by gold interspersed here and there. The frame was made according to the drawing of the master himself, who included small images in it and thought out the decor to the smallest detail.

The predella of the altar consists of three pictorial parts, representing “The Nativity of Christ,” “The Flight into Egypt,” and “The Bringing into the Temple.” Art historian Viktor Lazarev wrote: “In his altar image, the most beautiful and festive painting early quattrocento, Gentile depicted leaving with historical scene the feudal world in all its splendor, with all its outwardly attractive features, in the aura of its “chivalrous romance”.

Biography

He grew up an orphan (his mother died, his father went to a monastery and soon also died). He studied in his hometown with the artist Allegretto Nuzi, who, along with Francescuccio Ghissi, is considered the founder of the local art school in Fabriano. He probably became close to one of the Siena masters in his youth and quickly achieved great fame.

He worked in Central Italy - in Brescia, Venice, Florence, Siena, Orvieto and Rome, where until his death he was engaged in decorating the Lateran Cathedral with frescoes depicting scenes from the life of John the Baptist. After his death, his younger contemporary and friend Pisanello, to whom Gentile bequeathed his working tools, completed the painting of the basilica (not preserved).

According to one assumption, he was buried in the Roman church of Santa Maria in Trastevere.

Creation

Gentile had a significant influence on contemporary painting, especially Venetian painting, through his student Jacopo Bellini.

Literature

L'opera completa di Gentile da Fabriano/Emma Micheletti, ed. Milano: Rizzoli, 1976
De Marchi A.e.a. Gentile da Fabriano: studi e ricerche. Milano: Electa, 2006.

Links

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Kharkovsky, Alexander Samuilovich
Social construct

See what "Gentile da Fabriano" is in other dictionaries:

Gentile da Fabriano- (Gentile da Fabriano), present. name Gentile di Niccolo Massi Ok. 1370, Fabriano 1427, Rome. Italian painter. A native of the northern Italian province of Marche. He worked in the cities of Marche, Venice (1408 1412), Brescia (1414 1418), Florence (1422 1425),… … European art: Painting. Sculpture. Graphics: Encyclopedia

GENTILE DA FABRIANO- (Gentile da Fabriano) (c. 1370 1427), Italian painter who worked in the late Gothic style. His real name is Gentile di Niccol di Giovanni Massi; he was born between 1360 and 1370 in Fabriano in Umbria.… … Collier's Encyclopedia

Gentile Fabriano

Fabriano, Gentile yes- “Adoration of the Magi”, 1423, Uffizi Gentile da Fabriano (Italian: Gentile da Fabriano, actually Italian: Gentile di Niccolò di Giovanni Massi, c. 1370, Fabriano, province of Ancona September 1427, Rome) Italian painter, the largest representative of... ... Wikipedia

Fabriano Gentile yes- “Adoration of the Magi”, 1423, Uffizi Gentile da Fabriano (Italian: Gentile da Fabriano, actually Italian: Gentile di Niccolò di Giovanni Massi, c. 1370, Fabriano, province of Ancona September 1427, Rome) Italian painter, the largest representative of... ... Wikipedia

Fabriano- (Gentile da Fabriano, 1370 1450, actually G. di Niccolo di Giovanni di Masso) Italian painter, studied in his hometown, Fabriano (in Umbria), with the minor artist Allegretto Nuzi, probably became close in his youth with someone from ... ...

Fabriano Gentile- (da Fabriano, 1370 1450, actually G. di Niccolo di Giovanni di Masso) Italian. painter, studied in his hometown, Fabriano (in Umbria), with the minor artist Allegretto Nuzi, probably became close in his youth with one of the other Siena... encyclopedic Dictionary F. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

Italian Renaissance Portrait- Sandro Botticelli. "Portrait of a young man with a medal of Cosimo de' Medici." 1470 1477. Uffizi, Florence Portrait of an Italian ... Wikipedia

Pisanello- Birth name: Antonio di Puccio Pisano Date of birth: ca. 1395 Place of birth: Pisa Date of death: ca. 1455 ... Wikipedia

BELLINI- [ital. Bellini], Italian family. artists of the 15th century, representatives of the Venetian school of painting. Jacopo B. Madonna and Child. Artist I. Bellini. OK. 1450 (Uffizi Gallery, Florence) Madonna and Child. Artist I. Bellini. OK. 1450 (Gallery... ... Orthodox Encyclopedia

