Resurrection of Christ (Giovanni Bellini)
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| Resurrection of Christ |
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| Giovanni Bellini , 1475-1478 |
| Oil on poplar wood, transferred to canvas |
| 148 × 128 cm |
| Gemäldegalerie, Berlin |
The Resurrection of Christ is a painting by Giovanni Bellini (1437–1516) on the subject of the Resurrection of Christ . It was created between 1475 and 1478 as an altarpiece for the family chapel built by the Venetian patrician Marco Zorzi in the church of San Michele in Isola on the island of San Michele between Venice and Murano . It is now in the Gemäldegalerie Berlin .
Material and technology
The painting measures 148 × 128 cm and was painted with oil on poplar wood transferred onto canvas .
Image description
The upright painting shows the resurrection of Christ from a rock tomb in a landscape. The picture consists of three levels; the foreground with the open grave and the three soldiers, the middle distance with the path on which three women approach, and the landscape and the sky in the background. Against the colored sky of the sunrise, Jesus hovers in the air above his grave.
In the foreground three soldiers can be seen in front of a rock. The massive rock separates this scene from the rest of the picture space. The open grave is in the rock. The grave slab lies parallel to the lower edge of the picture on the ground in front of the soldiers. The soldier on the left of the picture stands next to the open grave and looks up at Jesus. His right arm is raised. To the right of the grave there are two more soldiers. One of them is leaning against the rock asleep and has his arms under his head for support. The other soldier is sleeping too. He is sitting on the floor with his back against the stone. He has taken off his armor and put his halberd and shield next to him.
To the right behind the rock leads a path on which another soldier is standing and looking up at the ascending Jesus. Three women approach from the background on the way. Behind it is a landscape with a small town. Houses, towers and a bridge can be seen. A high mountain rises above the houses with a castle on top. This is a free representation of the city of Monselice .
The sky rises above the horizon, in the upper third of the picture. Its lower area has the colors of the dawn in spring time. Colored clouds of veil run parallel to the horizon. In the upper area of the picture the sky is kept in a cool blue. In front of the sky, at an abstract distance from the rest of the events, Jesus hovers with a victory flag in his hand. Except for a white cloth around his waist, he is bare. His right hand is raised in a gesture of blessing, his gaze is directed upwards.
Attribution
Due to the restoration in 1903, after the picture was acquired by the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin , the painting could be attributed to Giovanni Bellini . It was previously attributed to Giovanni Battista Cima .
iconography
The resurrection of Christ on the third day after his crucifixion is an important element of the Christian faith and is celebrated as Easter by the Christian churches . The Gospels in the New Testament do not tell of the resurrection itself, but of the angel ( Luke and John report of two angels) at the empty tomb and the appearance of the risen Christ . With the resurrection the divinity of Christ is revealed, with the crucifixion the body of the human being Christ was destroyed.
The events after the burial of Christ and the apparitions can be seen on the basis of ( Mt 25.29 EU )
( Mt 27.62–66 EU ) or ( Mt 28.1–15 EU ), ( Mk 16.1–8 EU ), ( Lk 24.1–12 EU ) and ( Joh 20.1–18 EU ) be understood. Accordingly, the high priests and Pharisees sealed the tomb of Christ and posted guards in front of it, since Christ had announced his resurrection after three days during his lifetime. The aim was to prevent the disciples from stealing the body in order to be able to claim that Christ was risen. On the day after the Sabbath , at sunrise, Mary, Mary Magdalene, and Mary Cleophas came to the tomb for the anointing. An earthquake shook the area and an angel came, pushed the tombstone aside and sat on the grave. The guards were frightened by the angel and passed out. The angel announced the resurrection of Christ to the women and told them that they would see him.
