July 24 at the National Gallery opened an exhibition LOVE, featuring the works of many famous artists - from Raphael and Lucas Cranach, the senior stars to Brit-Art Marc Quinn and Tracey Emin. All works are devoted to one theme - love

For those who wish to relax this summer in London, the opportunity to visit a very interesting exhibition. July 24 at the National Gallery opened an exhibition called LOVE, which presents works by famous artists devoted to love. To LOVE will see paintings, sculpture and objects Rafael (Raphael), Lucas Cranach, a senior (Lucas Cranach the Elder), Jan Vermeer (Jan Vermeer), J. M. W. Turner (J. M. W. Turner), Francisco Goya (Francisco Goya), William Holman Hunt (William Holman Hunt), Dante Gabriel Rossetti (Dante Gabriel Rossetti), Marc Chagall (Marc Chagall) , David Hockney (David Hockney), Tracey Emin (Tracey Emin), and others. The organizers of the exhibition have decided to gather in one place works, depicting various aspects of love: lust, marriage, infidelity, loss of a beloved person, maternal love. LOVE allows us to see how over 500 years, artists have expressed one of the most complex and at the same time, simple human emotions.

Zhemchuzhina exhibition - «Madonna with the pinks», one of the greatest works of the Renaissance titan Raphael Santi. This painting depicts a beautiful girl (Virgin) play with the Baby Jesus. There are different interpretations of symbols of carnations, which are kept in the hands of Mother and Son. According to some sources, carnations indicate future suffering of the Son of God: as the Christian legend, the flower first appeared when the Virgin wept at the foot of the cross. Others say that carnations symbolize marriage: Presvjatoj Virgin was not only the mother but also the bride of God. The painting by Raphael is not the solemn stillness inherent in the earlier images of the Madonna, - here we see a normal loving mother.

The theme of parental love unites very different at first glance, a work of art. What could be more common in, say, the biblical scenes of the Italian Baroque artist Giovanni Gverchino (Giovanni Guercino) and a small porcelain rabbit contemporary British artist Grayson Perry (Grayson Perry)? The painting depicts Gverchino Hagar, Abraham's second wife, which he together with his son Izmail (the legendary founder of the Arab civilization) and drove out of the house. Italian artist from all over the emotional inherent Baroque depicted the suffering and hope to a single mother, forced to wander the wilderness, and obsessed with fear for the fate of izgolodavshegosya son. A porcelain figurine, made trouble and provokers Grayson Perry, is covered by God please keep my children safe ( «God, I beg you, let my children be safe»). The exhibition of work Gverchino LOVE Perry and engage in dialogue.

Many works in the exhibition are devoted to love, which defies conventional ideas about what could be and what not. For example, a picture of Jacopo Bassano (Jacopo Bassano) «Good Samaritan» a story about a man who took care of the beaten and robbed travelers, despite the fact that he was an absolute stranger to him. Another work, a sculpture of Mark Quinn (Marc Quinn) «Kiss» depicts a young man with a deformed hand, and gently hugs tseluyuschego girl, whose hands are not. This touching piece - a reminder that true love for the physical shortcomings are not an obstacle. Recall that Quinn was famous in the whole world its Lepper sculpture of a pregnant Alison (Alison Lapper, an artist, born without both hands), which now stands at Trafalgar Square in London. For the entire world, this monument has become a symbol of tolerance.

famous artist David Hockney (David Hockney) presented at the LOVE picture «We - two boys - stick together». The main theme of the work, reminiscent of street graffiti, a homosexual love. The painting was created in 1961, when homosexuality is still considered to be in the UK a criminal offense.

Many of the picture presented in the exhibition LOVE, are favorite images of famous female artists. For example, the picture prerafaelita Dante Gabriel Rossetti «Astarta Syrian» музу and depicts his secret love, Jane Morris (Jane Morris), the wife of his friend, a famous artist, writer and designer William Morris (William Morris). And of course, no exhibition devoted to love, could not do without the works of the artist who created perhaps the most significant amount of work on this theme, - Mark Shagal . His «Bouquet with flying lovers» was written shortly after the death of his beloved wife Bella Rosenfeld (Bella Rosenfeld). This sharp picture depicts the artist, trying to catch the ghost of the beloved disappears.

LOVE exhibition will run until October 5.

Material prepared Yulia Maksimova

Sources: nationalgallery.org.uk , timesonline.co.uk , artdaily.org , artinvestment.ru