Artist:
Luca Della Robbia
Title:
Madonna col Bambino
Year:
1449
Adress:
Museo Nazionale del Bargello
Robbia imposed himself restrictions with terracotta
Why has Luca Della Robbia imposed himself restrictions with working in terracotta, with two colors, on a flat surface?
Terracotta is a good material (there is no need to work in marble) to make a woman look lovely. You can see her head tilted slightly. The face is uniformly white and yet you see a lot of gray tones through the shadows. I did not miss the shimmer of the marble.
Her hand touches lovingly her child. Her hand is on the height of her heart; this can hardly be a coincidence.
Her child is looking lifely; his head upright, looking forward and has his mouth opened a little as if he wants to say something. Would the child have seen something remarkable? The child grabs her thumb and little finger with his plump fingers. This is funny.
The background has the color of lapis lazoli, is finished with a floral motif and therefore has a distinguished appearance. This gives the sculpture a beautiful frame.
In short: Luca Della Tobbia gives so much human expression, such a beautiful shadow effect, used such effective symbols that using terracotta is no obstacle.
Door Theo, www.artatsite.com
Vertaling
Robbia heeft zich met terracotta beperkingen opgelegd
Waarom heeft Luca Della Robbia zich de beperkingen opgelegd om in terracotta, met twee kleuren, op een plat vlak te werken?
Terracotta is een goed materiaal (het is niet nodig om in marmer te werken) om een vrouw liefelijk te laten kijken. Je ziet haar hoofd iets gekanteld. Het gezicht is egaal wit en toch zie je veel grijstonen door de schaduwen. Ik heb de glinstering van het marmer niet gemist.
Haar hand raakt haar kind liefdevol aan. Haar hand ligt ter hoogte van haar hart; dit kan haast geen toeval zijn.
Haar kind kijkt levenslustig; zijn hoofd rechtop, kijkt voor zich uit en heeft zijn mond iets geopend of het iets wil zeggen. Zou het kind iets opvallends hebben gezien? Kind grijpt met zijn mollige vingertjes haar pink en haar duim. Dit is grappig.
De achtergrond heeft de kleur van lapis lazoli, is afgewerkt met een bloemenmotief en heeft daardoor een voorname uitstraling. Dit geeft het beeld een prachtig kader.
Kortom: Luca Della Tobbia geeft zoveel menselijke expressie, zo’n mooie schaduwwerking, dermate doeltreffende symbolen dat het gebruik van terracotta geen enkele belemmering vormt.
By Theo, www.artatsite.com
www.wikipedia.com:
Luca della Robbia (1399/1400–1482) was an Italian sculptor from Florence. Della Robbia is noted for his colorful, tin-glazed terracotta statuary, a technique which he invented and passed on to his nephew Andrea della Robbia and great-nephews Giovanni della Robbia and Girolamo della Robbia.
Though a leading sculptor in stone, he worked primarily in terracotta after developing his technique in the early 1440s. His large workshop produced both cheaper works cast from molds in multiple versions, and more expensive one-off individually modeled pieces.
The vibrant, polychrome glazes made his creations both more durable and expressive. His work is noted for its charm rather than the drama of the work of some of his contemporaries. Two of his famous works are The Nativity (c. 1460) and Madonna and Child (c. 1475). In stone his most famous work is also his first major commission, the choir gallery, Cantoria in the Florence Cathedral (1431–1438).
Della Robbia was praised by his compatriot Leon Battista Alberti for genius comparable to that of the sculptors Donatello and Lorenzo Ghiberti, the architect Filippo Brunelleschi, and the painter Masaccio. By ranking him with contemporary artists of this stature, Alberti reminds us of the interest and strength of Luca's work in marble and bronze, as well as in the terra-cottas always associated with his name.
Why has Luca Della Robbia imposed himself restrictions with working in terracotta, with two colors, on a flat surface?
Terracotta is a good material (there is no need to work in marble) to make a woman look lovely. You can see her head tilted slightly. The face is uniformly white and yet you see a lot of gray tones through the shadows. I did not miss the shimmer of the marble.
Her hand touches lovingly her child. Her hand is on the height of her heart; this can hardly be a coincidence.
Her child is looking lifely; his head upright, looking forward and has his mouth opened a little as if he wants to say something. Would the child have seen something remarkable? The child grabs her thumb and little finger with his plump fingers. This is funny.
The background has the color of lapis lazoli, is finished with a floral motif and therefore has a distinguished appearance. This gives the sculpture a beautiful frame.
In short: Luca Della Tobbia gives so much human expression, such a beautiful shadow effect, used such effective symbols that using terracotta is no obstacle.
Door Theo, www.artatsite.com
Vertaling
Robbia heeft zich met terracotta beperkingen opgelegd
Waarom heeft Luca Della Robbia zich de beperkingen opgelegd om in terracotta, met twee kleuren, op een plat vlak te werken?
Terracotta is een goed materiaal (het is niet nodig om in marmer te werken) om een vrouw liefelijk te laten kijken. Je ziet haar hoofd iets gekanteld. Het gezicht is egaal wit en toch zie je veel grijstonen door de schaduwen. Ik heb de glinstering van het marmer niet gemist.
Haar hand raakt haar kind liefdevol aan. Haar hand ligt ter hoogte van haar hart; dit kan haast geen toeval zijn.
Haar kind kijkt levenslustig; zijn hoofd rechtop, kijkt voor zich uit en heeft zijn mond iets geopend of het iets wil zeggen. Zou het kind iets opvallends hebben gezien? Kind grijpt met zijn mollige vingertjes haar pink en haar duim. Dit is grappig.
De achtergrond heeft de kleur van lapis lazoli, is afgewerkt met een bloemenmotief en heeft daardoor een voorname uitstraling. Dit geeft het beeld een prachtig kader.
Kortom: Luca Della Tobbia geeft zoveel menselijke expressie, zo’n mooie schaduwwerking, dermate doeltreffende symbolen dat het gebruik van terracotta geen enkele belemmering vormt.
By Theo, www.artatsite.com
www.wikipedia.com:
Luca della Robbia (1399/1400–1482) was an Italian sculptor from Florence. Della Robbia is noted for his colorful, tin-glazed terracotta statuary, a technique which he invented and passed on to his nephew Andrea della Robbia and great-nephews Giovanni della Robbia and Girolamo della Robbia.
Though a leading sculptor in stone, he worked primarily in terracotta after developing his technique in the early 1440s. His large workshop produced both cheaper works cast from molds in multiple versions, and more expensive one-off individually modeled pieces.
The vibrant, polychrome glazes made his creations both more durable and expressive. His work is noted for its charm rather than the drama of the work of some of his contemporaries. Two of his famous works are The Nativity (c. 1460) and Madonna and Child (c. 1475). In stone his most famous work is also his first major commission, the choir gallery, Cantoria in the Florence Cathedral (1431–1438).
Della Robbia was praised by his compatriot Leon Battista Alberti for genius comparable to that of the sculptors Donatello and Lorenzo Ghiberti, the architect Filippo Brunelleschi, and the painter Masaccio. By ranking him with contemporary artists of this stature, Alberti reminds us of the interest and strength of Luca's work in marble and bronze, as well as in the terra-cottas always associated with his name.