Adoration of the Magi
Sandro Botticelli
Sandro Botticelli’s Adoration
of the Magi was originally created for a private chapel in Santa Maria
Novella and later acquired by the Uffizi where it is shown today. The work is
perhaps one of Botticelli’s most famous pieces, not quite as popular as The
Birth of Venus or La Primavera, but in overall perspective, it far surpasses
those. Commissioned by Cossimo de Medici and completed in 1475, Adoration, truly passed many of
Botticelli’s other works where his infatuation with line was very clear. In
Adoration many members of the Medici family are pictured: Giuliani’s is seen
sitting on the right hand side, outfitted in black and red while Lorenzo stands
on the left being fawned over by another spectator, and of course, the
benefactor Cossimo is pictured, having the privilege of holding Christ’s feet.
It is evident that Botticelli had an understanding of contraposto as exhibited
in many of the figures stances in addition to monumentality as seen in the set
up of all of the figures in the form of a triangle with Mary, Joseph, and Jesus
at the peak. The use of one point perspective is seen in the architecture and
setting for the piece, i.e. the shed and its walls. Even the groups of figures move backwards
towards the vanishing point. This
perspective though does not carry over into the building of the upper left
which seems to be on its own plane. Overall this piece was one of great
importance in the progression of Renaissance art as a whole.
No comments:
Post a Comment