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Portrait of an old man with his grandson
Domenico Girlandajo • Painting, 1480-th
, 62.7×46.3 cm
Description of the artwork «Portrait of an old man with his grandson»
"Portrait of an old man with his grandson" – the most famous easel work of the Florentine painter Domenico Ghirlandaio included in the Golden Fund of the Renaissance. While Ghirlandaio's contemporaries didn't see it: Vasari, though believed Domenico almost the most outstanding painter of the XV century Florence, this painting in his "Lives" tells nothing. First appearance of the picture in the information space dates back to 1866 – the Board has gained the Louvre. But in 1880 the Berlin Bode Museum refused to buy the painting because of its terrible condition. Unknown the first owners of the painting clearly treated her with disdain and appropriate storage conditions masterpiece not provided. Full restoration of paintings held in 1996, and since then, the "portrait of a grandfather with his grandson" - a must-see for lovers of the Renaissance portrait.
"There is no more human picture of the Quattrocento period, whether inside or outside of Italy"- regarded art historian Bernard Berenson. Indeed, here, amazing for that time drawing a portrait in terms of naturalism, and the eternal values, but without its share of pathos. The unity of man and grandson emphasizes the same color of clothes, each of them expresses love for another in their own way: the old man looks at the boy tenderly and as if with the height of past years, but in the guise of the child – children's innocent credulity and sincere adoration. Calm the scenery outside the window and the ribbon winding river is designed to increase the feeling of the relentlessness of time and of generations.
About who was the real prototype of the old man and grandson, know no more than what happened to the painting over a period of 400 years. Perhaps the boy is the son of Domenico Ridolfo (the child victims), and the old man is very vaguely reminiscent of Francesco Casetti one of the notable people of Florence from the 15th century. However, the similarity with Casetti very conditional, but rhinophyma the model Ghirlandaio – a disease which manifests itself in the pineal growths in the nose – an indisputable fact. The exact causes of rhinophyma, doctors are still not clear, while some experts believe that alcohol plays a role. So it is possible that our grandfather from the extra glass is not refused.
"The old man frankly ugly" – with these words begins nearly every description of the picture. Maybe that's why the masterpiece was not appreciated in his time. The language of the Renaissance strictly assumed that ethics, high moral standards, the beauty of the soul and the spirituality inherent in other only superficially attractive (by the standards of the era) people. Therefore, it is not clear how Quatrocento could appear so realistic, and, most importantly, humane portrait. The classic faces of the XV century, is a person without a shadow of any internal contradictions (1, 2, 3). And the same is, in principle, it would be possible to tell and about the image Ghirlandaio grandfather, if not dilatory in itself the maximum attention of the nose with bumps. But the unattractiveness of an old man, coupled with a serene and loving expression, with adoration looking at the grandfather the grandson is a little angel – all this makes the fabric extremely harmonious. This here is the ambivalence of the "face terrible, good inside" will appear in art much later, the portraits of early Renaissance had assumed definite promises. However, the depicted infima from Ghirlandaio – like protest against adopted in the art of idealization.
However, it is possible that Ghirlandaio did not mean anything, but simply handed over the appearance of your models with maximum accuracy and precision demanded of the Renaissance "imitation of nature". Vasari notes that the similarity of the portraits of Ghirlandaio the original had in Florence unmatched.
Author: Anna Kotelnikova
"There is no more human picture of the Quattrocento period, whether inside or outside of Italy"- regarded art historian Bernard Berenson. Indeed, here, amazing for that time drawing a portrait in terms of naturalism, and the eternal values, but without its share of pathos. The unity of man and grandson emphasizes the same color of clothes, each of them expresses love for another in their own way: the old man looks at the boy tenderly and as if with the height of past years, but in the guise of the child – children's innocent credulity and sincere adoration. Calm the scenery outside the window and the ribbon winding river is designed to increase the feeling of the relentlessness of time and of generations.
About who was the real prototype of the old man and grandson, know no more than what happened to the painting over a period of 400 years. Perhaps the boy is the son of Domenico Ridolfo (the child victims), and the old man is very vaguely reminiscent of Francesco Casetti one of the notable people of Florence from the 15th century. However, the similarity with Casetti very conditional, but rhinophyma the model Ghirlandaio – a disease which manifests itself in the pineal growths in the nose – an indisputable fact. The exact causes of rhinophyma, doctors are still not clear, while some experts believe that alcohol plays a role. So it is possible that our grandfather from the extra glass is not refused.
"The old man frankly ugly" – with these words begins nearly every description of the picture. Maybe that's why the masterpiece was not appreciated in his time. The language of the Renaissance strictly assumed that ethics, high moral standards, the beauty of the soul and the spirituality inherent in other only superficially attractive (by the standards of the era) people. Therefore, it is not clear how Quatrocento could appear so realistic, and, most importantly, humane portrait. The classic faces of the XV century, is a person without a shadow of any internal contradictions (1, 2, 3). And the same is, in principle, it would be possible to tell and about the image Ghirlandaio grandfather, if not dilatory in itself the maximum attention of the nose with bumps. But the unattractiveness of an old man, coupled with a serene and loving expression, with adoration looking at the grandfather the grandson is a little angel – all this makes the fabric extremely harmonious. This here is the ambivalence of the "face terrible, good inside" will appear in art much later, the portraits of early Renaissance had assumed definite promises. However, the depicted infima from Ghirlandaio – like protest against adopted in the art of idealization.
However, it is possible that Ghirlandaio did not mean anything, but simply handed over the appearance of your models with maximum accuracy and precision demanded of the Renaissance "imitation of nature". Vasari notes that the similarity of the portraits of Ghirlandaio the original had in Florence unmatched.
Author: Anna Kotelnikova