<< Главная страница

Painting. Gentile da Fabriano

"International Gothic" also filtered into Marches and Umbria. Here she put forward one of the most “sweet” painters of that time - Gentile da Fabriano (c. 1370-1427)459. Before Masaccio came along, he was the most influential Italian artist. His beautiful, poetic art had an irresistible charm for the people of that time. They were fond of it in the artist’s homeland, and in Venice, and in Brescia, and in Rome, and even in Florence. He was the most talented representative of the “soft style,” but one who was not afraid to take the path of a certain rapprochement with a new, realistic direction. In this respect he is somewhat reminiscent of Masolino, but the latter followed this path much further than Gentile, since he had to work side by side with Masaccio. In general, they were like-minded people.
Gentile was a native of Fabriano, a small town located in the Marches, which bordered Umbria. In these areas, the trecentist traditions held on for a long time and stubbornly, taking on particularly soft forms, with a slight touch of sentimentality (Gissi, Nutsi). Religious art subsequently flourished in the soil of the Marches and Umbria, hardly changing under the influence of new Renaissance ideas that penetrated here very late. Gentile, who was born around 137°, spent his childhood in this provincial conservative environment. His father was a mathematician and astrologer who joined the Benedictine congregation. My father's brother was also a monk of the Olivetan order. It is known that when Gentile came to Rome towards the end of his life, he lived in the monastery of Santa Maria Nuova, which belonged to the same order. From this we can conclude that he never broke ties with the monastic environment, although his customers were mainly secular people.
The earliest known work by Gentile (Madonna with St. Nicholas and St. Catherine, c. 1395, Picture Gallery, Berlin-Dahlem) clearly shows that he could not be removed from the local school. This painting, with its scrupulously accurate reproduction of details, reflects Gentile's thorough acquaintance with the works of Lombard miniatures of the end of the century [such, for example, manuscripts as the chivalric romance "Guiron de Courtois" in Paris National Library(cod. nouv. acq. 5243), or “Prayer Book” - ibid (ms. lat. 757) > or “Tacuinum sanitatis” in the Vienna National Library (S. N. item 2644); Wed Vol. 2 of this study, p. 253~254> 256-257] - Here also echoes of such a widespread easel painting“soft style”, which by this time had become an international phenomenon.
Nude (Lombard tradition) Christ stands in a free pose on the right knee of Mary, who sits on a throne located on a lawn strewn with flowers. Among the foliage of the trees flanking the throne there are fabulous half-figures of angels playing various musical instruments. Everything in this picture is presented in a particularly soft way - the melodiously writhing sides of Mary’s robe, her beautiful feminine face, and the flirtatious figure of St. Catherine, an elegant fashionista who seemed to have stepped out of the pages of a Lombard illustrated manuscript, and the abundance of flowers that Gentile loved like no other artist and which he willingly introduced into his paintings at every opportunity. Already in his young years, Gentile mastered precise and elegant drawing, as evidenced especially clearly by the portrait of the customer, magnificent in its truthfulness, as well as the figure of St. Nicholas with his left hand depicted from a perspective. There is nothing provincial in the picture, it is quite at the “level of the century”, but not Renaissance, but late Gothic.
Already in the Berlin film, Gentile appears as a born colorist, with excellent taste choosing his colors. Warm blue and red colors are given in combination with exquisite taupe, taupe and noble gray tones. Gentile loves the latter color very much, and he brings out unexpectedly new shades from its combination with other paints, testifying to his sophisticated perception of color.
The Berlin Madonna and Saints was executed for the church of San Nicola in Fabriano. For the local church, the monastery of Balle, Romita-Gentile wrote a polyptych, now stored in the Milanese Brera Gallery (“Coronation of Mary” - in the center; the figures of Jerome, Francis, Magdalene and Domenic - on the side doors; four small scenes, whose location in the original polyptych remains not entirely clear - “The Assassination of Peter the Martyr”, “John the Baptist in the Wilderness”, “Thomas Aquinas” and “The Stigmatization of St. Francis”). In the polyptych, Gothic features were clearly strengthened (especially in the interpretation of the robes of Christ, Mary, Jerome and Magdalene). The sides of the cloaks twist in the most whimsical way. All faces have something in common - straight, regularly shaped noses, narrow eyes, delicate skin tone, a touch of prettiness that neutralizes personality traits. The figures seem to be boneless, with thin limbs, and not very firmly positioned. Gentile’s special love for the “decorated” form is evidenced by the interpretation of the lining of Christ’s cloak, which is all strewn with gold stars, as well as the abundance of flowers. These flowers dot the landscapes in small pictures and the soil on the side doors, where the feet of the saints are literally buried in a fluffy green carpet. Gentile achieves a special grace of writing in the figures of angels playing various musical instruments, presented under the “Coronation”. Resorting to fine golden shading, Gentile uses it to model the folds of clothing, and does it so skillfully that a bridge is easily built here from his painting to his wonderful drawings.
