Tretyakov Gallery exhibition Vatican how to get there. The Tretyakov Gallery staged a mockery with the sale of electronic tickets for “Vatican masterpieces”
Konstantin Yuon. "New Planet". 1921. Photo: State Tretyakov Gallery
Exhibition “Russian Way. From Dionysius to Malevich" in the Vatican Museums - a response to the one that took place two years ago in the State Tretyakov Gallery"Roma Aeterna. Masterpieces of the Vatican Pinacoteca. Bellini, Raphael, Caravaggio." The word “masterpieces” is fundamentally absent from the title of the Russian exhibition. Arkady Ippolitov, the author of its idea and one of the curators, is sure that the strength of Russian art does not lie in formal mastery, at least this is not what the exhibition he invented is about. It is about the obligatory spiritual search for Russian artists - icon painters, realists, avant-garde artists. Although it is customary to clearly separate pre-Petrine icon painting from post-Petrine painting, Russian realism from Russian modernism.
"The Vision of Eulogius." 1585-1696. Photo: State Tretyakov Gallery
Here, in a very simplified version, is the idea of this complex exhibition. To implement it, the main Russian paintings that had entered the national consciousness and the best icons that could withstand the move were chosen. Moreover, 47 of the 54 things brought to the Vatican are from the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery, which for the first time parted with so many of the most popular exhibits by the public. It was not possible to bring only the main Russian religious painting - “The Appearance of Christ to the People” by Alexander Ivanov: too large, too heavy to lift - it was replaced by a smaller version from the Russian Museum.
Isaac Levitan. "Over eternal peace" 1894. Photo: State Tretyakov Gallery
It is natural to ask what the sacrifices are for and whether native painting is worth testing by inevitable comparison with the neighboring great Vatican artistic values, the main thing for all humanity? Wouldn't it be better to assemble the icons - the obvious embodiment of Russian spirituality - into a neat and easy-to-understand exhibition? But the Tretyakov Gallery chose to take a risk, and it is unknown whether it won. Surely the “Russian Way” will have as many opponents as fans: it has turned out to be very controversial. The intention of the exhibition, as can be judged from discussions in social networks, is not liked either by conservatives-soilers, who are confident that only Rus' is holy, or by liberal-Westerners, who do not recognize its special status. These disputes are also traditional and part of the national mentality.
Mikhail Vrubel. "Demon (seated)." 1890. Photo: State Tretyakov Gallery
It is unlikely that both will accept the abandonment of the chronological principle of building an exhibition. It is not new and well mastered, but it may seem like a challenge if in one space you need to see the commonality in “The Procession in Kursk Province” by Ilya Repin and “The Presentation of the Icon of Our Lady of Vladimir” of the 17th century, the hysterically sentimental “Troika” by Vasily Perov and the angelically serene “Holy Trinity” by Paisius, “Black Square” by Kazimir Malevich (they brought a late author’s copy) and “The Last Judgment” from a Novgorod letter. But how interesting it is to notice this commonality, abandoning the habit of believing that the entire 19th and even more so the 20th century of Russian painting is not about God, but about his idea, not about sincere faith, but about doubts and denials! If the exhibition does not convince otherwise, it corrects established ideas. Familiar paintings, transferred from the crowded halls of the Tretyakov Gallery to the high and harmonious space designed by the bright genius of Lorenzo Bernini - the space of the Charlemagne wing of St. Peter's Basilica, seem more solemn and more significant than in their permanent place of residence, and are understood differently.
Ivan Kramskoy. "Christ in the Desert" 1872. Photo: State Tretyakov Gallery
Russian painting, considered truthfully descriptive and socially sensitive, in its sincerity and seriousness turns out to be spiritually and emotionally closer to icon painting than modernist painting, which borrowed formal techniques from it. Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin’s boy, riding a red horse, is not the iconic George slaying the serpent. And the popular print “Trinity” by Natalia Goncharova does not know the harmony of unity. But the heavens from the Russian landscape itself - “Above Eternal Peace” by Isaac Levitan - are not empty, and sitting in the center of the hall, “Christ in Prison,” a brilliantly ingenuous Perm wooden sculpture, mourns, it seems, along with the exhausted Dostoevsky from Perov’s portrait and as if with his back feels Vrubel's Demon immersed in thought.
