Sistine Madonna

The " Sistine Madonna" by Raphael, now in the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Dresden State Art Collections (purchased 1754), is one of the most famous paintings of the Italian Renaissance. The painting as a whole is today many people less familiar than the two putti at the bottom ( Raphael's angels) who show up as a separate subject in millions of designs from the advertising industry or as posters or postcards in the everyday culture.

History

The Sistine Madonna was created in the years 1512/1513 by Raffaello Santi for the high altar of the monastery church of San Sisto in Piacenza. It is a by Pope Julius II commissioned work that celebrates the victory of the Pope over the invading French in Italy and on the occasion of the incorporation of the town of Piacenza was founded in the Papal States ( 1512). 1753/54 was the painting of Augustus III. purchased and brought in his collection to Dresden, where it is seen today. After the Second World War in 1945, the painting was confiscated by the Soviet victorious power as art looted and taken to Moscow. The return to the GDR took place in 1955.

Interpretation

It has been discussed in the research, whether and to what extent the altarpiece is a Sacra Conversazione. Meanwhile, one has a majority believes that Raphael has created with its own type of picture of the Sistine Chapel. The classically robed in red and blue Madonna with the infant Jesus flanked by Pope Sixtus II, which bears the portrait of Julius II trains, and Saint Barbara. ( The bones of these two saints were kept in the church of San Sisto as relics. ) The three figures are arranged in a triangle; folded-back curtains in the upper corners emphasize the geometric composition. The Holy One, at whose feet the tiara ( Pope crown) is placed as dignity characters, does the image out, and the Madonna and the child look serious in the rejected direction, while the woman on the right hand reflected the views humble. At its original place the image on the back wall of the altar was placed opposite a large crucifix; the game's characters is so in relation to the crucifixion of Christ.

The gaze of the viewer is led in from the left to the left figure. After that is held by the pictorial composition of the view in the picture. The left figure looks at the Madonna and Child, the viewer's gaze is directed in addition to the right figure. Their gaze direction has the angel at the bottom of the screen, which in turn lead through their head position to Barbara. From the other side is the view of the observer with the arm of Sixtus to the angels, from these to Barbara and then in turn directed to the Madonna. In addition, the child is caught in the hand by the counter-swing of the veil. This circle catches the eye of the beholder again and again and directs it to the Madonna.

A masterpiece painting technique of this work involves the background - from a distance believed to see clouds, on closer examination, however, there are countless angel heads. The overall image can be interpreted as a vision representation. Andreas Henning writes: " The picture shows an epiphany: The spiritual world confronts the viewer. Skillfully Raphael has both spheres, the earthly and the heavenly, joined together in the image. This vision is in this case also interpreted to mean that it is an inner path of experience of the soul, which leads through the stages of purification, illumination and union. It is based on the one side of the Renaissanceplatonismus of Marsilio Ficino and Aegidius of Viterbo; on the other hand grips Raphael aspects of the Rhenish mysticism on ( Meister Eckhart ), the " devotio moderna " and especially of Nicholas of Cusa. The soul evolves through the stages of Putti, of Sixtus and Barbara to Mary as the pure soul, in which it is taking the birth of God.

Reception

The painting of the Sistine Madonna served many subsequent performing artists as a model of his own works: Edward Mandel's engraving after this painting - written shortly before his death - is one of his most important works. The meaning of Raphael's angels as an independent motif began in 1803, when they were copied from August of the first Embde separately. By isolating changes to the originally directed at the Madonna look, is so directed to one who has no point of reference only more vague in the sky.

The most famous replica of the Sistine Madonna is located in the Brandenburg state capital Potsdam. The Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm III. and its art-loving son and successor Frederick William IV have gathered in decades, the royal collection in the Orangerie castle above the terraces anniversary in Sanssouci Park with about 50 copies after paintings by Raphael. It can be seen there, among others, the Sistine Madonna and Transfiguration of Christ in our purpose built Raffaelsaal.

The Sistine Madonna was the favorite paintings by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky. He believed in her to recognize " the highest revelation of the human spirit " and has seen the picture in Dresden several times. When asked why he considered the work of art as often and long, he is reported to have replied: " So I do not despair of the people. " In the study of his St. Petersburg apartment depends to this day a reproduction of the painting.

Even the Dresden painter Gerhard von Kügelgen served the image as a template. His son, William of Kügelgen, writes in his childhood memories of an old man: " In the spacious living room of my mother was a beautiful image that increases at some stages, the middle part of the main wall filled almost to the ceiling It was a copy. had by Raphael Sistine Madonna, which recently completed my father and given to the mother. should be the palladium of his house. "

On the occasion of the exhibition " The most beautiful woman in the world is 500 The Sistine Madonna - Raphael's iconic painting celebrates birthday " the Dresden State Art Collections have replaced the frame made in 1956 in Neo-Renaissance style. The new consuming customizable frames corresponds to the copy of a northern Italian tabernacle. This is the sacred origin of the painting by Raphael reflected and promoted the aesthetic effect of the exceptional image.

The German Post has issued in 2012 to mark the 500th anniversary of the painting a stamp worth 55 cents.

Stamp block to 55 cents

The Raphael Hall in Potsdam