The biggest painting in the world: from Veronese to Aivazovsky

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Art has no material coordinate system. A tiny box is often more valuable than a giant sculpture. The average contemplator of the beautiful rarely thinks about the meaning. At the same time, size is an indicator that is hard to ignore. In showrooms, large canvases always look more advantageous. Stunning detail does not let you pass by. And after visiting the gallery, the question often arises, which painting is the largest in the world?

Marriage in Cana of Galilee

The painting was commissioned by Catholic clergy for the refectory of the monastery of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice. The painter Paolo Veronese worked on the canvas for a year. At the time of its creation, it was the largest painting in the world, measuring 666 × 990 cm. It depicts a biblical story describing Christ turning water into wine when it suddenly ended atfeast.

During the Napoleonic wars of conquest, a giant canvas was taken by the French army to Paris. To do this, I had to cut the picture in half. Restoration was carried out on the spot, and now the work of Veronese adorns one of the halls of the Louvre. It is noteworthy that "Marriage at Cana of Galilee" hangs opposite the "Mona Lisa". But visitors are so absorbed in photographing the masterpiece of the great Leonardo that they pass by the fundamental canvas. Sometimes the crowd just won't let you move far enough away to see the painting that fills the entire wall.

It should also be noted the work of Theodore Géricault "The Raft of the Medusa". The painting, measuring 491 × 716 cm, is the second largest in the Louvre.

"Paradise": the largest painting in the world on canvas

After the fire in 1577 in the Doge's Palace in St. Mark's Square in Venice, the interior had to be restored. Initially, Paolo Veronese, the author of The Marriage in Cana of Galilee, was commissioned to complete the order, but the artist died before he could start work. Then the Venetian doges turned to Tintoretto (real name Jacopo Robusti), who by that time was quite famous and painted many paintings for the city.

The plans were so ambitious that the painter had to involve his students. Work on the painting lasted more than 12 years and was completed when Tintoretto turned 70. The scale of the canvas is amazing: the image of paradise based on the Divine Comedy by Dante in size 7× 22 m occupies an entire wall of the Great Council Hall.

“The Appearance of Christ to the People”

Russian painter Alexander Ivanov went to Italy to paint the main picture of his life. He was going to create a work of art for all mankind. The plot is based on the scene of baptism from the Gospel. But the artist expands the chronology of the Holy Scriptures. At the time of baptism, many did not recognize Jesus as the Messiah. Here Ivanov covers the entire path traveled. Christ appears before the people as the Son of God. The figure of Jesus is deliberately depicted with fewer people in the foreground. Only those who really want it can see Christ.

The planned short trip lasted for 20 years, but Ivanov did not have time to finish the picture. The artist's eyesight has fallen sharply, as a result, the old man in the lower left corner remained almost naked, although the reflection in the water suggests that he should be wearing red clothes. The unfinished painting is sent to St. Petersburg, and a year later Ivanov dies.

To accommodate the majestic canvas measuring 540 × 750 cm, a separate pavilion was built in the Tretyakov Gallery. A smaller version of the painting is exhibited at the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg in the same room as Aivazovsky's The Ninth Wave and Bryullov's The Last Day of Pompeii.

"Minin's Appeal to the Nizhny Novgorod Citizens": the largest painting in Russia

For almost half a century, Ivanov's "The Appearance of Christ to the People" remained the largest example of Russian painting, until Konstantin Makovsky presented his epochal canvas onpatriotic theme. The picture describes the historical moment of collecting donations for the people's militia against foreign invaders. The artist managed to depict representatives of all classes, ready to come to the aid of the Motherland in a single impulse. Each face is original, with its own character. This is a warrior, and a holy fool, and a young lady taking an earring out of her ear. When looking at the picture, the feeling of presence does not leave.

Makovsky spent 6 years writing his grandiose canvas. He repeatedly visited Nizhny Novgorod in order to accurately convey the landscape of the Torgovaya Square under the walls of the Kremlin. Many sketches were made, which are stored in galleries in Russia. The painting measuring 698 × 594 cm is exhibited at the Nizhny Novgorod State Art Museum and occupies a separate room.

Aivazovsky: "Among the waves"

A review of the largest paintings would be incomplete without the works of the Russian marine painter. And although the canvases of Ivan Aivazovsky are inferior to the grandiose canvases of the great Venetians in size, these are the largest images of the sea element.

"Among the Waves" is stored in the artist's homeland in the museum of the city of Feodosia, which contains the richest collection of his works. The picture depicts two elements: the sea and the sky. They seem to merge into a single whole, only the sun's rays breaking through the clouds color the aquamarine mass in thousands of shades. Aivazovsky painted his best painting in 10 days. Its dimensions are impressive: almost three meters in height and more than four in width. The painting was the result of his hard work.

Chasing a record

Every year in the press there are bold statements by contemporary artists about their intention to create the largest painting in the world. Art objects appear on the facades of buildings, many kilometers of fences, in deserts and even on projections of the globe. The Guinness Book of Records is constantly updated with new entries.

Brazilian artist Jose Roberto Aguilar created a 740 sq. m. As a canvas, plastic shields were used, on which 3700 liters of paint were applied. Croatian Djuro Shir used a 6 km long fence for painting. His painting, titled The Wave, was sold at auction. To do this, it had to be cut into pieces. American Jim Denevan claimed to have created the largest painting in the world. Photos could only be taken with the help of aerial photography. The painting was concentric circles in the sand of the Nevada desert. But the Swedish student Erik Nordenankar outdid everyone. He claimed to have created the largest self-portrait in the world. To do this, Nordenankar allegedly sent a GPS device on a trip around the world and recorded its movement on a map. Later, Eric himself admitted that it was just a hoax.

Every artist dreams of creating something great. But only a true master is able to come to a large form, while maintaining originality and not slipping into megalomania. No matter how hard the apologists of the avant-garde try to pass off their creations as masterpieces, they will yield to the classics without dailywork on technique and a deep understanding of the higher purpose of the artist.