Altarpiece "The Legend of St Sebastian and the Passion of Christ" by Albrecht Altdorfer

Иконостас "Легенда о св. Севастьяне и Страсти Господни" {5611}
Altarpiece "The Legend of St Sebastian and the Passion of Christ"

история:

The great Augustinian abbey of St Florian provided the wealthy and culturally sophisticated milieu for the creation of Altdorfer's high altar, his masterpiece, one of the major works of the Danube school. Now dismantled, most parts are at either St Florian or Vienna. Two panels of the predella of Altdorfer's large Altarpiece of The Legend of St Sebastian and the Passion of Christ, are displayed in Vienna. The two panels in Vienna depict the final scenes of Christ's Passion: the Burial and the Resurrection. Both paintings share a similar formal structure: an open landscape is seen beyond and through the opening of a dark grotto. Altdorfer's conception of the Resurrection is arresting in its night-time setting. A light with the quality of a supernatural fire emanates from the body of Christ and illuminates the sombre clouds in the sky. This glistening light casts a red and yellow glow that colours the soldiers clustered, dazed and sleeping around Christ's tomb. In 1510 Altdorfer traveled in the Alpine countries. It seems highly probable that he also went to Italy; the 'Italian influence' could be sensed in his brilliant handling of spatial construction in the altar panels. Although there is no evidence for a trip to Italy, it is evident that Altdorfer utilized Italian niello work and the engravings of Marcantonio Raimondi and Andrea Mantegna. On or around 1509 he received a commission for the wings of an altarpiece. The series occupied Altdorfer until 1518, the date on one of the panels. In works such as the altar for St Florian or the Christ Taking Leave of His Mother {5598} he achieved a wonderful unity of mood between action and landscape. The sculpted portions of the altar of St Florian have been lost; however except for two items the paintings have been kept on-site: the predellas depicting the resurrection and entombment are currently located in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. Closed, the altarpiece displayed, on four panels, the legend of St Sebastian; the sides when opened displayed eight paintings of the Passion. According to the date on the resurrection panel, the altarpiece was completed in 1518. The size of the work and changes in style could indicate that work had already started around 1512. Style reasons would hint that the Passion of Christ paintings were completed before the Legend of St. Sebastian. The altarpiece includes a number of night scenes, unusual for that time.

автор:

Альтдорфер А.

Albrecht Altdorfer

происхождение:

монастырь св. Флориана

Enns (Linz), Austria: monastery of St Florian

композиция:

Легенда о св. Севастьяне, в закрытом виде

The Legend of St Sebastian

Страсти Господни, в открытом виде

Passion of Christ

композиция: