Resurrection of Christ (Bellini)
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| Resurrection of Christ | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Giovanni Bellini |
| Year | 1475–1479 |
| Medium | oil on panel, transferred to canvas |
| Dimensions | 148 cm × 128 cm (58 in × 50 in) |
| Location | Gemäldegalerie, Berlin |
Resurrection of Christ is a painting by the Italian Renaissance artist Giovanni Bellini. The painting is estimated to be created sometime between 1475 and 1479. The painting was created on poplar wood, then transferred to canvas.[1] The Resurrection of Christ's dimensions are in total 148 x 128 cm (which is 58 in x 50 in). [1]
Giovanni Bellini was born in the mid to late 1420s in Venice, Italy to Nicolo Bellini and Anna Bellini. Nicolo was the half brother of Jacopo Bellini,[2] another influential Renaissance Italian artist. When Nicolo Bellini died, Giovanni Bellini was raised by Jacopo Bellini, who greatly influenced his artistic development.[3] Jacopo's artistic influence on Giovanni influenced the painting, Resurrection of Christ.[3]
History
The Resurrection of Christ was produced for the Marino Zorzi chapel in the mortuary church of San Michele di Murano in Venice.[4] The Berlin State Museums state that this painting fit the theme of the location of the painting, as its patrons hoped to be reborn to life when the Last Judgment would arrive.[1] It has previously been attributed to Cima da Conegliano, Previtali, Bartolomeo Veneto and Marco Basaiti, but the work was finally attributed to Bellini by Francesco Sansovino in 1581.[4][5]
Subject
The work Resurrection of Christ shows a historical significant moment, different from other Renaissance paintings at the time, and demonstrates a resurrected Christ who is hovering over the soldiers that Pilate assigned to guard.[5] In addition to the soldiers, there is an undressed man, and other non-soldier spectators nearby, including a holy women and a shepherd.[5] Rutherglen's analysis states Bellini includes a rising sun in the background of this painting to demonstrate a specific time of day.[5] This aligns with religious Gospels that state Christ rose during an Easter morning during early dawn.[5] The landscape includes a dark blue in the atmosphere as it transitions to grey and peach.[5] However, Rutherglen notes in her analysis that some scholars, unnamed, have critiqued the use of the landscape, stating a "lack of compositional unity and symbolic heft."[5]
According to the Bible, after Resurrection, Christ ate broiled fish and told his followers to verify his resurrection by seeing Christ and touching Christ.[5] However, Christ also "vanished from their sight" and told Mary Magdalen to not touch him, which may be seen as "conflicting reports" and Bellini also incorporates this into his work.[5] In Bellini's work, Christ is depicted to float in the air, but also may be seen as being upheld by the tower in the landscape below him; in this way, Bellini also captured both sides of the conflicting reports as shown in the Bible.[5] Giulio Cantalamessa noted how Bellini showed this in his work, stating it looks like Christ is defying gravity, however, Christ's legs also appear to be supported firmly, as if there was an imaginary pedestal underneath him.[5]
The Renaissance of Christ was acquired by the Gemäldegalerie, Berlin in 1903 and a full restoration shortly afterwards confirmed its attribution to Bellini.[4][1] However, the trouble that the scriptural lacuna faced was that the Resurrection has developed into the Christian art theme, much later than the incarnation episodes which included Baptism and Nativity.[5]