The exhibition begins with several beautiful icons, with the promised title of the exhibition “The Crucifixion” of Dionysius, after which suddenly appear “Behold the Man” and “Calvary” by Nikolai Ge, once considered almost blasphemous. But this transition does not feel unjustified. After all, the main Russian paintings are the same speculation in colors, expression in images of what fills the soul, and doubts are part of faith. The finale of the “Russian Way” is indicated by a large and bright icon “He rejoices in you,” painted five centuries ago, and not by Malevich’s “Black Square.” The exhibition in the papal state obviously could not end there. But it will stay in the Vatican for three months, and then the main paintings will return to their place, and we will live with them and think about them. And the experience of the “Russian Way” can help in these reflections.
Vatican Museums
Russian way. From Dionysius to Malevich
Until February 16, 2019
Friends, good afternoon. On Saturday we were lucky enough to visit a unique exhibition of Vatican masterpieces, you still have the opportunity to see it within two months, don’t miss it.
The exhibition takes place in the Engineering Building of the State Tretyakov Gallery (Lavrushinsky Lane, 12) from November 25, 2016 to February 19, 2017. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to buy tickets through the website, but you can easily come to the museum and buy a ticket right on the spot, at the box office, Despite the large number of visitors, we did not see any queues.
Operating mode:
Tuesday, Wednesday, Sunday from 10.00 to 18.00 (entrance until 17.00)
Thursday, Friday, Saturday from 10.00 to 21.00 (entrance until 20.00)
Monday is a day off.
Allow yourself a couple of hours to view the exhibition; one hour is clearly not enough.
To be honest, I’m still very impressed, I don’t even know where to start. Works from the 12th to the 18th centuries are presented. This is a tenth of the collection, which includes 460 works. It is interesting that a number of paintings left their native walls for the first time, given that not everyone, in light of the tightening of economic policy, can afford to travel abroad, I think that we are very lucky and I recommend using this chance, you will definitely not remain indifferent. Unfortunately, taking photographs at the exhibition is strictly prohibited, so I took all the photographs from the Internet, and the description from the brochure from the exhibition and from memory what I managed to remember from the audio guide.
The exhibition begins with the rare ancient icon “Christ the Blessing,” created in the second half of the 12th century by a master working in Rome under the influence of Byzantine painting. Before entering the Pinacoteca, it was located in the church of Santa Maria in Campo Marzio, one of the oldest in Rome. The Roman master presented Jesus Christ in the image of Pantocrator, that is, the ruler of the Universe, and the icon, being an analogy of ancient Russian images of the Savior Pantocrator, preserves the memory of the unity of the Christian church before the schism, that is, before its division into Catholic and Orthodox, and shows the direct kinship of Italian and Russian art coming from the same root.
The exhibition continues with Margaritone di Magnano, nicknamed Margaritone d'Arezzo ca. 1216-1290).
Saint Francis of Assisi. 1250-1270. Altar image. Wood, tempera, gold. 127.2x53.9 cm.
“Margaritone d'Arezzo, born before Giotto and Duccio, is one of the greatest painters of medieval Italy. The painting is included in all art history textbooks as an outstanding example of the late Romanesque style, but it is also interesting because it is one of the earliest images of St. Francis of Assisi, made shortly after his canonization in 1228. Saint Francis played a vital role in the history of the Western Church; it is not for nothing that the current pope chose his name, who became the first Francis in the history of the Vatican. This work may have been exactly the one that Vasari described in “The Life of Margaritone” as painted from life, so that it can be considered almost one of the first portraits in Italian painting.”
