In a New Light: Bellini's St. Francis in the Desert
May 22, 2011, through August 28, 2011
The Exhibition
Giovanni Bellini's St. Francis in the Desert is a masterpiece of spiritual
poetry that has enthralled generations of visitors to The Frick Collection.
This monumental painting — the largest work on panel at the Frick — portrays Francesco Bernardone of Assisi (c. 1181–1226), the medieval saint who renounced earthly riches to embrace a life of poverty, humility, simplicity, and prayer. Francis founded the mendicant religious order known in Italy as the Frati Minori, or Friars Minor, still flourishing today. In 1224, during a retreat to the Tuscan mountain of La Verna, he was honored for his empathetic faith with the stigmata, the imprint of the five wounds of Christ's Crucifixion.
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Giovanni Bellini (c. 1430/1435–1516), St. Francis in the Desert, c. 1475-78, oil on poplar panel, 49 x 55 7⁄8 inches, The Frick Collection, New York |
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The Frick St. Francis belongs to a rich tradition of biographies, legends, and works of art centering on the life of this saint, who was close in time to Italians of the Renaissance. Yet the image is unlike any other representation of him, visual or written. Bellini's figure appears to be in a state of mystical transport. He strides barefoot from his simple shelter into a rock-strewn wilderness; with hands extended and lips parted, he is transfigured by
a supernatural radiance that emanates from the clouds at the upper-left
corner of the scene. Could this be an unconventional image of Francis's
stigmatization? If not, what has the artist sought to represent instead?
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Giovanni Bellini (c. 1430/1435–1516), Infrared reflectogram detail of St. Francis in the Desert, Technical photography by Department of Paintings Conservation, The Metropolitan Museum of Art; image © The Metropolitan Museum of Art |
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A recent technical investigation (see Technique and Working Method)
addressed some longstanding questions about the picture's meaning. It had
been proposed that the scene once contained a winged seraph on a cross,
delivering the wounds of the Crucifixion to Francis. The technical study
strongly discounts this possibility: the painting probably never contained a
seraph. The examination also confirmed that the subtle stigmata on Francis's
hands are the original work of Bellini himself — not a later retouching — and
that the saint once bore a wound on his left foot as well. Owing to abrasion
of the paint surface over time, this detail is no longer visible to the naked eye.
Most important, the study documented the consummate beauty, precision,
and facility of the artist's painting technique. Gifted with an extraordinary
sensitivity to nuances of color and light, Bellini manipulated the oil medium
to create a deeply communicative work of religious devotion.
The exhibition was organized by Susannah Rutherglen, Andrew W. Mellon Curatorial Fellow, The Frick Collection in conjunction with Denise Allen, Curator, and Charlotte Hale, Paintings Conservator, the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
This exhibition is made possible by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. |
