Tretyakov Gallery masterpieces of the Pinakothek. Vatican Museums - overview of the most interesting places

The exhibition at the Tretyakov Gallery is called “Roma Aeterna. Masterpieces of the Vatican Pinacoteca. Bellini, Raphael, Caravaggio." Its curator Arkady Ippolitov says that the main idea of ​​the exhibition is reflected in its very title: Roma Aeterna, the “eternal city” of Rome, associated with the history of the spiritual quest of Europe from the 12th century to the Enlightenment, the quintessence of the European spirit. The Vatican Museums are famous for their Roman antiquity collections, so the continuity of European culture from ancient times to the Renaissance is clearly visible.

Benevolent Apostles

In 1480, the artist Melozzo, who came from the small village of Forli, received an important commission - to paint the Basilica of Santi Apostoli in Rome (Temple of the Twelve Apostles). He conceived a large fresco up to 17 meters in diameter, in which the artist tells the story of the Ascension. Melozzo da Forlì, as he was later called, was the first to boldly and revolutionaryly use in this painting unexpected angles of the figures of saints, at which the audience should look up. After the discovery of the laws of perspective, problems arose with depicting objects in the correct proportions so that viewers from below could see them in natural forms (this problem was later successfully solved by Raphael). According to the artist’s plan, golden-haired angels-musicians looked down from the azure heavens, the figures of the apostles located along the perimeter looked kindly at the parishioners, and in the middle was the majestic figure of Jesus.

Exhibition curator Arkady Ippolitov explains that the idea of ​​the exhibition is based on the thesis of the unity of humanity

The fresco turned out wonderful, and the artist’s work was paid for by Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere, the future Pope Julius II. Melozzo was also loved by Pope Sixtus IV, but nevertheless did not receive an offer to paint the Sistine Chapel. The director of the Vatican Museums, Antonio Paolucci, suggests that Ghirlandaio, Perugino and Botticelli (the most famous and active artists of this era) conspired to prevent Melozzo from working. In addition, Melozzo, who worked in the Eternal City for several years, was considered “too Roman”, and at that time there was a fashion for artists from Tuscany. Today there is little that reminds us of this outstanding artist. In 1714, the Basilica of Santi Apostoli was rebuilt and Melozzo's frescoes were destroyed. Only fourteen of its fragments were saved. They are divided between the Palazzo del Quirinale (“Christ in Glory”) and the Vatican Pinacoteca (the figures of angels and apostles that the artist loved to paint decorate a separate room of the Pinacoteca).

It was the fragments with images of golden-haired angels playing music, which became symbols of Rome, that were brought to Moscow.

Treasures of the Pinakothek

The Vatican Pinacoteca contains seven centuries of the history of the Papal State. The institution of the papacy, founded by the Apostle Peter in the 1st century, links European civilization with the ancient world. This is one of the few connections that has survived to this day.

The history of the Vatican Museums dates back to January 14, 1506, when during excavations the ancient sculptural group “Laocoon and His Sons”, known from the descriptions of the Roman historian Pliny the Elder, was found. Pope Julius II, being a patron of the arts, bought this find, and entrusted the work on its restoration to Michelangelo. A month later, the marble composition was put on public display. These were the very first examples of painting by artists of Ancient Greece. Pinakes by famous masters were exhibited in rich private collections and were rarely discovered. When the Vatican began to collect a collection of paintings, following the example of Ancient Greece, it was given the name Pinakothek. Its founder was Pope Pius VI, the collection moved to different rooms until a new building was built for it in 1932, where it is now housed.

One world

Arkady Ippolitov, commenting on the exhibition at the Tretyakov Gallery, explains that the idea of ​​the exhibition is based on the thesis of the unity of humanity. Therefore, the exhibition begins with the 12th century Roman icon “Christ Blessing,” which personifies the Universe. But at the same time she speaks of the unity of the Christian idea. This is the starting point in which Christianity was united, in which the closeness of Italian and Russian cultures is obvious. The concept of Rome has been very important for Russian culture for centuries. For six hundred years, Russia has lived with the idea that Moscow is the Third Rome. This idea is also presented in the current exhibition through selected works - 42 works on religious subjects.

For six hundred years, Russia has lived with the idea that Moscow is the Third Rome. The current exhibition also presents this idea through selected works.