In early Christian art , the resurrection was first taken up in book illumination, and since the middle of the 12th century also in painting and sculpture. The theme spreads from the 14th century. Representations of the resurrection of Christ are part of passion cycles and also popular as independent altarpieces. Since the Middle Ages, the grave is no longer represented as a mausoleum , but as a mostly open sarcophagus . In the High Middle Ages, two modes of representation develop: The representation of Christ hovering over the grave focuses on miracles of exaltation and the deification of Christ. In the other variant, Christ rises from the grave. In Italian painting, Christ is usually shown floating above the coffin, with guards at the grave and in a wider landscape. The white robe, as in the Bellini painting, stands for his divine nature. Christ is usually with a cross staff or the victory flag with cross as a sign of overcoming death. Since the 15th century, Christ has been represented without angels and with the sleeping or awakened guards. This depiction, similar to the Transfiguration and Ascension, was widespread in Italy until the 15th century and often also shows depictions of the three women at the grave.
Comparison with other modes of representation
In his fresco from 1463, Piero della Francesca , unlike Bellini later, takes up the type of Christ rising out of the tomb , which has been widespread since the Trecento . In this painting the sarcophagus is shown parallel to the picture plane. In the background there is a landscape and a sky colored in the morning. Christ stands with one leg on the edge of the sacophage, the other is still in his grave. The guards sleep in front of the grave. With this mostly powerful gesture, the overcoming of death and the physical resurrection are placed in the foreground.
The later painting by Titian (from 1542–1544) shows clear similarities with that of Bellini. The open grave can be seen on the ground. Here, too, two soldiers look up at the hovering Christ while one is still asleep. With the same gesture and with the flag of victory, Christ hovers before heaven.
literature
- Caroline Campbell, Dagmar Korbacher, Neville Rowley et al. (Eds.): Mantegna & Bellini: Masters of the Renaissance. Exhib. Cat., “Mantegna & Bellini”, The National Gallery, London, October 1, 2018 - January 27, 2019; “Mantegna & Bellini - Masters of the Renaissance”, Gemäldegalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, March 1, 2019 - June 30, 2019. Munich 2018.
- Davide Gasparotto (Ed.): Giovanni Bellini. landscapes of faith in Renaissance Venice. Exhib. Cat., J. Paul Getty Museum, October 10, 2017 - January 14, 2018. Los Angeles 2017.
- Catarina Schmidt Arcangeli: Giovanni Bellini e la pittura veneta a Berlino: le collezioni di James Simon e Edward Solly alla Gemäldegalerie. Verona 2015.
- Giorgio Fossaluzza: Giovanni Bellini. Dall'icona alla storia. Allemandi, Venice 2016.
- Mauro Lucco (Ed.): Giovanni Bellini. Exhib. Cat., "Giovanni Bellini", Rome, Scuderie del Quirinale, September 30, 2008-11. January 2009. Silvana, Cinisello Balsamo (Milano) 2008.
- Gustav Ludwig, Wilhelm Bode : The altarpieces of the church S. Michele di Murano and the resurrection picture of Giovanni Bellini in the Berlin gallery. In: Yearbook of the Royal Prussian Art Collections, 24th vol., 2nd edition (1903), pp. 131–146.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Giovanni Bellini: The Resurrection of Christ: Gemäldegalerie: museum-digital: state museums in Berlin. Retrieved June 22, 2020 .
- ↑ Brigitte Riese: Seemanns Lexikon der Ikonographie: religious and profane image motifs . Seemann, Leipzig 2007, ISBN 978-3-86502-102-1 , pp. 48 .
- ↑ a b c d e Sabine Poeschel: Handbook of Iconography Sacred and profane themes in the visual arts . 6th revised edition, revised edition. Darmstadt, ISBN 978-3-8053-5051-8 , pp. 187-189 .
- ^ Ernst Badstübner, Helga Neumann: Dictionary of Christian Iconography . 9th edition, unchanged reprint of 8th edition Schnell & Steiner, Regensburg 2004, ISBN 3-7954-1653-1 , p. 49, 50 .