Very characteristic of Gentile are the emotional shades that he embodied in the small pictures of the polyptych: Peter the Martyr, surrounded by flowers, meekly accepts martyrdom, John the Baptist quietly prays in the desert, enlivened by honeysuckle bushes and devoid of any “wildness,” Thomas Aquinas, sitting on the lawn in front of in his cell, immersed in deep thought over a book, Francis sweetly accepts the stigmata. Everyone is like that states of mind, in which there is no hint of any forced feelings.
Gentile created his polyptych based on more in-depth study Lombard art along the lines of Michelino da Besozzo and Giovannino de Grassi. But he undoubtedly knew the works of the most famous Siena painter of the late 14th - early 16th centuries, Taddeo di Bartolo, who was in many ways close to him in spirit. The orientation of the young Gentile is significant - this is the late Gothic art of Lombardy and the lyrical painting of Siena.
Already in the first decade of the 15th century, Gentile was famous artist, otherwise the Serenissima would not have commissioned him to paint the hall in 1409 Great Council in the Palazzo Ducale (the theme of the fresco was “The Naval Battle between Otto III and the Venetians”; the fresco was destroyed in a fire in 1577). Gentile came to Venice a little earlier, in 1408, when he completed a painting commissioned by a certain Francesco Amadi. A remarkable detail - already at this time Gentile received high fees, because compared to the painting by Niccolò di Pietro, his work was paid twice as much. Gentile stayed in Venice until 1412. Here he also completed a number of other works - the image of “The Tempest”, which aroused the admiration of B. Fazio, and the profile portraits described by Marcantonio Miquiel, “very lively, very finished, possessing a brilliance, as if they were painted in oil.” Gentile's activities in Venice left a deep imprint on her art (Iacobello del Fiore, Giambono, Jacopo Bellini). All the masters of the Gothic camp, who had not yet joined the new Renaissance aesthetics, saw in Gentile’s painting a kind of ideal that they should be guided by. She attracted with her fabulous beauty and at the same time was believable enough to meet new tastes.
In 1414 we find Gentile in Brescia, where he remained until 1419. Here he painted a chapel for Pandolfo Malatesta (these frescoes have not survived). In Brescia, Gentile came into close contact with the feudal-knightly environment, whose way of life was, apparently, no less close to him than Pisanello. In 1419, Gentile received an invitation from Pope Martin V to come to Rome, but he fulfilled this papal wish only eight years later.
The style of Gentile’s works from the era of his stay in Brescia can be given a certain idea by his two “Madonnas” (in National Gallery Umbria in Perugia and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York). Iconographically, they are quite close to each other: the Madonna sits on a throne, the back of which is woven from plants; the throne stands on a lawn strewn with flowers; below are tiny figures of angels, arranged in a semicircle, holding in their hands a long scroll with musical notation, glorifying Mary with singing. And here are naked babies, according to the Lombard tradition, and here is the traditional pretty type of Madonna, and here are many flowers. Only the Gothic stylization of the folds was slightly weakened, the figures became somewhat more massive. But the overall tone of the story remains dreamlike, especially in the lovely angel figures (in the Metropolitan Museum of Art painting, two of them play tiny harps). Such subtle, poetic art should have found a wide response in cities that had not yet joined the Renaissance movement, such as Fabriano, where Gentile was between 1420 and 1422, and Siena, to which Gentile was always drawn (the birthplace of Simone Martini) and where he may have visited for the first time in 1420-1421.
Even before Gentile da Fabriano’s trip to Florence, his lovely “Madonna” dates back to National Museum in Pisa. Mary sits on a low cushion, worshiping with folded arms the naked child lying on her lap. The sides of her cloak, in contact with the ground, twist in a Gothic manner. Her figure is depicted against a background of patterned silk fabric, her chiseled face captivates with the beauty typical of the artist, her hands with thin aristocratic fingers are the sleek hands of a noble lady. In this elegant painting, blue and red colors are skillfully combined with gold background and in a light tone Maria's hair. Probably dating from the same time is the fragment of the Madonna from the Bernson collection in Settignano, where the beloved Gentile female type appears with particular purity. The artist’s contact with Siena painting could have played a significant role in the formation of this type.