The Blessing Christ is followed by the work of Margaritone d'Arezzo (13th century) - it is believed that this is the first image of St. Francis of Assisi. It was his name that was chosen by the current pope, who became the first Francis in the history of the Vatican. They brought to Moscow the most interesting painting “Jesus before Pilate” by Pietro Lorenzetti, which echoes the famous painting by Nikolai Ge “What is Truth?” from the Tretyakov Gallery (almost all Russian artists of the 18th-19th centuries who graduated with honors from the Academy of Painting, after graduation received a scholarship to study in Europe, most often it was Italy). Then follows two images from the life of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. One of them belongs to the brush of Gentile da Fabriano, the second - Fra Beato Angelico, a Benedictine monk from Florence, who became the greatest artist of the early Renaissance... Here are two “Lamentations of Christ” by Carlo Crivelli and Giovanni Bellini - very important in the work of these Venetian artists of the Renaissance.

Rome is like a book

The exhibition includes several works that attract with their incredible visual power and originality. This is the great painting by Caravaggio “Entombment”, and the altarpiece by Nicolas Poussin “The Martyrdom of St. Erasmus”, the artist’s largest work written specifically for St. Peter’s Basilica, and the exhibition ending with “Astronomical Observations” by Donato Creti - eight paintings in one frame, dedicated to the then known planets of the solar system. The canvas was painted to convince Pope Clement XI to finance the construction of an observatory - a few years later the observatory was built in Bologna. The current exhibition reads like a book - if you are not lazy and try to start reading this book. After all, Rome is a city-book, where antiquity is intertwined with the present. Nikolai Gogol wrote: “I read it, read it... and still can’t get to the end; My reading is endless."

* Pinakothek (translated from Greek - storage of paintings) - among the ancient Greeks, a room in which picturesque images were stored. For the Romans, a “pinacoteca” was a room in a house at the entrance to the atrium, decorated with paintings, as well as statues and other artistic objects that the owner especially treasured. Nowadays this word is often used to mean “art gallery.”

Photo: “Vatican Museums” and photo vatican museums/photo Vatican Museums

All tickets until mid-December are already sold out

Visitors at the exhibition

Moscow. November 25. website - An exhibition of paintings from the Vatican Pinacoteca Roma Aeterna, which came to Russia for the first time, opens on Friday at the State Tretyakov Gallery in Lavrushinsky Lane.

“Never before have the Vatican Museums taken outside their borders at the same time such a significant number of outstanding works from the permanent exhibition, so the exhibition will become an event not only for Russia and Europe, but also for the whole world,” said Tretyakov Gallery General Director Zelfira Tregulova earlier.

Especially for this project, the Vatican Museums will present in Russia the best part of their collection - 42 paintings of the 12th-18th centuries. Among them are works by Giovanni Bellini, Melozzo da Forli, Perugino, Raphael, Caravaggio, Guido Reni, Guercino, Nicolas Poussin. According to Deputy Director of the Vatican Museums Barbara Yatta, the exhibition reflects all stages of the artistic development of painting.

Entrance to the exhibition is carried out by session; tickets can be purchased at the box office and on the official website of the museum. At the moment, all tickets for December have been sold out, the gallery's press service noted, a new batch of tickets will go on sale in mid-December. In addition, as previously reported, starting from January, in order to combat speculators, tickets to the exhibition will be personalized.

The museum noted that visitors will enter the halls, and the time during which they can stay at the exhibition is not limited, just as it was at the Aivazovsky exhibition. “For now there will be no restrictions on time spent at the exhibition. As practice shows, usually an hour is enough for viewers to view the exhibition. The first session will begin at 10:00 on the “long” days of the gallery, on “short” days the Tretyakov Gallery is open until 18:00 , the last session starts at 16:30,” the press service explained.

The exhibition opens with the image of “Christ Blessing” from the 12th century, which has never previously been exhibited in temporary exhibitions or left the Vatican. It is an example of the unity of Christianity, since it was created even before the schism, and demonstrates the common roots of Italian and Russian art. Next in chronology is the work of Margaritone d'Arezzo "Saint Francis of Assisi" of the 13th century. It is known for being one of the earliest images of the saint. In the same room there are works of Gothic masters, very rare in Russian collections. Among them is "Jesus in front of Pilate" by Pietro Lorenzetti, two predella telling stories from the life of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia.

Frescoes depicting angels by Melozzo da Forli are separately exhibited. The paintings by this artist were removed from the apse dome during the rebuilding of the Church of Santi Apostoli in Rome.

The High Renaissance, 16th century, is represented in the exhibition by works by Perugino, Raphael, Correggio and Paolo Veronese.

