PERUGINO - THE MAGI FRESCO IN CITTA DELLA PIEVE

It's the 12th day of Christmas 2014 and I'm yet to receive the 12 drummers drumming, but its also our last full day in Italy before we return to the UK. Just a a couple of hundred yards from our front door, down a couple of alleys and through a narrow passage there's a pedimented red brick building, the Oratory of Santa Maria dei Bianchi, which contains one of Citta's best known fresco paintings and because of its subject matter I thought I'd post it here today. It's by Pietro Vannucci (c1450-1523) better known as Perugino - the Renaissance master painter who was born here in the little town of Citta in the middle of the 15th century.

ORATORY CHAPEL OF SANTA MARIA DEI BIANCHI
VIA VANNUCCI - CITTA DELLA PIEVE

It's a large work on the back wall of the oratory and I've been to see it a couple of times. The subject is the Adoration of the Magi and its represented in an in interesting way. Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus are in the central foreground beneath  a classically inspired wooden stable receiving the three Kings at Epiphany. There are many other figures in the composition including a long procession making its way through the landscape towards the event..

THE ADORATION OF THE MAGI  c1504
ORATORY OF SANTA MARIA DEI BIANCHI - CITTA DELLA PIEVE

The fresco has all the characteristics of Perugino's later work including a distinctive use of aerial and mathematical perspective to suggest great depth to the landscape, a sensitive use of harmonious colours, subtle lighting and a balanced composition all of which combines to generate an atmosphere of peace, serenity and warm emotion. Many viewers of this beautiful fresco love the way Perugino has set the scene in the contemporary local Umbrian landscape near the town - Lake Trasimeno can be seen in the distance.

Tonight we are once again visiting the live nativity at the small town of Monteleone d'Orvieto which I wrote about just a year ago - its right at the beginning of the list of postings if you want to take a look.

IT'S JUST A YEAR SINCE I STARTED BLOGGING ABOUT UMBRIA, TUSCANY AND ITALY IN GENERAL AND THERE ARE NOW 24 POSTINGS AVAILABLE ON LINE. THEY DESCRIBE HOW WE CAME TO PURCHASE A HOLIDAY HOME IN BEAUTIFUL UMBRIA. AND OTHER ARTICLES EXPLORE PLACES, ART HISTORY AND A DIVERSITY OF OTHER TOPICS. I HOPE YOU TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF THEM.

THERE'S LOTS MORE TO COME AS WELL SO PLEASE REGISTER YOUR INTEREST IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE NOTIFIED OF NEW POSTINGS. THANKS - IAN