In 1422, Gentile appeared in the aura of glory as the most important painter of his time in Florence. He was invited here by the rich man Palla Strozzi, who belonged to the Albizzi party and was forced after the victory of Cosimo de' Medici to go into exile for sixty-two years. He settled in Padua, and his home here became a center of humanism. Palla himself was educated person, close to humanistic circles (Co-luccio Salutati, Leonardo Bruni and others). He supported the University of Florence and the Greek Emmanuel Chrysolor, who taught here, and copied many Greek manuscripts from the East. When he was faced with the task of ordering a luxurious altarpiece for the family chapel in the Church of Santa Trinita, he naturally turned to the most famous and fashionable artist Italy - to Gentile da Fabriano. At this early stage, the attraction to humanism had not yet become such a mature trend that it was possible to realize the deep internal kinship between the humanistic worldview and the new Renaissance art. Therefore on early stages developments, the works of the late Gothic masters were often perceived as not much different from the works of the Renaissance innovators. The understanding of the fundamental difference between them came later. This is now easy for us to differentiate in retrospect artistic movements of the early 15th century, much remained unclear to their contemporaries, who stood at the center of the controversial process. Therefore, it is not surprising that people like Palla Strozzi, who have already joined humanistic culture, admired such artists as Gentile da Fabriano, who came to Florence before Masaccio spoke and when Lorenzo Monaco and his followers still continued to dominate among Florentine painters. And one more factor must be taken into account. The customer, Gentile Palla Strozzi, belonged to the highest circles of the nobility, who adopted many of the attributes of the feudal aristocracy and for whom its life was often a welcome dream.
Arriving in Florence, Gentile hastened in November 1422 to join the guild of doctors and pharmacists. Thus, he legalized his position among Florentine painters. The theme of the altar image commissioned for him was “The Adoration of the Magi.” This allowed the artist to depict, under the guise of a gospel legend, the life of his contemporary society, or rather, its upper circles, which in many ways gravitated toward feudal culture. There is no freely expanded space in the picture, but there are many entertaining and accurately conveyed details in the spirit of “empirical realism.” The baby is worshiped by wise men dressed in brocade and velvet, who came from distant countries with their large retinue. The scene of worship is painted in completely secular tones: the bowed Christ caresses the head of the old sorcerer; Behind Mary stand two maids, one of whom, coquettishly draped in a cloak, is presented half-turned towards the viewer. The spirit of courtliness reigns here, and even moreover, the spirit of chivalry. The Magi did not appear alone - with their entourage, squires, bodyguards, falconers, and grooms. There are also images of thoroughbred horses and dogs participating in hunting falcons and cheetahs, exotic monkeys. As if wanting to emphasize the nobility of the visiting Magi, the artist introduces characteristic episode with tying a spur on the leg of the youngest of the kings. The entire foreground group shimmers with bright light colors - blue, red, yellow, gray, grayish-violet, lavender. The abundant use of gold gives an even more festive coloring, much like the palette of the late Gothic French miniaturists.
Gentile, unlike the Renaissance masters, does not know how, and does not want to build free space. The entire group in the foreground is extremely crowded, there are no intervals between the figures, they are clearly cramped. Individual bold angles (for example, a bull in a cave or horses on the right side of the composition) do not save the situation, since they are unable to disrupt the overall flat rhythm. Gentile understands the painting as a kind of tapestry, which requires a very special approach to it. It must be examined in parts, and then unexpectedly new details are revealed to the eye - a flying falcon, cooing doves, trees strewn with fruits, etc. Gentile was unable to construct single space in his altar form. The space in which the first plan group is located seems to suddenly end, and behind it there are distances with traveling wise men. These landscapes are arranged in three lunettes formed by the arches of the frame. On the left we see a seascape with a castle on a cliff and a city at its foot. On a separate hill stand three wise men, to whom the star announces the birth of the savior of the world. From this hill begins the procession of the Magi, winding like a ribbon in two adjacent lunettes. Gentile here also introduces “insert” episodes - two fighting men who are calmed down by a warrior; hunter walking with a dog; fleeing hare The waves of the sea, gardens, arable land, shrubs, and trees were painted with miniature care. In the central lunette the cortege is heading towards the castle, in the right lunette we see him returning home. Moreover, here Gentile reproduced with extraordinary accuracy the details of costumes, weapons, harnesses, he even did not forget to paint two chained cheetahs used in hunting. And yet, despite this care in conveying details, Gentile's narrative has some kind of fairy-tale character. These tiny figures seem like toys, set in motion by an invisible hand.
A. Colasanti correctly drew attention to the fact that Gentile, when creating his altar image, was under the influence of church drama, which was widespread in those days460. It was attended by both the highest circles of society and simple artisans and peasants who came to the city. Particularly rewarding material was represented by such an action as the procession of the Magi. Here one could boast of one’s wealth, one’s posture, one’s dexterity, and, in other cases, one’s facial expressions. Gentile had the opportunity to see all this, and he transferred what he saw into his picture, focusing on the festive, casual side of the action.
Gentile placed the “Adoration of the Magi” in a rich Gothic frame, which was undoubtedly made according to his design and which he decorated in the upper part with three medallions depicting the half-figure of Christ and the Annunciation. He flanked these medallions with figures of reclining prophets, presented in free, natural poses. He endowed the beam pilasters of the frame with slots imitating windows, into which he inserted tiny bouquets of flowers. He did this with great art and with rich invention. Here you can once again see how passionate fan Gentile had flowers, they seemed to pour oil on his poetic soul.
The predella of the altar consists of three scenes: “The Nativity of Christ”, “The Flight into Egypt” and “Bringing into the Temple” ( last picture ended up in the Louvre). Gentile appears here in a more lively and realistic aspect. He depicts “Christmas” at night, giving two sources of light: a halo around an angel appearing to the shepherds, and a halo around a baby lying on the ground. The whole sky is strewn with stars. Silvery light, not very consistently sustained, glides across the surface of the figures, tearing them out of the darkness. In “Escape,” which is compositionally constructed much more successfully, a semicircle of hills frames a group walking to the right, and two castles visible in the distance flank the composition. And here are the fruit trees and dense bushes so beloved by Gentile. The road is strewn with small stones, highlighted by rich reflections. Gentile willingly resorted to a special “pointillistic” style of painting, scattering tiny highlights with a small brush (this is especially striking in the interpretation of the trees in front of the right castle). In general, Gentile’s writing technique is very perfect, and even in faces that are more carefully interpreted, he is never dry - his “smoky” chiaroscuro is so light and transparent. In the third predella (“Bringing to the Temple”) Gentile probably wanted to show off his knowledge of perspective to the Florentines. He depicts here the buildings himself various types- a rusticated palazzo with Gothic bi-foriums, an octogon, an open portico, and a street going deep into the interior. All this was done with a very rough knowledge of the laws of perspective, “by eye,” so to speak. And all this is artistically very convincing, although the buildings seem like toys. Gentile gave the central episode framed by the figures of two fashionable women (on the left) and two beggars (on the right), as if emphasizing the social contrasts of the era.
Gentile did not experience any particular influence of Florentine art in his painting. He was much more mature and talented than those late Gothic Florentine painters who worked at that time. Only in the figures of the prophets flanking the medallions in the upper part of the frame, with their complex turns, unexpectedly bold angles, and plastically expressive motifs, can one discern echoes of the artistic quest of Florentine masters (primarily Ghiberti). It would be in vain to look for purely Renaissance features in Gentile’s altar image. Masaccio had not yet come to the fore; the leading masters were Ghiberti, Lorenzo Monaco, Masolino, and Gentile felt much closer to them than to the one who had just begun his creative path Donatello.
In his altarpiece, the most beautiful and festive painting of the early Quattrocento, Gentile depicted the feudal world that was leaving the historical stage in all its splendor, with all its outwardly attractive features, in the halo of its “chivalrous romance.” Apart from the paintings of Pisanello, no one has given such a highly artistic embodiment to this world. Here Gentile openly expressed his sympathies, clearly showing what he valued and what was close to his heart.
Although Gentile was a strong individual who stood firm in his positions, it cannot be denied that in his work of the last five years there has been a tendency towards calmer and more monumental forms. Yet it was impossible even for such a self-confident master as Gentile to completely ignore Florentine art. In “Madonna” from the University Art Gallery of New Haven, he still paints the baby, according to the Lombard tradition, naked, but there is no angularity in his figure, and Mary’s cloak forms more natural folds. The frame with its windows, in which branches with flowers and fruits are visible, anticipates the motif of the frame of the “Adoration of the Magi” from the Uffizi. And this painting, cut off at the bottom, uses fruit trees to fill the entire background. It was probably in Florence that Gentile wrote “The Coronation of Mary” (Eijel collection, Paris461). Here he pays tribute to his passion for rich patterned fabrics, in the ornaments of which gold is widely used. In this regard, as well as in the types of faces, Gentile has many similarities with Masolino, who was no less fond of rich attire (cf. his Washington “Annunciation”). The charming “Madonna” from the Goldman-Kress collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the “Madonna with St. Lawrence and Julian" in the Frick collection in New York462; although the sides of Mary’s cloak in these paintings still twist whimsically, the cloak itself falls into more natural folds. In the third painting, the clothed infant taps his feet on Mary's lap, a motif that adds a more realistic touch to the traditional depiction of the Madonna.
