How the mystery of the double halo of Christ on the crucifix from Santa Croce was solved

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

In the XVIII century. innovative pictorial techniques are born, associated with the formation of a new worldview of religious art. Particular attention in this regard requires the work of Cimabue, who managed to create truly magnificent crucifixes. The Incarnation and the sacrifice of Christ are now symbolically represented in the image of the cross, which depicts the crucified Savior, and on the sides - the Virgin Mary and John the Evangelist. What is the mystery of the double halo on the crucifix and why did critics react negatively to the restoration of the work?

About the artist

There are very few biographical data on Cimabue. It is known that he was born in Florence in 1240 into a noble Florentine family. Parents sent their son to study literature at the monastery of Santa Maria Novella. Here he meets the great masters of the Byzantine mosaic art, who came to Florence to create works of art. Having adopted the skills of a painter, Cimabue soon develops his own style, which differs "both in style and color from his mentors" (Vasari).

Crucifixion Cimabue

Around 1270, he creates the wooden Crucifixion of the Church of San Domenico in Arezzo. And in this work, the painter brilliantly outstrips the Byzantine style not only in technique, but also in emotional transmission. His vision of the tragedy at Calvary is more humane: instead of a triumphant Christ, he draws a suffering Savior carrying the weight of man's sin. In fact, Cimabue lays the foundation for Giotto's great innovations and represents the style of the Italian Renaissance. Later, Cimabue creates a second large wooden Crucifix for the Church of Santa Croce.

The work was commissioned by the Franciscan monks of the Cathedral of Santa Croce. It is distinguished by a clever design: the crucifix is built from a complex arrangement of five main and eight auxiliary wooden planks. The dimensions of the crucifix are very symmetrical and proportional. It is likely that the geometric ideals of the relationships and design rules of the ancient Greeks affected. It is one of the first pieces of Italian art that differs from the late medieval Byzantine style and is famous for its technical innovations and humanistic iconography.

The main character of the mural

The body of the dead Christ hangs on the cross, the head is bowed to the shoulder, and the real halo seems to support her. The Savior's figure is S-shaped (a symbol of mental suffering), the hips and head are tilted to the left, and the legs are to the right. This form of the figure of Christ is a type of crucifixion widespread in 13th century Italian art. Such crucifixes created a visible, sensually-concrete image of the atoning sacrifice, corresponding to the changed religious ideas of the era.

At the ends of the crossbeams on both sides of the image of John and the Virgin Mary. Their faces are made by the author intentionally with dark colors, because they bear painful and sad expressions. Both bowed their heads towards Christ and laid them on their hands. By the way, the size and position of these two figures are reduced in comparison with the Byzantine iconography. Cimabue did this to focus the viewer's attention on the passion of Christ.

Colors for painting

This work is distinguished primarily by the brightness of color. A stranger to all striving for naturalism, the artist arranges an explosion of colors, whose task is not to imitate the texture of wood, but to shine. Cimabue managed to achieve masterful color processing. Medieval churches, as a rule, were extremely colorfully painted: with frescoes on the walls, painted capitals and painting with gold leaf. Cimabue's painting is dominated by pale tones, with a major contrast (in the hair and beard of Christ), which are used to emphasize his facial features and highlight the focal points. The nimbus of Jesus, the edging of the cross, the background for the images of John and Mary are covered with gold leaf (this is due to the Byzantine tradition).

The painting uses the main icon-painting colors - red, gold and blue. The cross is painted with dark blue paint, symbolizing heaven and eternity. But the body of Christ is painted in yellow-greenish shades, it is covered with a translucent fabric and is very elongated. His eyes are closed, his face is lifeless and defeated. Nudity highlights His vulnerability and suffering. In Christ two principles were incarnated - God and man. Cimabue conveys his human nature with light, And divine - with the help of a halo.

Authorship and restoration

During the writing of the work (1287-1288), there was a lot of controversy about the true author. But today it is generally known that the authorship belongs to the brush of Cimabue.

The crucifix was installed in the church of Santa Croce at the end of the 13th century and remained there until 1966, when the Arno rivers flooded Florence. Thousands of works of art have been damaged or destroyed; On November 4, 1966, the Arno River raged in earnest, as a result of which the painting was damaged. Dirty water spoiled the crucifix, in places the paint was completely washed off. The crucifix has lost 60% of its paint. Actually, the restoration began with a jeweler's work to separate the paint layer from the wooden base, which had absorbed water.

It was also necessary to fix the paints where they were irrevocably lost. However, it was decided not to fill in the gaps between the painted areas (therefore, white spots on the painting are very noticeable). Could the restorers have done otherwise? The desire to preserve only what undoubtedly belongs to the author was taken to the extreme during the restoration of the crucifix and did not go to the benefit of the work being saved. According to critic Waldemar Januszak, the crucifix was “returned after restoration in a strange state. Partly an original work of art, partly a masterpiece of modern science … The work of the 13th century became a hybrid of the 20th century."

Double halo shadow

The double shadow from the halo over the head of Christ serves not only as a sign of His divinity, but also materializes the space in which the figure of the Savior is inscribed. A similar effect is achieved by bending the body: a richly accentuated arc, expressing unbearable physical pain and deep mental suffering, creates a space between the viewer and the cross.

The mural contains elements typical of the religious work of Cimabue (for example, an illusory depiction of drapery folds, a large halo, long flowing hair, dark angular faces and dramatic expressions). But the rest of the "Crucifixion" corresponds to the strict iconography of the 13th century. The magnificent mural, showcasing the incredible suffering of Christ, is of paramount importance in art history and has influenced artists from Michelangelo, Caravaggio and Velazquez to Francis Bacon.