Jacopo and pontammo: the artist "from the outside" and "from the inside"

The publishing house of the European University in St. Petersburg published the book of Arkady Ippolitov about the Italian artist of the 16th century Jacopo and PontoMo with the subtitle “Artist from the outside and from the inside” [1]. “From the outside” in this case refers to the artist’s biography, compiled by his junior contemporary Georgio Vasari, and “from the inside” - to the diary of PontoMo himself (the last years of his life).

The text of Vasari (which makes up the main array of the book) accompanies the detailed comments of Ippolitov, and they - fortunately and contrary to the usual - are given not in footnotes and not at the end of the main text, but in the selection with the composition of Vasari; At the same time, the comments are clearly highlighted in italics and location on the page. Diary of Ponto (called by the artist “My Book”) is small in volume, so comments on it are located traditionally - at the end of the text.

Ippolitov’s preface, an elegant essay for one and a half book pages, is opening the book, nevertheless, a full -fledged scientific introduction to the two -part -time of this.

Jacopo Karucci, nicknamed Da Ponto (1494–1557), among young Florentine artists of the high revival, was considered almost the most gifted. Recognition - and, accordingly, orders - he began to receive quite early. When he was barely over twenty, ponto, in particular, created the Wertumn and Pomon wall painting a wonderful in harmony and skill (1519–1521).

Pontomo is a student of Andrea del Sarto, but Del Sarto is more “classic”: a mature pontammo worked in the manner of much more stress-insistent, and in this sense, the peaceful tonality of the Vertumn and Pomna frescoes remains to the sidelines from the path chosen by the young artist.

The evolution of pontammo as a painter usually seems to be a transition from a high revival to mannerism . Adopted in academic art criticism, this category is quite arbitrary-this is no longer a high revival, but not yet baroque.

One way or another, Pontomo is a large and peculiar master, and many of his works are amazing by the courage of decisions. This is, for example, “Portrait of Kozimo Medici Sr.” (1530s). An amazing effect here creates a flaming and alarming red color. Pontomo very deliberately used the “open” red - we can see this with the example of his famous painting “Boy with Alabard”.

The genres in which the pontammo worked - multi -figure compositions (cardboard and frescoes) and a portrait - are determined by the era: the Florentine artist of the mid -16th century wrote what he was ordered. However, within the chosen subject of Ponto, as a rule, he felt quite relaxed. Therefore, here we find work on traditional plots, where the artist, nevertheless, is far from the canon and solves his own artistic tasks.

This is, for example, a work, the plot of which is traditionally called “Removal from the Cross” (depositio; 1525–1528). Strictly speaking, it would have to be called otherwise, since the image of the cross is absent here, but the mourning of Christ is written in detail - which is characteristic of the plot called “mourning” (lambentio).

The figures of the body of Christ at the ponto are performed in unexpectedly bright colors and seem flying through the air; This is especially true for the figure of the young man on the left in the front row. On the right in the background is the face of Joseph of Arimathesky, who, as it is believed, gave his features.

No less boldly - with the amazing freedom of the composition - the “Meeting of Maria with Elizabeth” (Visitatio Mariae, 1529–1530) was written. The plastic of the characters is striking in liveliness and harmony.

The last eleven years of his life, Pontomo devoted to the creation of frescoes in the chapel of San Lorenzo. These frescoes were not successful with contemporaries, and in the XVIII century were generally knocked down.

Vasari emphasizes the “oddities” of PontoMo - his isolation, irrevocability. Ippolitov shows that ponto avoided the duties of a “secular” person, preferring a narrow circle of friends and students.

The book of Arkady Ippolitov is interesting not only with text, but also by an artistic solution. It reproduces only four drawings of Ponto (Sepia) and its engraved portrait from Vasari's “Biographies”; The layout is concise, and the book leaves the impression of a valuable and carefully executed product.

Rebekah Frumkin

1. Ippolitov A.V. Jacopo and pontammo. The artist from the outside and from the inside. -St. Petersburg: Publishing House of the European University in St. Petersburg, 2016.