The new features are even more pronounced in the polyptych of 1425, made for the Quaratesi family and placed in the main chapel of the Florentine church of San Niccolò Oltrarno (now kept in different museums: doors with images of Saints Nicholas of Bari, Mary Magdalene, John the Baptist and George in the Uffizi; the central image of the Madonna ended up in Buckingham Palace; Scenes from the life of St. that were part of the limit. Nicholas are in the Vatican Pinakothek and in the Washington National Gallery463). The figures of saints stand on their feet much more firmly than in early works. The folds of their clothes are more rounded and more generalized. Gothic flourishes are reduced to a minimum (they are still evident in the interpretation of the lower part of Mary’s cloak, whose image has acquired an unprecedented early works Gentile monumentality). It is very revealing to compare the figure of Magdalene from the early polyptych in Brera with her figure in the Quaratesi polyptych. As much as everything became stricter and more restrained, almost nothing was kept from the forced running of the lines. It is significant that in the small Gospel scenes decorating the robe of St. Nicholas, Gentile appears more natural, in which one cannot help but see the influence of Florentine art. The latter had a particularly strong effect in the scene “The Miracle at the Tomb of St. Nicholas in Bari”, which was part of the predella (National Gallery, Washington). Here Gentile, carried away by the promising quests of Florentine painters, gives a very truthfully recreated interior of the church with a tomb located in the apse, with cross vaults, with columns, with steps leading into the interior. Any crowding has disappeared from the composition, the figures are clearly arranged in space. Gentile here approaches the very threshold of Renaissance art, approaches, but decisively does not cross it.
After May 1425, Gentile moved to Siena, which was so close to him, where he stayed until 1426 and where he executed a polyptych commissioned by local notaries (not preserved). At the end of 1425, Gentile traveled to Orvieto. Here he painted a fresco in the cathedral, depicting the Madonna with a smiling child, who stands on her right knee, grasping her little finger with his left hand. This charming genre motif brings the image closer to the viewer, depriving the image of a touch of refined courtliness so dear to Gentile’s heart.
In 1427 we find Gentile in Rome, where he arrived at the invitation of Pope Martin V to paint the main Roman church of that time - San Giovanni in Laterano (this painting has not survived). Because of sudden death artist it was completed by Pisanello. Gentile painted scenes from the life of John the Baptist and figures of the prophets in the chiaroscuro technique between the windows of the basilica. These figures were especially noted by B. Fazio: “... so depicted that they do not seem to be written, but sculpted from marble”464. The last words can be understood in the sense that in the painting of late Gentile there was an intensification plastic beginning(this was already reflected in the scene from the life of St. Nicholas that we analyzed). In Rome, Gentile also painted a fresco over the tomb of Cardinal Adimari (“Madonna between Benedict and Joseph”), which Michelangelo highly praised. And although these drawings are graphically perfect, they bear the stamp of great restraint: the artist seemed to be the first to discover beauty ancient art and perceives her even timidly, despite the fact that he is clearly fascinated by her. This is how the late Gothic painter completes his creative path, showing the way to those who were able to more deeply penetrate the aesthetic ideals of antiquity.
Gentile da Fabriano is the last, apart from Pisanello, great late Gothic painter of Italy, the last great master"soft style" His charming art, formally polished and full of a very special sweetness, was very much liked by his contemporaries. Va-
Zari wrote that the artist’s hand fully justified his name (in Italian “gentile” means “gentle”). Indeed, Gentile was attracted to everything beautiful, soft, and poetic. He loved angelic feminine faces, sleek aristocratic hands, precious patterned fabrics, rhythmically writhing golden borders of robes, suits of the most fashionable cut, richly decorated halos with Arabic inscriptions, and he endlessly loved flowers and various vegetation, especially fruit trees, whose juicy fruits reminded him of the generous gifts of nature.
One of the most sophisticated colorists, he is one-
temporarily he was also a master of the “singing” line. Tone kaya, lyrical nature, Gentile especially
He especially appreciated everything pleasing to the eye, and that’s why his works always enjoyed such a buzz.
on foot. In their general spirit, Gentile's works are very far from what Donatello and Masaccio created. However, the “soft style” in the hands of the artist increasingly lost the features of stylization, and at the same time acquired more and more natural features, developing in the direction of rapprochement with nature. It is not for nothing that Gentile was one of the most “accurate” landscape painters of the early Quattrocento. All this taken together forces us to assign Gentile a place at the junction of two eras. He has not yet matured to the Renaissance understanding of form, but weak Renaissance trends are still felt in his later works466.