I was shocked both by the icons themselves and by their preservation, think about it, this is from the 12th-13th centuries!
I will not dwell on all the exhibits; I will note only those that sank into my soul the most and shocked me with their skill. Continuing the inspection of the first hall, I would like to draw attention to 3 frescoes by Melozzo degli Ambrosi, nicknamed Melozzo da Forli (1438-1494).
Angels playing the lute. 1480. Fragments of a fresco removed from the wall. Right size: 117×93.5 cm.
The artist “...was invited to Rome by Pope Sixtus IV. He created many frescoes in Roman churches, so that Melozzo can be considered the founder of the Roman school, which flourished in the 16th-17th centuries. Three angels playing music are fragments of his painting of the dome of the Church of Santi Apostoli, a huge multi-figure composition “The Ascension of Christ”.
The fresco was perceived by contemporaries as a triumph of papal power, which revived Rome. The divine orchestra of angels symbolized the unearthly beauty of paradise, and the abstract concept of “music of heaven” is associated with the philosophical constructions of the model of the world, which the Pythagoreans and Platonists spoke about. Melozzo, as a Renaissance artist, combines ancient and Christian traditions in his work. His angels, glorifying the Lord according to the words of the Bible: “Let them praise His name with faces, with tympanum and harp, let them sing to Him, for the Lord delights in His people, glorifying the humble with salvation,” are ideal, like ancient statues, and at the same time vital - they look like young pages at the courts of Renaissance rulers.”
The fresco “Angel Playing the Viol”, not many of Melozzo’s works have reached us; most of his frescoes were lost during perestroika, but from what remains, one can judge the scale of his talent. Melozzo, turning to medieval models, breathed into them new life, anticipating Michelangelo, Raphael, Correggio, and the painting of the domes of Baroque churches.
Also noteworthy is the work of Gentile da Fabriano (c. 1370-1427).
Scenes from the life of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker: St. Nicholas calms the storm and saves the ship. OK. 1425. Predella. Wood, tempera. But it is interesting not so much for its plot, but because the author depicts the earth here as round, which was an absolute innovation for those times. Look at the horizon line. 
Well, I can’t help but draw attention to one of the central exhibits of the first hall, Giovanni Bellini (c. 1432-1516). Lamentation of Christ with Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus and Mary Magdalene. OK. 1471-1474. Altar top. Wood, oil. 107×84 cm.
“Bellini is the greatest artist of the Venetian school of the 15th century. This painting is one of his masterpieces. It was the finial of a large altar, and in its composition Bellini takes a decisive step towards the calm grandeur of the High Renaissance, overtaking many of his contemporary Florentine artists. The work is avant-garde in the mere fact that it is painted in oils, using a completely new technique for Italy, just brought to Venice from the Netherlands. The iconography is also original. Usually the main person in the Lamentation scene is the Virgin Mary. Only Joseph of Arimathea, Saint Nicodemus and Mary Magdalene are depicted here supporting Jesus from behind. The thoughtful silence in which the characters are immersed, emphasized by the tension of their clasped hands, gives this scene a rare psychological acuity.”
Looking at a painting by Carlo Crivelli (1435-1494). Mourning. 1488. Lunette. Wood, tempera, gold. For a long time I could not understand the technique in which it was executed, the work here is so delicate that it seems that the picture is woven from brocade, this is amazing, I have never seen anything like it before.
“Carlo Crivelli, a Venetian by birth, left his native city early and became famous in the Marche region. During his lifetime he was popular, but later he was forgotten and rediscovered only at the end of the 19th century. This lunette, which crowned the large altar, is one of his most stunning works. For the sake of expressiveness, the artist resorts to obvious violations of proportions, and in order to intertwine the hands of Jesus, the Virgin Mary and Magdalene together, Crivelli makes the right hand of Christ much longer than the left. Bent over a knot of palms, Magdalene’s face, distorted by crying, becomes the emotional center of the picture. The work is strongly influenced by Northern Gothic, and is characterized by that incredible intensity of psychological experience that is characteristic of the mystical religious movements of the 15th century.”
