THINQon : Hidden images in Art

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david ELISHA

Hidden images in Art

Latest Post: February 15, 2011 at 12:20 PM

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Giovanni Bellini, Dead Christ Supported by the Madonna and St John (Pietà) 1460. Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan

With this work, Bellini reaches a top in the representation of the pain in Art. The artist represents there, in the center, the livid chest of Christ died, the face falling down on his shoulder; the Madonna, on the left, supports him, her profile pressed against that of his Son, looking him straight in eyes: this silent dialog is one of the most moving in all the history of painting. The Mother's pathetic gesture is reflected in St John's turning away.One could almost hear the silent scream that sounded out of his mouth. The silent exchange of emotions in the faces is reflected in the masterly play of the hands. The hand of Christ falls down on a marble edge where is inscribed: “hæc fere quum gemitus turgentia lumina promant/Bellini poterat flere Ioannis opus” [" if those weeping eyes could emit groans, the work of Giovanni Bellini could then cry " ].

There would be to say still much on this masterpiece, but I would like to draw the attention to a completely strange detail: in the background of the landscape, one can distinguish, partly hidden by the cloak of the Madonna , the chest and the head of a bird! a winding road draws the wing and the beak, a rounded hill the top of the head, a tree forms the eye, groves and houses evoke the plumage.

In others paintings from this time we can find examples of hidden images:Mantegna's "St. Sebastian" ((cloud in the shape of rider), "Christ in the Garden" by Bellini Christ (Hill evoking the mouth of a whale), the Holbein's "Ambassadors" (anamorphosis of skull), Arcimboldo ("the vegetable man" which gives to see a face if one looks it with the back)… without speaking of course about the contemporary art (Dali, who has made a speciality of it, Picasso, Markus Raetz…).

But what astonishes me in this work, it is the absense of relationship between this image of bird almost comic, malicious, and the deeply tragic scene which is represented.
I would be interested to know if anyone has an idea about the meaning of this bird(metaphor, symbol?) ...

Edna Stern sent kudos and tagged this post as Very enjoyable.

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Alice Armstrong, Unique like you.

February 11, 2011 at 1:02 AM

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Personally, I do not see a bird symbol. Now I have read your post Sir I do see one and believe you are seeing something in your mental conditioning not seeing what the artist intended as a symbol. Is it not like reading shapes or symbols in clouds and then interpreting them for one's own satisfaction?

If this is the case then asking others to interpret this symbol is really no help to you except on an intellectual level. More important to me is; what does this symbol mean to you?

If it were a bird in flight it may have been set there to represent the soul in flight from the body as the Christ expires. However this 'symbol' is nothing more than the shape of a rather plump, sedate bird; possibly a pigeon or chicken roosting. It does not represent the 'dove' in its historically used context for peace.

david ELISHA tagged this post as Very enjoyable.

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david ELISHA

In response to Alice Armstrong

February 11, 2011 at 11:52 PM

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Thanks for your answer.Your viewpoint is very interesting. Leonardo da Vinci recommended to observe for example, old walls to stimulate imagination: "Do not despise my opinion, when I remind you that it should not be hard for you to stop sometimes and look into the stains of walls, or ashes of a fire, or clouds, or mud or like places, in which, if you consider them well, you may find really marvellous ideas."
This was reiterated by some surrealist artists, especially Max Ernst, who used different techniques: frottage, grattage, decalcomania...
I remember when I was a child, I had fun watching the clouds or observing from my bed irregularities or stains into the walls of my room and I discovered lots of forms of animals or faces more or less strange.
However, the bird is actually there in the paint, too accurate to believe that the artist does not have wanted to do it like that, and the mystery of its interpretation remains unresolved for me...
Sorry for my poor English.

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Alice Armstrong, Unique like you.

February 12, 2011 at 12:42 AM

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Your English is fine David, thank you. I have looked again at this painting; perhaps I misunderstood your post. There could be a number of meanings for the bird you perceive in this painting. On closer perusal I find that the bird has a broken wing; if you look below the bird, again jutting out from the Madonnas' cloak, there is the other half of the birds' wing. Having found this I believe I can make a guess at what this artist is symbolising with his bird with the broken wing image.

The bird, large, rounded almost 'motherly' symbolises the Madonna; a mother, protective, stable and supportive. Her Son is dead. Her heart broken. The broken wing and the bird therefore symbolise the Mother with a broken heart whose ability to 'fly' has been destroyed. The torn wing also symbolises the tearing of the spirit from the body and the tearing of the emotions of the Mother who cannot fly; she is torn between her spiritual duties and the duties of a Mother for her earthbound Sons' body.

It is really a very powerful image.