Viewers will also see Caravaggio’s “Entombment” and Nicolas Poussin’s greatest work, the altarpiece “The Martyrdom of St. Erasmus,” written specifically for St. Peter’s Basilica. The exhibition continues with works by Caravaggists and artists of the Bolognese school: Lodovico Carracci, Guido Reni, Guercino.

Roma Aeterna is part of a large project: at the beginning of 2018, a reciprocal exhibition will be held in the Vatican, a significant part of its exhibits will be works of Russian painting on gospel subjects from the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery.

Let’s admit right away: buying a ticket will be difficult, almost impossible, but it’s worth it. Never before have the Vatican Museums exported so many masterpieces from their permanent exhibition outside their borders.

What is “mission impossible” in the modern cultural space of Moscow? That's right, go to an exhibition at the Tretyakov Gallery. Moreover, you can even stand in a queue for many hours, and still this will not give you absolutely any guarantees of the successful completion of this undertaking.

Are you a fan of the latest technology and decide to book your ticket online? Surprise! All tickets until the end of December have long been sold out, and from January 1 to January 15, entry to the exhibition is possible only with personalized tickets in the exact period of time allotted to you. There are absolutely no complaints about the museum’s management: they are doing everything right, there’s just a stream of people wanting to go to the “Roma Aeterna” exhibition. Masterpieces of the Vatican Pinacoteca. Bellini, Raphael, Caravaggio” is so large that the museum is working at the limit of its capacity, and all visits had to be strictly regulated so that chaos does not prevail inside the exhibition space.

Melozzo degli Ambrosi. “Aangel playing the viol"

What is the reason for such a stir? Now we'll tell you! The fact is that the current exhibition is truly unique. The first and main reason is that the Vatican has never provided any museum in the world with such a number of works from the best part of its collection at the same time, and these are as many as 42 paintings! What is unfolding before us now is an essentially unprecedented project not only for the Russian and European cultural space, but, obviously, for the whole world.

Pietro Vannucci. “Saint Placidas” PRESS SERVICE OF THE TRETYAKOV GALLERY

It would not be an exaggeration to say that every painting presented at the exhibition is outstanding. The Vatican Pinacoteca contains the most significant artistic heritage of the history of the Papal State from the 12th to the 18th centuries. The works of such giants as Giovanni Bellini, Melozzo da Forli, Perugino, Raphael, Caravaggio, Guido Reni, Guercino and Nicolas Poussin are presented here. The current exhibition at the Tretyakov Gallery is a kind of reminder to all of us that “Moscow is the third Rome,” and what Rome means for Russia, we don’t even need to remember, enough has been said and written about this.

Paolo Cagliari. “Vision of Saint Helena” PRESS SERVICE OF THE TRETYAKOV GALLERY

Visitors should pay special attention to the painting that opens the exhibition - “Christ Blessing” - the earliest Roman icon, painted in the 12th century under the strong influence of Byzantium. In a certain sense, this is a landmark work for Orthodoxy and Catholicism, since it contains a reminder of their common source, which gave rise to both Russian and Italian art. This icon is the cornerstone that provides the key to understanding the entire current exhibition at the Tretyakov Gallery.

What else is worth standing in line for? Of course, for the sake of the most iconic of the imported works - “Entombment” by Caravaggio, which radically influenced the entire history of world painting. Secondly, for the sake of three frescoes by Melozzo da Forlì, which depict angels who, without undue modesty, can be called the most famous angels in the world. Can you guess what we're talking about? Yes, yes, that's exactly them. Well, and of course you can’t help but see “Saint Francis”, written by Margaritone d’Arezzo in the 13th century. Not a single modern history textbook can do without this picture. And the visit to the exhibition should be completed with two grandiose works by Crivelli and Bellini - “Lamentations”.

Pinakothek collection

The Pinacoteca is one of the collections of the Vatican Museums complex. The first of them were established in the 16th century by Pope Julius II, who ordered the painting of the Sistine Chapel from Michelangelo, and the frescoes for stanzas from Raphael. The art gallery appeared much later: it was founded in the second half of the 18th century by Pope Pius VI. Her collection demonstrates the main milestones of Italian religious painting: from the Proto-Renaissance, the era preceding the Renaissance, to the Old Masters. The collection includes artists from Giotto and Simone Martini to Caravaggio and Guido Reni. However, you can see not only Italians in the Pinakothek: large-format paintings by the French classicist Poussin and the Spanish master Murillo are not inferior to national painting.