Most of the works with their plots take us to where the Birth of Christ and other events took place
Moving on to the second hall of the exhibition, I want to start with a description of the painting that most struck me, namely Guido Reni’s painting “St. Matthew and the Angel,” 1635-1640. Painting size 85×68 cm, oil on canvas. Saint Matthew, original name Levi, one of the twelve apostles and author of the first Gospel. Reni painted this picture over the course of about five years already in adulthood. "Saint Matthew and the Angel" is considered one of the most significant work the artist in the last period of his work. The magic of the gaze of Matthew and the angel is striking, how one listens to the other, with what amazing accuracy and grace the artist was able to convey the complex range of feelings of both in their glances.
The second most powerful painting on me was the painting attributed to Pensionante del Saraceni “The Denial of St. Peter.” The painting was considered the work of Caravaggio until 1943, but was then attributed to a student of Carlo Saraceni, one of the main representatives of early Caravaggism. The student's name has not yet been established, and he is tentatively called "Pensionante del Saraceni", which in Italian means "guest of Saraceni". His canvases stand out among the works of other Caravaggists: the artist does not plunge the background into darkness, but illuminates the entire picture with an even iridescent light. The plot of the film is the gospel story of the denial of the Apostle Peter. The night before he was taken into custody, Jesus predicted to him that he would deny three times before the first rooster. A maid approached Peter, who was waiting for news at the gate of the high priest’s house, where the arrested Jesus was taken, and, recognizing him, said: “And she with Jesus of Galilee,” but the apostle denied. In the picture, Peter’s face is in the shadows, as if hiding his shame .
One of the central works of the second room is the work of Michelangelo Merisi, nicknamed Caravaggio, “Entombment,” which the artist painted for the Roman temple of Santa Maria della Valicella. It is considered one of the best in his work. The composition “Entombment” is structured in such a way that the viewer looking at it involuntarily becomes part of the picture. The stone tomb in which they want to put Christ is turned towards the viewer with one of its corners - this corner seems to break through a thin barrier between the world of the picture and ordinary reality. The impression is strengthened by the sharp elbow of Nicodemus holding Jesus by the legs. It seems that they want to convey the motionless body of Christ to the one who looks at the picture.
Young Maria froze in a silent cry, raising her hands to the sky, her hair sticking out in different directions - apparently, she tore it in lamentations. Mary Magdalene's head is mournfully lowered, he hides his tears, worrying about the loss. Jesus' mother does not cry or scream, she silently looks at her son's face, knowing that she will never see him again. The men's faces are concentrated and mournful.
John, frowning, peers into the lifeless face of his Teacher, and the strong and stocky Nicodemus looks down at the bottom of the tomb, straining under the weight of Jesus’ body. The body of Christ is devoid of any cadaverous shades; it is pale, as if it had lost all the colors of life. 
Of course, one of the most significant items in the exhibition are two small grisailles by Raphael Santi, which formed the predella of the altarpiece for the church of San Francesco al Prato in Perugia, known as the Baglioni altarpiece, in the center of which was the “Entombment”, now kept in the Galleria Borghese. “Vera”, the side part of the predella, appears in the form of a female figure with a chalice in her hand; putti in the side niches hold tablets with mograms of the name of Jesus.
In the Third Hall we are presented with the series “Astronomical Observations”, the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Satupnus, Comet. An unusual series of paintings, mounted in one frame, depicting night observations of all the then known planets of the solar system, created by the Bolognese artist Donato Creti, commissioned by Count Luigi Ferdinando Marsili, an amateur astronomer. The count decided to send the paintings to Pope Clement 11 in the hope of in this way convincing him to allocate money for the construction of an observatory in Bologna and achieved his goal, the funds were allocated.
There are still many worthy and unique works presented at the exhibition and you, friends, have two more months to visit it and see all these creations with your own eyes, I wish you good luck.
