Where to look in a picture of chess to find out what story the artist encrypted

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

There are many chess paintings in the history of painting. The artists liked the game itself - it made it possible to immediately and simply build a composition by placing a board in the center. But, most importantly, the figures themselves and the rules of the game made it possible to tell about the heroes of the paintings in the language of symbols and allegories. The modern viewer often does not immediately discover the meaning of the paintings, but if you take a closer look, you can see interesting details.

Lucas van Leiden, The Game of Chess, early 16th century

It is believed that this is the work of a fourteen-year-old boy who would later become the notorious Lucas Leiden. It is believed to represent the bride and groom. The bride had just arrived, and the groom offered to play a game on this occasion. But the girl quickly and inevitably beats him, and the groom is greatly discouraged.

There is a beautiful version that in this way - with a game of chess - they jokingly checked who would be in charge of the house, so the scene is apparently humorous. By the way, the game uses an elongated courier chess board.

Giulio Campi, The Game of Chess, 1530-1532

In a huge number of paintings dedicated to chess, a woman beats a man. This is due not only to the fact that many passionate and strong chess players of the past are known, such as Louise Savoyskaya or Natalia Pushkina (yes, the wife of Alexander Sergeevich). It is believed that the plot of paintings with a woman winning often refers to the painting by Campi, where Venus (or Aphrodite) beats Mars (or Ares). This canvas in allegorical form asserts that the feminine principle in the long term will always overcome the masculine, and love will conquer savagery. It is not surprising that on many canvases the game of chess itself becomes a symbol of amorous play, flirting, and romance.

It is difficult for a modern person to immediately determine who these lady and the knight sitting with their backs in the picture are, but in the Renaissance these two gods were recognized by attributes. So, in front of Venus, the goddess of love, lies a flower dedicated to her - a rose. The knights, on the other hand, were not in the habit of sitting in armor for secular entertainment, so, leaving the enemy of Venus in armor, the artist made it clear that this is Mars himself, the god of war.

Venus makes the traditional sign of victory in chess, which has been preserved for many centuries - points his finger at the board. At the same time, she herself turns to the jester - probably, the jester teased her during the game, but in the end all his jokes turned out to be a vain mockery. By the way, it is clear that Venus and Mars were not playing with black and white, but with black and red pieces. We are used to seeing the chess world in black and white, but for centuries it has been a world of three colors - black, white and red. Red could replace either white or black, or the board was red and white or red and black. There were no strict rules on this matter.

Gilbert Charles Stewart, Portrait of Miss Hattie and Mary Morris, 1795

The artist used chess to show the sisters' character: fiery (red) and calm (white). He also emphasized their character with hairstyle and pose. The sister on the left, playing for the Reds, sits, confidently taking up space, leaning her elbows on the table and giving complete freedom to her exuberant head of hair. The sister on the right, the lady of the whites, seems to be trying to be smaller - she slouches a little, hides her arms, hides her hair with a turban. The backdrop for the sister on the left was a column emphasizing the girl's confidence; the background for the sister on the right is a curtain, which seems to speak of her isolation, unsociability.

An almost magical story is connected with the picture. The house where she hung was almost completely burned down. Only a section of one of the walls was untouched by the fire. On this site, a portrait of two sisters was found unharmed.

Lucy Madox Brown, Ferdinand and Miranda Playing Chess, 1871

The painting depicts a scene from Shakespeare's The Tempest. By chance, on the uninhabited island, longtime enemies turn out in turn - the wizard duke and the king who once expelled him (bearded men at the door). But their children fall in love with each other, they do not care about the feuds of their fathers. While playing chess in the play, Miranda, the duke's daughter, jokingly accuses Ferdinand of cheating - in the version, for example, of the French artist Saint-Evreux, she does this to touch the young man's hand, and he understands perfectly well that he is being flirted with.

In the interpretation of the Pre-Raphaelite artist, while Miranda talks about cheating, Ferdinand feels very constrained - he does not have the playfulness that is in the French painting. And if you take the image of Ferdinand as a whole, it is easy to find a clue about the reason - he unequivocally holds a chess piece near his groin so that it resembles a typical youthful reaction to a beautiful girl; the hand hidden between the legs can also be a visual euphemism for another part of the body, which is now equally carefully hidden. At the same time, Miranda touches another chess piece of Ferdinand, which, in the light of his posture, looks like an allegorical gesture: she literally teases his sensuality.

The parents of Miranda and Ferdinand are literally pushed into a corner in this picture, although in the play they are quite active at this moment. In the center of the picture is the electrified atmosphere between young people.

Michael Fitzpatrick, A Day in the Life, 2013

According to the artist, the painting was conceived as an exercise in pyramidal composition, but went beyond it. A young girl participates in a tournament (the clock near the board tells about it). Her excitement and immersion in the process are conveyed by an interesting visual technique: the board is reflected in her glasses - as if it were in her eyes. A slight smile of pleasure plays on the chess player's lips: the game has just begun, and everything is ahead.

Interestingly, the girl's figure together with the board and the picture behind her head (which, by the way, was not in the first sketches) together form the silhouette of a chess rook, a figure that symbolizes purposeful movement and strength. We seem to know who will win this game.

George Goodwin Kilburn, The Chess Game, late 19th - early 20th century

It would seem that another picture about a lady and a gentleman at a chess table, of which there were many, is in fact not so simple. The convex mirror above their heads transforms themselves into chessmen, grotesquely reducing their reflections and forcing them to look at the players from above, like looking at a chessboard. The effect is enhanced by the lady's quilted skirt and the gentleman's ankles covered with black bangs, which resemble the "necks" of the figures standing in front of him on the board. The players themselves are inside the game, and who is in charge? Maybe fate?