Italian painter who worked in the late Gothic style, the largest representative of the so-called “international Gothic” in Italy. His real name is Gentile di Niccolò di Giovanni Massi; he was born between 1360 and 1370 in Fabriano in Umbria.

Reliable works by Gentile da Fabriano are considered to be “The Adoration of the Magi” (1423), commissioned by Palla Strozzi for the Church of Santa Trinita - now in the Uffizi, part of the predella - in the Louvre; Quaratesi polyptych (1425) for the church of San Niccolo, central image Madonnas are now in the London National Gallery, panels with saints are in the Uffizi, parts of the predella are in the Vatican Pinacoteca and in the Washington National Gallery; polyptych “The Wedding of Our Lady with the Saints” - in Brera. In addition, Madonnas in Settignano (Berenson collection), Perugia (Pinacoteca), Pisa (Pinacotheca), Velletri (Cathedral), New Haven (Jarves collection), New York (Metropolitan Museum), Berlin (Muei), "Madonna in glory" (Maesta) - the remains of a fresco in the cathedral of Orvieto (1425).

The main advantages of these beautiful works are the liveliness of the composition, the carefully designed, delicate drawing, the nobility and expressiveness of the figures, and the freshness of the colors. With the delicacy of his modeling of faces, the gentle pallor of their carnation and the ability to animate them with a sense of piety, Gentile is reminiscent of Fra Beato Angelico. It is assumed that Frangelico could have been a student of da Fabriano.

The artist’s art combines the interest in detail inherent in Northern European Gothic, decorativeness and soft sentimentality characteristic of the Umbrian school. The painting of Gentile da Fabriano, opposite in spirit to the Renaissance, had a decisive influence on art Northern Italy(in particular, the works of Jacopo Bellini, Pisanello and Antonio Vivarini) and many masters of Central Italy. Echoes of Gentile da Fabriano's style can be found in the frescoes of Benozzo Gozzoli in the Palazzo Medici in Florence and in the battle compositions of Paolo Uccello.

In 1425, Gentile arrived in Florence, where he began work on an equally significant polyptych for the church of San Niccolo Oltrarno - the signature “Quaratesi Polyptych”. Its parts are scattered across many museums around the world. In the center of the polyptych is a Madonna with angels. It is drawn with a monumentality rare for Gentile, almost equal to the new style.

The work of Gentile da Fabriano is a typical example of the International Gothic style, which is characterized by refined elegance, increasing secular trends and the artist's interest in naturalistic details. In the paintings of Gentile da Fabriano, the latter feature is manifested in the realistic interpretation of animals, birds and plants, as well as in what can be called the first “still lifes”.

The work of Gentile da Fabriano can rightfully be considered highest achievement"International Gothic", which in significance can only be compared with the art of the Limburg brothers and van Eyck, its distinctive feature was the search for lighting effects. Gentile was considered a tireless traveler, a passionate experimenter who absorbed many different painting traditions.

Gentile was the herald high society, was an artist of the “autumn of the Middle Ages”. Until the end of his life, he remained true to himself and his inspiration, avoiding the imposition of conservative tastes, and looked for new ways to convey color and light. But still, this world did not leave a significant mark on the painting of Florence, where new elements of Renaissance painting began to appear. But we should not forget the admiration and delight with which Gentile’s work was perceived in all Florentine circles. Many centuries later, Vasari Michelangelo says this about Gentile: “In painting, his hand was like his name.”

Gentile da Fabriano July 7th, 2010

Gentile da Fabriano(Gentile da Fabriano) (c. 1370-1427), Italian painter who worked in the late Gothic style, the largest representative of the so-called “international Gothic” in Italy. His real name is Gentile di Niccolo di Giovanni Massi; he was born between 1360 and 1370 in Fabriano in Umbria.

The first mention of Gentile da Fabriano in archival documents Rome dates back to 1408; in Florence, the artist was enrolled in the workshop of doctors and pharmacists (painting masters were included in this workshop) in 1422. He also worked in Venice (1409), Brescia (1419), Siena (1421 and 1425), Orvieto (1425) and Rome (1427). He died in Rome in 1427, where from 1426 until his death he was engaged in decorating the Lateran Cathedral with frescoes depicting scenes from the life of John the Baptist. After his death, his younger contemporary and friend Pisanello, to whom Gentile bequeathed his working tools, completed the painting of the basilica (unfortunately, it was not preserved - the frescoes were destroyed in the 17th century during Borromini's reconstruction). According to one assumption, he was buried in the Roman church of Santa Maria in Trastevere.