The exhibition Roma Aeterna has been running at the Tretyakov Gallery since November. Even before the opening, all e-tickets for December were sold out. However, it was possible to get to the exhibition on a first-come, first-served basis - that’s good, I thought, let’s stand with the child during the New Year holidays, with a thermos and sandwiches.
But in December, the Tretyakov Gallery canceled the live queue because resellers were reselling tickets at a huge markup. The gallery management announced: tickets can only be bought on the Internet or in advance, on a certain day at the box office, they will all be personalized, and you must show your passport at the entrance.
On December 15, the Tretyakov Gallery put up another batch of tickets for online sale - they ran out within a day. Even then, art lovers complained about problems with the site (it froze), and I decided to wait for the “last portion” in January, hoping that by then the gallery’s IT specialists would have debugged the process.
On January 12, 4,000 tickets were almost instantly sold through the box office for the period until the end of the exhibition - until February 19, people had been queuing since night. The last stage of electronic sales (30,000 tickets were at stake) was scheduled for noon on January 13.
Having already stocked myself with three computers, I started purchasing. At first everything went well: enough tickets were displayed for different days.
I chose a convenient time and ran into the well-known question “Are you a robot?” SARTSNA (a test that allows you to distinguish a robot program from a person) asked you to choose from 9 pictures those with road signs. Well, okay, let the pictures be the Tretyakov Gallery after all. I chose it, entered my email and happily waited for the code, without which I couldn’t buy a ticket.
Meanwhile, in the order form on the website, a merciless countdown began. 2 minutes were allotted for everything.
The code did not arrive by email, the order was cancelled.
I tried again. SARTSNA told me to choose pictures of store windows, pictures of green grass, or pictures of patios. Patio, gentlemen! Chairs on a blurry background with a swimming pool - is that a patio? Is the pool on the patio? Or outside? But the result was the same - after the system realized: I am not a robot, but a woman (which, already quite irritated, the system could not understand), it flashed on the screen: “The ticket limit has been exhausted.”
After an hour of ordeal - good, the child was at school and did not hear curses - I did it. Again I made my way to the “wait for the code in your email” stage.
Miracle, dream: now this damn code could be entered within two hours. Meanwhile, the website wrote: “No tickets available.” None. We've run out.
That is, the last hope remains: an open order window where you need to enter the code.
Another hour passed. I feverishly accessed my email from three computers at once. Figurines. Zero.
The majority failed to do anything at all on the Tretyakov Gallery website.
Someone, like me, did not receive the code.
Someone received it, but the system refused to accept it.
Someone even paid, but no confirmation came.
The coolest problem: it’s impossible to pay for a free ticket for a child, but you won’t get it without paying.
“I’ve been sitting at the computer for half a day, but I have to cook dinner for the whole family!!! Do something!!!"
“I’m from another city, two orders were canceled - how can that be?”
“Contact technical support,” Tretyakov Gallery representatives succinctly responded to cries for help.
I contacted her, sent my order number, and asked for a code.
Silence.
The time counter flashed the fateful “0:01:00”. Another minute - and there will be no chance, the order will disappear.
May God grant health, a non-drinking wife and excellent-achieving children to the anonymous person who suggested on the forum: quickly reload the order page, they have increased the wait to 10 hours. Moreover, this was discovered by an anonymous person using an organoleptic method - the Tretyakov Gallery website did not report anything like this.
Bottom line: when I finish writing these lines, it’s 17:30.
I can’t see the code in the mail (I entered it correctly! And there’s nothing in the spam folder either!)
There is news on the Tretyakov Gallery website: “By February 19, all tickets have been purchased, some are in the process of being issued. If some of the orders are not redeemed, these tickets will be put back on the site.”
My deadline for entering the code is until half past one in the morning. Spit, don't wait, sleep?
One lady said correctly: “It’s probably easier to go straight to the Vatican.”
