Giovanni Bellini (1438–1516) was a famous Venetian painter of the 15th century and was appreciated for his harmonious use of color. His paintings showed various Renaissance and late Gothic styles. The masterpiece Lamentation of Christ (1475) is one of the most beautiful works of Italian art and testifies to Bellini’s maturity. The work shows the anointing of Christ’s body before his burial. It depicts four figures – Christ, Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus and the Magdalene.
A Capolavoro for Milan (A masterpiece for Milan) offers a large national and international audience the opportunity to see a timeless work of art. In its 16th edition this year, Il Museo Diceosano Carlo Maria Martini hosted the exhibition Giovanni Bellini, The Lamentation from the Vatican Museumsin partnership with the Vatican Museums, between 20 February and 11 May 2024. The masterpiece Lamentation of Christ (1475) by Giovanni Bellini. The exhibition is curated by Nadia Righi, director of the museum, and Fabrizio Biferali, curator of the 15th and 16th century art department of the Vatican Museums.
After entering the exhibition, there are two lightly painted rooms dedicated to the process of creating the exhibition and information on Bellini’s artistic career. The information sheet on the Lamentation of the Dead Christ (1475) is quite important in terms of the original position of the work. This work originally crowned the Pesaro Altar, a six-meter-high, huge work, and was intended to be admired from afar. It was painted in Venice in the 1470s. In the central panel, the Coronation of the Virgin Mary between St. Paul, Saint Peter, Saint Jerome and Saint Francis is depicted, and other saints can be seen in the pilasters. What is revolutionary about this polyptych is the idea of the “painting within a painting” in the central section. Behind the figures, a landscape can be seen outside the window, and there are parallels between the window and the original frame of the piece. The upper section, the Lamentation of Christ (1475), was separated from the rest in 1797 and returned to the Pinacoteca Vaticana in 1816 1820.
After understanding the journey of the masterpiece and its original state, a mysterious third room, draped with black opaque curtains, welcomes visitors with an anthem-like original melody by Walter Muto. Upon entering the room, three types of visual representations are seen. A slideshow with details of the piece, three hanging model-like frames and a full-size visualization of Pesaro Altar with Lamentation of Christ (1475) above are finished. The proposed designed path draws the visitor to the screen to look at the details more closely. When turning around to continue the exhibition, cut-out white frames perfectly match the original size Pesaro Altar image. The size and abstractness of the frames further underlines the ingenious implementation of Bellini’s idea of ”painting within a painting”. There is space between the three cut-out frames and the image of the altar, forcing the visitor to look at the image from a distance. This can also be seen as a tribute to the original context and placement of the work, which should be appreciated from a distance. Afterwards, in a room dedicated exclusively to the original, Lamentation of Christ (1475) appears. The only lighting in the room is the spotlight on the artwork and a seat from which to view it. The journey to the masterpiece ends with a dramatic ending in which all the information and senses received previously become one.
The exhibition also had a contemporary addition in the form of a section called Davanti a Bellini, which featured four contemporary artists Letia Letzia Cariello, Emma Ciceri, Francesco De Grandi and Andrea Mastrovito. Inspired by Bellini’s masterpiece, these four artists created works that were in dialogue with the original, using different media and techniques such as video, painting and collage. Even though the exhibition includes additional works by other artists, curating an exhibition for a single masterpiece is a difficult task. The design of the concept and the space allowed the visitor to understand the entire history of the master’s creations and the work. Thanks to the computer science and the installation in front of the masterpiece, visitors were able to quickly grasp and visualize the most important components of the work without having to think about it. This added value to the entire experience and increased the admiration of the work. As a result, the curation created a space where visitors could engage with the work. Lamentation of Christ (1475) in its complete form.
The opportunity to see Bellini’s masterpiece in Milan was not just a partial encounter. Through the curation and exhibition design, the exhibition became a multi-layered experience that even forces the visitor to participate in the process of creating the work. And through the dialogues, the emotions and euphoric feeling of the masterpiece prove the impact and relevance of the artist’s masterpiece even today.
