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Nativity
Magi Adoration by Tintoretto
Tintoretto- (1518-1594)
Adorazione dei Magi (1587)
Chiesa
di Santa Maria delle Vergini
Macerata
The Venetian artist
painted the work when he was already a mature artist in 1587 in the same
years when he had produced an other Magi Adoration for the great school of
San Rocco in Venice.
The pyramidal
composition allows Tintoretto to create a visual acme that culminates in
the upper part of the canvas. There the angels make themselves a means of
the divine presence opening a poach of light.
As if on a stage
the main characters appear telling over again the tale of the birth of the
Infant and the coming of the Magi from the East.
The characters are
located on three different areas: some bystanders are on the foreground
ready to salute and offer tokens to the King of kings. They concur in
creating a agitated movement of eager waiting that characterizes the
scene.
The stuffed
crocodile brought to the Infant is a detail, among the others, that
focuses on the scene: it reminds of the victory of the Macerata troops
during the Crusades. They wanted to present this token to the true Saviour.
The Holy Virgin,
Jesus and the three Magi that submissively honour the new born are set in
the second strip. The oldest Magio is the one depicted more in detail. His
dress has an high scenographic effect as it is a beautiful arabesque and
it is held by a servant on his right.
The latter allows
us to see a procession that is approaching from the right. The quote to
the Adoration of San Rocco is clear.
In the background
there is the glory of heaven in front of the Advent of God incarnated on
the earth: it is the perfect fulfilment of the history of man. God comes
back to earth uniting the divine nature and the human one. It is the
mending of a scar that had been created by the original sin. In a scene
the sense of love of God for
men is synthesized.
The main character
of the episode is light. It increases the plastic value to the figures and
touches the bodies there where the observer should concentrate.
by
Sara Tassi
Translated
by Guendalina Santini
for Paradise
Possible
Copyright©
2007Liberation Ventures Ltd.
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