Mirror and woman - two secrets and an inexhaustible theme in world painting

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

Nowadays mirrors are one of the most common interior items of any home, and we cannot imagine our life without them. They accompany everyone in everyday life - from the moment when, as a child, when they first saw themselves in the reflection, they were happily surprised and until the last minute of their lives, when they close their eyes to a person and hang mirrors in the house in which he lived. However, this was not always the case.

Now it is difficult to realize that in the distant past it was possible to see one's reflection only in stagnant water. And that a person who first saw his own reflection was expected to be surprised, delighted, disappointed, or a drama similar to the one that once befell Narcissus.

A bit from the history of mirrors

Polished metal mirrors were known in many countries even before our era. These plates were of various sizes and shapes: from round hand plates to large ones on stands. They have existed in Greece since archaic times. Their mirrored surface was often protected by a lid with decorations.

It was only starting from the 11th century that the first mentions of glass mirrors appeared in historical annals, with which a polished metal plate was first covered. And later, in the 12-13th centuries, lead was used as a metal. A century later, the alloy was replaced by tin amalgam, which was obtained by pouring mercury onto a sheet of tin foil.

The price of mirrors at that time was so high that some of them were equated to the cost of a small ship. And to present a mirror as a gift was considered the height of generosity. And accordingly, only rich aristocrats and royalty could acquire them.

And by the beginning of the 17th century, mirrors began to be made in workshop manufactories. In the 30s of the 19th century, silver began to be used as a metal base for glass, which was applied to sheet glass moving along a conveyor. Then there was a thin layer of copper, and then both layers were varnished. This technology is used in production to this day.

The first mirrors in Russia

The first glass mirrors appeared in Russia much later than in Europe. However, the Orthodox Church immediately declared them "a demonic thing and an overseas sin." Because of this, many avoided them, and the taboo on them was partially lifted only by the end of the 17th century. Therefore, in Russian culture there are so many superstitions associated with mirrors.

Thanks to Peter the Great, the first mirror production appeared in Moscow. Mirrors at that time became a family heirloom. And since they had a considerable price, they were given to their daughters as a dowry.

Mirrors in world painting

Mirrors throughout the history of human development attracted and beckoned, symbolized something mysterious and mysterious. Peering into the mirror image, a person, as it were, cognized himself.

And the mirror helped the artist to solve genre and compositional problems. Therefore, it is not at all surprising that many painters for centuries have tried to "tame the alluring world of reflections in their work," and to give the mirror a semantic symbol.

Moreover, such techniques are found both on the canvases of the classics and in the work of modern masters, in whose works we see not only real mirrors, but also the reflective surfaces of cars, shop windows and window panes.

Mirrors have long been perceived in painting as complete elements of canvases, around which the plot and composition develop, organizing the depicted space into a single whole.

Painters have always turned to mirrors when painting their self-portraits. For example, Zinaida Serebryakova's Self-Portrait with a Mirror attracts with amazing warmth and harmony. This is a work of a genre nature, in which we see a young woman combing her hair. Ordinary, but impressive at the same time.

Artists were often attracted by the decorativeness of the mirrors, which became elements of many ceremonial portraits. A striking example of this is the canvas of A. M. Gerasimov. “Portrait of the ballet dancer O. V. Lepeshinskaya.

The work "The Old Flirt" by Bernard Strozzi, where we see the image of a lady who has lived a long life, is amazing. Sitting by the mirror, she peers into her reflection, where she sees a faded face. Apparently she is trying to consider her former beauty in reflection. But a woman with a wrinkled and drooping face looks at her from the mirror - only slight traces of her former beauty remain. However, the heroine is not going to put up with withering, she preens and tries to hide her disappointment. Her servants quietly laugh at the mistress, realizing that youth cannot be returned, and old age can no longer be hidden by any outfits, even the most expensive ones.

The picture is also interesting by the fact that the author showed a confrontation that was reflected in the mirror: this is the fading face of an elderly lady and the young face of a servant. The semantic essence of the canvas is a sharp contrast between youth and old age in a mirror image. And here it is just right to recall the words of Leonardo da Vinci:

Looking into the mirror through the eyes of many artists, you can see the amazing beauty of a woman, and her wilting, and narcissism, and disappointment. They are so different, but united by one thing - they intently try to look into the eyes of their reflection.

Poets, using words, do not lag behind painters in the imagery of conveying not the appearance, but the inner state of the soul of women gazing into their reflection.

Finally, the centuries-old experiments on the mirror ended with the fact that we can all contemplate ourselves from morning to evening, and the mirror from mysterious and ominous has turned into an ordinary household item. Although many still give it a philosophical meaning, which contains wisdom, prophecy, and mysterious power. But in the history of painting, a stormy and vibrant life continues in front of the mirrors.

To add imagery, artists have always used various accessories when painting portraits of lovely ladies. There were no exceptions umbrellas, which in ancient times were a symbol of power and greatness.