Exhibition concept

The issue of an exhibition of masterpieces from the Vatican Pinakothek was decided at the highest level: negotiations were conducted by Vladimir Putin and Pope Francis personally. The scale is quite understandable: this is the first time that paintings have left the Vatican in such quantity - 42 works. In addition, next year the Tretyakov Gallery will send its exhibition to Rome - works on gospel subjects. The curator was Arkady Ippolitov, a senior researcher at the Hermitage, a writer and a brilliant exhibitor who works wonderfully with both the Renaissance and modernity. Not only has he organized exhibitions from Parmigianino to the Kabakovs, but he was the first Russian curator to combine Mapplethorpe's photography and mannerist art in a 2004 exhibition.

Last year, Ippolitov curated a large-scale exhibition “Palladio in Russia”, held at the Tsaritsyno Museum-Reserve and the Museum of Architecture. Shchuseva. It showed the connection between one of the main architects of the Italian Renaissance and Russian architects of different eras, from the Baroque to the Soviets.

Exhibition plan: from celestial beings to celestial bodies

The exhibition at the Tretyakov Gallery is presented in three halls, and it opens with “Christ Blessing” - the earliest work, an icon of the second half of the 12th century. It is in it that the creators of the exhibition see the kinship of Italian and Russian art, which takes Byzantine traditions as a basis. It was Byzantine icons and foldings that became the prototype for both medieval Italian art and ancient Russian religious images. Among the masterpieces of the first hall are the master of International Gothic Gentile da Fabriano and the Venetian of the early Renaissance Carlo Crivelli. Their techniques are conventional and sometimes grotesque: Crivelli, for example, specially lengthens the left hand of Christ in order to connect him with Mary Magdalene and the Virgin Mary. However, the main masterpieces are ahead - Bellini, Perugino and Melozzo da Forli. In his Lamentation of Christ, Bellini resorts to unusual iconography: instead of the Virgin Mary, Christ is supported by Joseph of Arimathea, and Nicodemus and Mary Magdalene are depicted nearby. He was one of the first Venetians to switch from tempera, a paint based on egg yolk, to oil painting - a technique that was brought to Italy from the Netherlands.

Raphael's teacher Pietro Vannucci, better known as Perugino, is represented in the exhibition by two works. These are strong images of Saint Placidus and Saint Justina: and although their features are similar to Raphael's painting (the same soft tilt of the head, for example), we can see how the famous student surpassed his teacher. Next to them, attention is drawn to the pretty angels of Melozzo da Forli, playing the lute and viol. Their spontaneity, liveliness and colorfulness (which is especially difficult to achieve in fresco technique) distinguish da Forli’s angels from the background of many restrained images by other artists of the same era. The frescoes were part of the multi-figure composition "The Ascension of Christ" in the Church of Santi Apostoli in Rome.

The main hall of the exhibition is built in the shape of a semicircle, similar to the square of St. Peter's Basilica, the symbol and heart of the Vatican and the entire Catholic Church. In the center are paintings by Correggio and Veronese, next to them are small grisailles and monochrome paintings by Raphael. The main masterpiece of the exhibition, "Entombment" of Caravaggio, is in the right semicircle, surrounded by followers - Guido Reni, Orazio Gentileschi and student Carlo Saraceni. Caravaggio painted “Entombment” as the personal painter of Cardinal Francesco del Monte in 1602-1604 for the Roman temple of Santa Maria della Vallicella. Features characteristic of Caravaggio's painting - contrast of light and shade and monumental form - distinguish this work from others at the exhibition. And in the Vatican Pinakothek it is considered one of the main masterpieces: Nicodemus and John lay the heavy, pale body of Christ in the tomb. The silent gestures of the grieving Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene and the young Mary behind are even more emotional than their faces. Opposite is “The Martyrdom of St. Erasmus” by the French classicist Nicolas Poussin, painted for St. Peter’s Basilica.

The history of the Papal State ends with the work of Donato Creti. A multi-leaf polyptych dedicated to astronomical observations is located in a separate room. On eight canvases there are the Sun, the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and a certain falling comet. The learned monk Luigi Marsili commissioned the work from the artist in the early 18th century as a gift to Pope Clement XI to hint at the need to sponsor an observatory. Creti's paintings also include "recent" observations: for example, the Great Red Spot on Jupiter, discovered in 1665. But Uranus, discovered only in 1781, is not captured by Donato Creti. The 18th century was, by and large, the last in history when the papacy played a decisive role - this is where the exhibition ends.