She vividly introduced the IT specialists of the Tretyakov Gallery. Unhurried, tastefully looking forward to the New Year and having fun during the holidays, the guys. Of course, none of them could have predicted that on January 13, when all normal citizens were preparing to celebrate the Old New Year, thousands of abnormal people would come running for tickets!
I put an exclamation mark and was about to hand over the text, but returned it.
I saw on VKontakte that a certain Elizaveta Shcherbak, who walked the same sad path, seems to be the only one of us all who received a technical support response: “Instead of a code, enter any 6 digits.”
She entered with a trembling hand. May God give Elizabeth a husband who doesn’t drink, and children who are excellent students.
Now I have two tickets for Roma Aeterna. Let's look at Perugino and Caravaggio. Just six hours of torment.
By the way, I once stood in line at the Vatican. It took an hour and a half.
Finally, a video on the topic.
All tickets until mid-December are already sold out
Visitors at the exhibition
Moscow. November 25. website - An exhibition of paintings from the Vatican Pinacoteca Roma Aeterna, which came to Russia for the first time, opens on Friday at the State Tretyakov Gallery in Lavrushinsky Lane.
“Never before have the Vatican Museums taken out of their borders at the same time such a significant number of outstanding works from the permanent exhibition, so the exhibition will become an event not only for Russia and Europe, but also for the whole world,” she said earlier general manager"Tretyakov Gallery" by Zelfir Tregulov.
Especially for this project, the Vatican Museums will present in Russia the best part of their collection - 42 paintings of the 12th-18th centuries. Among them are works by Giovanni Bellini, Melozzo da Forli, Perugino, Raphael, Caravaggio, Guido Reni, Guercino, Nicolas Poussin. According to Deputy Director of the Vatican Museums Barbara Yatta, the exhibition reflects all stages artistic development painting.
Entrance to the exhibition is carried out by session; tickets can be purchased at the box office and on the official website of the museum. At the moment, all tickets for December have been sold out, the gallery's press service noted, a new batch of tickets will go on sale in mid-December. In addition, as previously reported, starting from January, in order to combat speculators, tickets to the exhibition will be personalized.
The museum noted that visitors will enter the halls, and the time during which they can stay at the exhibition is not limited, just as it was at the Aivazovsky exhibition. “For now there will be no restrictions on time spent at the exhibition. As practice shows, usually an hour is enough for viewers to view the exhibition. The first session will begin at 10:00 on the “long” days of the gallery, on “short” days the Tretyakov Gallery is open until 18:00 , the last session starts at 16:30,” the press service explained.
The exhibition opens with the image of “Christ Blessing” from the 12th century, which has never previously been exhibited in temporary exhibitions or left the Vatican. It is an example of the unity of Christianity, since it was created even before the schism, and demonstrates the common roots of Italian and Russian art. Next in chronology is the work of Margaritone d'Arezzo "Saint Francis of Assisi" of the 13th century. It is known for being one of the earliest images of the saint. In the same room there are works of Gothic masters, very rare in Russian collections. Among them are "Jesus in front of Pilate" by Pietro Lorenzetti, two predella telling stories from the life of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia.
Frescoes depicting angels by Melozzo da Forli are separately exhibited. The paintings by this artist were removed from the apse dome during the rebuilding of the Church of Santi Apostoli in Rome.
The High Renaissance, 16th century, is represented in the exhibition by works by Perugino, Raphael, Correggio and Paolo Veronese.
Viewers will also see Caravaggio’s “Entombment” and the most great work Nicolas Poussin's altarpiece "The Martyrdom of St. Erasmus", painted especially for St. Peter's Basilica. The exhibition continues with works by Caravaggists and artists of the Bolognese school: Lodovico Carracci, Guido Reni, Guercino.
Roma Aeterna is part of a large project: at the beginning of 2018, a reciprocal exhibition will be held in the Vatican, a significant part of its exhibits will be works of Russian painting on gospel subjects from the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery.
Raphael. Faith. 1507 Vatican Museums.
