Looking at the Masters: The National Gallery of Art, Washington DC (Part 2)

 

The National Gallery of Art (NGA) in Washington DC holds in its collection several 15th Century Italian Renaissance masterpieces. The earlier Byzantine style gave way to the International Gothic style. Commissioned by the Roman Catholic Church and wealthy families, works of art in the Gothic style can be identified by the elegant, often elongated figures dressed in rich garments with intricate details. Traveling artists made the style truly international  

Gentile da Fabriano (c.1370-1400) is considered to be one of the best representatives of the International Style. He was born in the town of Fabriano in the Marches, one of the most significant cultural areas on the east coast of Italy during the 15th Century. Not much is known about da Fabriano’s early life or art education. His altarpieces can be found in Pavia (1390), Venice (c.1405-1420), Foligno, Brescia, and Florence (c.1420-27). He died in Rome, where he is known to have worked for Pope Martin V. 

The “Madonna and Child” (1420-23) (38”x22”) is thought to be his first work in Florence in 1420. Rather than a blue gown, the Madonna is dressed in a rich dark red cloak edged with decorative gold trim. She holds the Christ child, who wears a dark blue robe trimmed with gold. He stands on her lap with his hand resting on her chest. Her golden veil and the sleeves of her gold brocade undergarment are worthy of her role as Queen of Heaven. The halos are gold tooled. 

The floral carpet on and under the bench is another hallmark of the International Style. The design element of fully blooming flowers of all seasons arranged close together on a dark green background was used across Europe. The section of inlaid wood flooring adds to the elegance of the setting. Fabriano did not choose to adopt the then newly discovered technique for depicting perspective. The bench appears to be slanted as are the tiles of the floor. The use of the gold background remained popular. He painted the subjects’ faces and figures in a more natural style. The Madonna’s arm is the exception. 

A spectacular painting in the NGA collection is “The Adoration of the Magi” (1440-60) by Fra Angelico (1395-1455) and Fra Filippo Lippi (1406-1469). Fra Angelico, born Guido di Piero, became a Dominican friar in c.1420, and he adopted the name Fra Giovanni da Fiesole. The name Fra Angelico was given to him in the 19th Century as a testament to the “angelic painter.” He was familiar with the work of the artist Gentile Fabriano, and he knew the Florentines Ghiberti, Donatello, and Brunelleschi. It was Brunelleschi who developed the method of making a flat two-dimensional painting look three-dimensional.  One of Fra Angelico’s major patrons was Cosimo de Medici, founder of the Medici dynasty. It is likely that “The Adoration of the Magi” was commissioned by Cosimo, and records indicate it may have been hung in Lorenzo de Medici’s bedroom. 

At the middle right side of the canvas, a large crowd of more than 100 travel from behind the mountains and enter the city through the large arched gate at the left. They have come to visit the new-born Christ child. The oldest of the Magi is placed in the lower center of the composition with Mary, Joseph, the Christ child, and a young shepherd in the beige cloak. The other two Magi are placed in the nearby crowd surrounded by angels. The city of Florence has held an Epiphany festival every five years on January 6 since 1390. The Medici family participated, often taking the roles of the Magi. Lorenzo, known as “il Magnifico,” changed his birthday from January 1 to January 6 so that the celebration would occur on Epiphany Day. 

The stable with shepherds and the ox is a major feature. The large peacock on the roof is the symbol used by Giovanni de Medici, Cosimo’s son, with the French motto regarde-moi (watch me). Cosimo’s son Piero adopted the falcon as his symbol with the Latin motto semper (always). Here the falcon/hawk has caught a pheasant. A greyhound is placed on a floral carpet at the front of the scene, both symbols of great wealth. Greyhounds were the favorite dogs of the very wealthy. 

Fra Angelico fills the composition with masses of people of all ages and types, and all dressed in his choice of bright pastel clothing. The man in bright orange on a black horse has raised his hands and looks up in wonder. It is presumed he is looking at the star of Bethlehem, not depicted in the painting. Some nearly naked men look down awkwardly from the partially wrecked stone building. They may represent those who will not accept the new religion, or perhaps those who will. 