Gentile's works in other places (for example, in the Venetian Palazzo Doge) also perished. One can get an idea of his talent only from the few easel paintings of his work that have come down to us, of which the most remarkable are "Adoration of the Magi"(one of the best examples of "international gothic"), "The Coronation of Mary" And "Flight into Egypt".

Gentile began his path to fame in his hometown of Fabriano, Marche province, and created his first paintings there. In his paintings one can discern some features of Lombard painting, which suggest that the artist spent some time in Lombardy at the end of the 14th century.

One of his first works "Madonna with Saint Nicholas and Saint Catherine" was conceived as a holy interview with three angels playing music among the trees of the garden. It is very reminiscent of a Lombard miniature - after all, it is in this painting, with its scrupulously accurate reproduction of details, that Gentile’s thorough acquaintance with the works of Lombard miniature is reflected. Here, too, echoes of the “soft style”, so widespread in easel painting, which by this time had become an international phenomenon, make themselves felt.

Madonna and Child with Saints Nicholas and Catherine. 1405 Gentile da Fabriano. State museums, Berlin. Tempera.

In 1408, Gentile visited Venice, where he created an altarpiece, and in 1409 he began working on famous fresco the Great Council Hall of the Doge's Palace, but not a single work has survived to this day. The fresco of the Palace of the Rains played a huge role in shaping the work of some Veneto artists, especially Pisanello and Giovanni Bellini.

The Adoration of the Magi (1423), commissioned by Palla Strozzi for the Church of Santa Trinita - now in the Uffizi, is considered to be a reliable work by Gentile da Fabriano. part of the predella - in the Louvre; Quaratesi polyptych(1425) for the church of San Niccolo, central image of Madonna- now in the London National Gallery, panels with saints - in the Uffizi, parts of the predella - in the Vatican Pinakothek and in the Washington National Gallery; polyptych “The Wedding of Our Lady with the Saints” - in Brera. In addition, Madonnas in Settignano (Berenson collection), Perugia (Pinacoteca), Pisa (Pinacotheca), Velletri (Cathedral), New Haven (Jarves collection), New York (Metropolitan Museum), Berlin (Museum), "Madonna in Glory" (Maesta)- remains of a fresco in the cathedral of Orvieto (1425).

Adoration of the Magi. 1423 Gentile da Fabriano. Uffizi Gallery, Florence. Tempera.

Coronation of Mary. Polyptych Valle Romita. 1400g. Gentile da Fabriano.

Coronation of Mary. Polyptych Valle Romita. Detail. 1400g. Gentile da Fabriano. Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan. Tempera.

Rest on the way to Egypt. 1423 Gentile da Fabriano.

The artist’s art combines the interest in detail inherent in Northern European Gothic, decorativeness and soft sentimentality characteristic of the Umbrian school. The painting of Gentile da Fabriano, opposite in spirit to the Renaissance, had a decisive influence on the art of Northern Italy (in particular, on the work of Jacopo Bellini, Pisanello and Antonio Vivarini) and many masters of Central Italy. Echoes of Gentile da Fabriano's style can be found in the frescoes of Benozzo Gozzoli in the Palazzo Medici in Florence and in the battle compositions of Paolo Uccello.

Presentation of Christ into the Temple. 1423 Gentile da Fabriano. Louvre, Paris. Tempera on wood.

Four Saints. Polyptych of Quaratesi.1425. Gentile da Fabriano. Uffizi Gallery, Florence. Tempera on wood.

Madonna and Child. 1425 Gentile da Fabriano. Cathedral in Orvieto. Fresco.

Madonna and Child. Part of the Quaratesi altar. 1425. Gentile da Fabriano. National Gallery, London. Egg tempera, poplar.

Annunciation. 1425 Gentile da Fabriano. Pinakothek, Vatican. Tempera, gold on wood.

The work of Gentile da Fabriano can rightfully be considered the highest achievement of “international Gothic”, which in significance can only be compared with the art of the Limburg brothers and van Eyck; its distinctive feature was the search for lighting effects. Gentile was considered a tireless traveler, a passionate experimenter who absorbed many different painting traditions.
Gentile was a herald of high society, he was an artist of the “autumn of the Middle Ages.” Until the end of his life, he remained true to himself and his inspiration, avoiding the imposition of conservative tastes, and looked for new ways to convey color and light. But still, this world did not leave a significant mark on the painting of Florence, where new elements of Renaissance painting began to appear. But we should not forget the admiration and delight with which Gentile’s work was perceived in all Florentine circles. Many centuries later, Vasari Michelangelo says this about Gentile: “In painting, his hand was like his name.”