«Menipp» and «Aesop» Velasquez from the Prado museum in the Hermitage
ARTinvestment.RU   21 октября 2008

Today in St. Petersburg opened exhibition from the cycle «Masterpieces of the Hermitage museum in the world», which will be presented to the two great paintings by the Spanish artist Velazquez

October 21, opens exhibition from the cycle «Masterpieces of the Hermitage museum in the world» - «Menipp» and «Aesop» from the Prado Museum. The exhibition, organized jointly with the State Hermitage Museum Madrid Prado Museum, are two canvases by the great Spanish artist Velazquez (1599-1660), belonging to the most famous masterpieces of world art. The names of the ancient thinkers listed in the captions to the pictures.

famous fabulist Aesop lived in the VI century BC. e. His apocryphal biography was written in the XIII century, the essays first published in the late XV century and widely spread in Europe in the XVI and XVII centuries. According to legend, Aesop was a slave, released to freedom, ruthlessly witty author of the moral maxim, which has frequently expressed his ideas through the conversation of animals. He was killed, the victim of bold pronouncements of the human vices. In Spain, fabulist works well aware of them in the schools studied Greek language.

Aesop The painting depicts a book at the bottom next to him on the one hand Lohani and rag - a hint at the daily sessions slave on the other hand - stacked in the way things and golden bowl, in the theft of fabulist was falsely accused and dropped from the mountain priests of Apollo in Delphi.

Menipp philosopher Aesop lived much later, in the III century BC. e. Details are known through Diogenu Laertskomu and Lukianu of Samosaty. Like Aesop, Menipp was freed a slave, managed to become rich, engaging in usury, and then lost his fortune, ended the lives of suicide, hanging. He belonged to the philosophical school kinikov denying knowledge of the scientists who were all severely criticized in the Spanish times, Velasquez kinikov accused of slander. «Dialogue» Lukiana with references to Menippe were as well known as works of Aesop, they are also used in schools for learning the Greek language.

Menipp in the picture sarkastichno grin. His legs book, he defies them, as the rejection of scientific knowledge. There is a pitcher, put on a platform with wheels. Jug in the iconography of the XVII century was associated with a woman. His presence in the composition can be explained by the fact that the picture thinkers of antiquity were in bed ensemble «Mars». It is believed that «Aesop», «Menipp» and «Mars» were written for the royal hunting pavilion Torre de la Parada, which was built in 1636. The paintings were mentioned together in the earliest surviving inventory (1701). All of the same size, all in the ancient stories. Connecting them in a kind of «Triptych» could have a special meaning.

«Mars» in the treatment of Velazquez looks very strange. This is not menacing, the young and beautiful god of war, how it represented a time of Spaniards Velazquez, but a man of middle age, old beginner. He sits on the bed, in reverie, almost completely naked, but in the helmet, arms thrown at the feet. The image of the god of war is clearly reduced. In this interpretation, some see a hint of fascination with Mars love joy at the expense of his main occupation, the war. Others go further to reveal the content of the work and link it with the military defeat of Spain in the second half of 1630-ies. It is possible that there were two ideas in mind. In the context of «Mars» understand why a number of them are exactly «Aesop» and «Menipp», fabulist and kinik other than critical, bold and uncompromising opinions.

Ancient Sages modernize, are presented in the form of beggars. They are acutely described, beautifully written. «Aesop» - in a dense painterly manner, «Menipp» more liquid mild stroke. The figures show the low point of view, are drawn to the majestic silhouettes of a neutral background. The color is made in the tight-fisted, strong brownish-olive color.

significantly, and mastery of execution pictures «Aesop» and «Menipp» always attracted the attention of connoisseurs of art and artists. Their chase of Francisco de Goya, are geared Edouard Manet, creating their «philosophers», with them, make copies of painters, including the Ilya Repin .

Source: hermitagemuseum.org