Jean Léon Gérôme, Almeas Playing Chess, 1870

The painting was painted after another trip to Egypt, which the artist loved to visit. Since we are dealing with an allegory, there is little that is historically and ethnographically reliable in it. One almeya, in the modern sense of Jerome - a street dancer, possibly prostituted - is dressed frankly, wearing makeup, with open arms, neck, hair (albeit in a free pose). Another almeya, in the old sense of the word - a dancer in the women's chambers, a companion of noble ladies - although she is dressed quite openly, but her hair is hidden by a net, she has a veil in which she can wrap herself at any moment, her chest is closed, there are no eye-catching jewelry and the color is as calm as possible. By the way, her costume is Byzantine, not Egyptian.

The man near the second almeya stands, as if protecting her, and bent down, peering at the party. But, if you trace the turn of the head, he stared rather at the neckline first. A man promises to be near virtue and is drawn to sin - this is what the picture warns viewers about, not without bitterness.

Josef Franz Danhauser, The Game of Chess, first half of the 19th century

It seems that the lady in black lace, left with almost no figures, suddenly put a checkmate on her opponent - he spreads his hands in confusion, recognizing her victory. The game seemed intense, with many people watching. However, the delight of a young man sitting on a pillow on the floor clearly does not refer to the chess talent of a chess player.

By the way, she is depicted in an unusual pose - kneeling on an armchair, turned sideways to the chess table, and has akimbo. There is something cavalry about this, especially if you remember that the ladies rode sideways on horseback. By the way, one of her last moves, if you look at the board, is a knight's move.

Francesco Galante, "The Game of Chess", XX century

It looks like the picture is a scene from the life of Italy in the forties. Men are on the Russian front and whether they will return from there is unknown. The remaining women - mother, daughter and daughter-in-law, who, judging by her appearance, was at work during the day - meanwhile, live in a mode of economy. Although not very convenient, the three of them sat down under one common lamp: two to play chess, one to do needlework.

It's cool in the house, and all three preferred to put on sweaters rather than sit by the fireplace - they also need to save firewood. One man (maybe the only one in the house) has definitely not returned - the girl on the left has a ring on her right hand, as widows wear in Catholicism. For some reason, one of the black pieces is on two squares at once. It is difficult to know if this detail has a meaning.

Francis Cotes. Portrait of William, Earl of Welby, and his first wife, 18th century

It seems that in front of us is an ordinary ceremonial family portrait. These are often depicted with attributes that say something about the origin, occupation, or hobby of the family. In front of the Earl and Countess of Welby is a chessboard. It is a draw, there are only two kings left, which, according to the rules, cannot approach each other, which means that they cannot put each other in check or checkmate. It is believed that in this way the artist reflected the principles of equality that reign in this family. However, if you look closely, although both players point to the board with a gesture of victory, the man also adds a gesture of defeat - an open palm. He is ready to gallantly yield to his beloved.

Jan Franz Floris Claes, The Game of Chess, 19th century

A scene of total awkwardness and inner tension. It seems that the teenagers have seen each other more than once at a chess game - and they were not limited to the conversation at the board. This is all the more likely since there are several pictures of young people secretly kissing over chess, clearly using the game as an excuse for a date.

The girl's father or older brother began to suspect something and decided to follow how they played chess - under the pretext of ordinary spectator interest. He literally hangs over the board and lovers, as if preparing to catch them on the wrong gesture. The young man watches him, cringing with fear, which he cannot overcome because of the feeling of guilt. The girl rearranges the figures with feigned calmness. Her posture generally mirrors that of a young man, and this enhances the sense of connection between them.

Remy-Furcy Descarsen, Portrait of Dr. de S. Playing Chess with Death, 1793

A man in a dressing gown, in a nightcap, smiling, points to the board with a winner's gesture. Death, on the other hand, makes a gesture of the vanquished: he draws his open hand to the board. She stood up as if she were about to leave. Why is this man even depicted playing with death? Maybe he was seriously injured or ill? No, behind him hangs a painting depicting a scene from the myth of Asclepius, the legendary ancient physician who managed to snatch patients out of the hands of the god of death himself, Hades.

Even if the artist had not signed the portrait of Dr. de S., this picture would have suggested to us that we are facing a doctor comparable in the success of his treatment to Asclepius. It is not for nothing that his robe is colored with flowers - like the attire of the wife of Hades, Persephone, who every year in the spring overcomes death and leaves her kingdom, so that life again blooms on earth.

Unknown artist, "Elector Johann Friedrich the Magnanimous Plays Chess with a Spanish Nobleman", 1548

The picture looks exactly like a set of ceremonial double portraits, where heroes play chess - for example, portraits of fathers and sons or two friends … If you don't look too closely. But if you look closely, you can find that the man on the right, just making a move, is very tense and literally grabbed the hilt of his sword.

It is not surprising - after all, the picture depicts the Elector in captivity by the Spaniards. The prisoners had few opportunities for entertainment, and chess is one of them. The man on the right is dressed in Spanish, apparently guarding the Elector and out of respect for the prisoner agreed to play with him, but keeps his guard in case this is a trick and the Elector intends to escape. It is also known that the elector was playing chess at the time when he learned about the order to execute him. The more striking is the calmness of the prisoner, who clearly intends to enjoy the game to the end. By the way, it looks like chess pieces are made of gold and silver.

Chess is not the only thing that tells stories in pictures. Love and Dislike: Details of the paintings that were immediately understood by the audience of the 19th century.