At the exhibition , curated by Arkady Ipollitov ( State Hermitage Museum), will be presented 42 paintings . Never before have the Vatican Museums, which are among the ten largest collections in the world, taken outside their borders at the same time such a significant number of outstanding works from the permanent exhibition, so the exhibition will become an event not only for Russia and Europe, but also for the whole world.
« Roma Aeterna..." - part of a large project: in 2017, a reciprocal exhibition will be held in the Vatican, a significant part of its exhibits will be works of Russian painting on gospel subjects from the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery.
Holding in the State Tretyakov Gallery, the largest collection of Russian painting, an exhibition of paintings predominantly of the Italian and predominantly Roman schools is quite natural. The spiritual connection between Moscow and Rome took shape in the 16th century, and this joint project- the most important result of the interaction of two cultures: the culture of Rome, as the embodiment of Europeanness, and the culture of Moscow, as the embodiment of Russianness. It is natural that among the great works presented at the exhibition, one can find many analogies and parallels with Russian art.
The purpose of the show is to present both the collection of the Pinacoteca, a section of the Vatican Museums, and the spirit of Rome, the great city. The Pinakothek collection was created as a collection of a state, the head of which is a clergyman, which is reflected in its composition - this is the greatest collection of religious painting. Religion is a form of awareness of the world, so religious art is not reduced to a set of biblical or evangelical subjects, and the collection of the Vatican Pinacothek tells us exactly this. It is as diverse as the culture of Rome, which is why the exhibition title includes the Latin expression Roma Aeterna, “Eternal Rome.” This means the enormous cultural unity that Rome has become in the history of mankind, a city at the same time ancient and modern, uniting into a single whole such different eras as Antiquity, the Middle Ages, Renaissance and Baroque. Rome is the center of empire, the center of religion and the center of art: we can say that the concept of Roma Aeterna is one of the most important ideas of world culture. The exhibition at the Tretyakov Gallery is dedicated to this idea.
Each piece presented at the exhibition is exceptional. It begins with a rare example of the Roman school of the 12th century, the image of “Christ Blessing,” which had never before been exhibited at temporary exhibitions and never left the Vatican. This ancient and great work, close to Byzantine painting, is also interesting because it reveals the common roots of Italian and Russian art. This image, which preserves the memory of the unity of Christianity before the schism, is followed by the work of Margaritone d’Arezzo “St. Francis of Assisi” (13th century). It is included in all art history textbooks and is valuable because it is one of the earliest images of a saint who played an important role in the history of the Western church. It was his name that was chosen by the current pope, who became the first Francis in the history of the Vatican. Also presented are works by Gothic masters, which are extremely rare in Russian collections. Among them is “Jesus before Pilate” by Pietro Lorenzetti, which uniquely echoes the famous painting by Nikolai Ge.
Two predella (predella - the lower part of the altar), telling stories from the life of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, equally revered by the Orthodox and Catholic churches, stand on the border of Gothic and Renaissance. One of them belongs to the brush of Gentile da Fabriano, who completed the era of international Gothic in Italy, whose works are not only absent in Russian collections, but were not exhibited in Russia at all, the second is by the brush of Fra Beato Angelico, the great Florentine of the Early Renaissance.
Two paintings date back to the heyday of the Renaissance: "The Miracles of Saint Vincenzo Ferrer" by Ercole de' Roberti , one of the most interesting works of the greatest master of the Ferrara school,
and Lamentation of Christ by the Venetian Giovanni Bellini.
There are no works of both in Russia. The greatest success is that the exhibition will show frescoes of angels by Melozzo da Forli , provided by the Pinakothek for exhibition to other museums in isolated cases. The paintings of this artist, considered one of the greatest painters of the Quattrocento, were removed from the apse dome during the reconstruction of the Church of Santi Apostoli in Rome and now decorate a special room of the Pinacoteca. The works of Melozzo da Forli are so rare that their value is close to the most famous creations of Sandro Botticelli and Piero della Francesca. Having been reproduced in huge numbers on various souvenirs, his angels became business card Rome.
The High Renaissance, that is, the 16th century, is represented by the masterpieces of Perugino, Raphael, Correggio and Paolo Veronese.
Papal Rome reached its greatest power in the 17th century, during the Baroque era, and papal collections represent the painting of this particular century most fully and brilliantly. A masterpiece of this time on display - "Entombment" by Caravaggio.
Altarpiece by Nicolas Poussin “The Martyrdom of Saint Erasmus”
, the artist's largest work, was painted specifically for St. Peter's Basilica. This work was one of the most famous paintings of the cathedral and was admired by many Russian artists living in Rome.
The Baroque era also includes works by Caravaggists and artists of the Bolognese school (Lodovico Carracci, Guido Reni, Guercino), beautifully represented in the papal collections. The exhibition ends with a series of paintings from the 18th century, essentially the last century in which the papacy played a state role. This series is Bolognese Donato Creti is dedicated to astronomical observations and logically completes the history of Lo Stato Pontificio, the Papal States, which soon ceased to exist and became the Vatican, Lo Stato della Città del Vaticano.
The exhibition catalog includes articles by the curator and employee of the Vatican Museums and an album part, which includes all the exhibited works with detailed annotations.
Holding the exhibition and publishing its catalog would have been impossible without the large-scale support of the A.B. Charitable Foundation. Usmanov “Art, science and sport”. The relationship between the Gallery and the Foundation has a long history: in 2006, anniversary events dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the museum were supported, in 2006–2007 - successful experience of joint work on the James Whistler exhibition, in 2007 - on the retrospective of Dmitry Zhilinsky. This exhibition is the largest ever recent years and an unprecedented international project of the Tretyakov Gallery.
Roma Aeterna. Masterpieces of the Vatican Pinacoteca. Bellini, Raphael, Caravaggio
November 25 - February 19, 2017
Lavrushinsky lane, 12
Ticket prices for the exhibitions "Roma Aeterna. Masterpieces of the Vatican Pinacoteca. Bellini, Raphael, Caravaggio" and "Painting and graphics of the 18th-20th centuries from the collection of the Primorsky Art Gallery":
500 rub. - adults
150 rub. - for the following benefit categories:
Pensioners,
Heroes Soviet Union, Heroes of the Russian Federation, Full Recipients of the Order of Glory,
students of secondary and secondary special education educational institutions(from 18 years old),
students of higher educational institutions of Russia, including foreign citizens - students of Russian universities (except for student interns)
students of faculties specializing in the field fine arts, secondary specialized and higher educational institutions of Russia, regardless of the form of education (including foreign citizens - students of Russian universities). Does not apply to persons presenting "student trainee" student cards;
artists, architects, designers - members of the relevant creative unions of Russia and its constituent entities;
members and staff of the Russian Academy of Arts;
art historians - members of the Association of Art Critics of Russia and its constituent entities;
employees of museums within the system of the Ministry of Culture of Russia and the relevant executive authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation.
Free - for the following benefit categories:
For persons under 18 years of age;
members of the International Council of Museums (ICOM);
veterans and disabled people of the Great Patriotic War, combatants (citizens of Russia and CIS countries);
disabled people of groups I and II (citizens of Russia and CIS countries);
conscripts;
one accompanying person with a group I disability or a disabled child (citizens of Russia and CIS countries)
Visiting the exhibition "Roma Aeterna. Masterpieces of the Vatican Pinacoteca. Bellini, Raphael, Caravaggio" is organized by sessions. The number of people in a session is limited for reasons of visitor comfort and proper climatic conditions for displaying valuable masterpieces.
Online tickets for exhibition dates
"Roma Aeterna. Masterpieces of the Vatican Pinacoteca. Bellini, Raphael, Caravaggio"
sold out until December 30, 2016.
Tickets for the remaining days of the exhibition will go on sale
approximately December 15th.