Fra Angelico was able to use the newly discovered technique of perspective, but he sometimes failed, likely as a result of the complexity of the composition. One of the difficulties was presented by the circular shape of the tondo. The tondo was a new and popular choice because it was the shape of the circular tray used to bring gifts to mothers with new babies. When Pope Eugene IV called Fra Angelico to Rome in 1445, 

 

Fra Filippo Lippi’s “Madonna and Child” (1440-45) (31’’x20’’) is an example of the continued development of artists’ ability to paint realistically. He replaced the gold Byzantine background with a three-dimensional niche created by the Roman arch and columns. The scalloped shell, a symbol of purity and rebirth, was used in baptismal ceremonies. It also was a symbol of pilgrimage, serving as a sign of protection. The gold star painted on the right shoulder of the Madonna’s robe signified her role as Stella Maris (Star of the Sea), who guided sailors through the stormy seas and life. Fra Filippo painted a chubby Christ child with curly blond hair, a look that became popular among painters. Both appear solemn as they contemplate the future. Fra Filippo Lippo maintained a large studio where he taught several students. One was Sandro Botticelli.

Sandro Botticelli (1446-1510) was a favorite of the Medicis and a leading artist of the Italian Renaissance. His “Birth of Venus” (1485-86) was commissioned by the Medicis for one of their country villas. The “Adoration of the Magi” (1478-82) (27”x40”) is one of several of his works on this subject. The one in the NGA was painted in Rome when he and other prominent Florentine artists were called by Pope Sixtus IV to paint frescoes on the walls of the Sistine Chapel. In an earlier “Adoration” (c.1474-76), Medici family members served as models for the Magi.  There are no Medicis in this one. The three Magi and their attendants are placed in a semi-circle around a ruined Roman temple that serves as the stable. Mary, Joseph, and the Christ child sit on the slightly elevated floor of the temple. All other figures are arranged on a floral carpet. The entourage of horses and attendants on the right are balanced on the left by two Roman arches that have fallen. Stones lay scattered in the scene.

Botticelli represents the new realism of the Renaissance with the variety of natural poses, facial expressions, and accurate three-dimensional depiction of the architecture. The scene is set in a vast landscape. The beams of the new roof of the Roman temple are symbolic of the new Christian religion that has replaced paganism. They resemble the beams of a Christian Basilica. New plants spring from the roofs of the remains of the fallen temples, referencing the “Shoots of Jesse” (Isaiah 11:1), a prophecy of the coming of Christ, the new leader who would spring from the root of King David.

All the paintings until this time were painted with egg tempera on wooden panels. Botticelli experimented with the new medium, oil paint. He developed a technique of tempera grassa where egg tempera was blended with oil or varnish. The result was richer, transparent, with finer details, and more durable. Botticelli used this technique in “Adoration of the Magi.”

“Madonna and Child with Cherubim’’ (1484) (22’’) (glazed terracotta) is one of many sculptures created by Andrea della Robbia (1435-1525) in Florence. Luca della Robbia (1400-1482) invented a new type of pottery, using clay from the Arno River that flows through the City and applying a secret glaze. The della Robbia pottery was immediately popular everywhere in Italy, and the workshop produced reliefs for churches, palaces, and homes. They maintained the secret of their glaze of lead, tin, and silica to create the white and rich blue sculptures. Sometimes the works included multicolored fruit and flowers. The glaze coating gave the terra cotta a protective coat for outdoor display. 

Andrea della Robbia depicted the Madonna and child as loving, but solemn.  Mary contemplates her son’s future. The Christ child holds on to her finger for comfort, perhaps contemplating what lies ahead. Two cherubim, with baby faces and four wings, are placed in the blue sky. They are among the highest ranks of angels and guardians of God’s holiness. The frame chosen by della Robbia contains elegant gold motifs against a blue background.   

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Beverly Hall Smith was a professor of art history for 40 years. Since retiring to Chestertown with her husband Kurt in 2014, she has taught art history classes at WC-ALL and the Institute of Adult Learning, Centreville. An artist, she sometimes exhibits work at River Arts. She also paints sets for the Garfield Theater in Chestertown.