THE EXHIBITION “PERUGINO. THE BAPTISM OF CHRIST”
The Baptism of Christ is a fundamental work to understand the success Pietro Vannucci enjoyed at the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries, when his style became a key model for artists throughout Italy. The painting contains all the elements that have contributed to the success and modernity of this Maestro: the landscape seems to materialize from light, any roughness is smoothed out into the fluid lines that soften faces, bodies, and drapery. Angelic creatures elude all troubles, inhabiting a universe with the sweetest colours. Everything is just measure and order.
Painted during Perugino’s mature years in the early 16th century, the Baptism of Christ was intended to stand at the centre of a monumental polyptych commissioned by the friars of Sant’Agostino in Perugia for the high altar of their church.
The imposing structure – consisting of about thirty panels arranged on two opposite sides, oriented respectively towards the nave and the chancel of the church – is narrated by art historians throughout the exhibition itinerary. With both actual and multimedia installations, visitors will be told about this impressive project and its history.
The remarkable set design, by architects Franco Achilli and Luigi Ciuffreda, was conceived to be totally eco-sustainable and completely recyclable, from construction
to cladding. It evokes the holy nature of water, symbol par excellence of life, rebirth, and purification.
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From 11 December to 5 January 202, the libraries of the other eight Municipi (Boroughs) involved will host as many important masterpieces on loan from the Galleria d’Arte Moderna and the Museo del Novecento in Milan.
Childhood in art is the common thread linking the works in this ‘dispersed exhibition’: a journey through artworks from the 19th and 20th centuries, contributing to the knowledge and appreciation of Milan’s artistic heritage, with prestigious loans such as: The Virgin by Francesco Hayez, The Virgin and Child with the infant St John by Bertel Thorvaldsen, Two Figures by Carlo Carrà, Holy Family by Giovanni Carnovali, Mother’s Love by Angelo Dall’Oca Bianca, Adoration of the Magi by Adolfo Monticelli, Maternity by Gaetano Previati, and Portrait of a girl by Achille Funi. Childhood has always inspired the creativity of painters and sculptors.
Children in art are above all linked to an affective representation; to a clean, innocent, pure, and spontaneous world that makes us observe them with interest, as if to be inspired by this universe and transfer it to the adult world.
The exhibition Perugino. The Baptism of Christ is curated by Marco Pierini, Veruska Picchiarelli and Domenico Piraina; promoted by Comune di Milano – Cultura; sponsored by Comitato Perugino 1523 – 2023; planned by Palazzo Reale, in collaboration with Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria, Gallerie d’Italia – Milan and the Area Biblioteche and the Municipi. It is organised by Civita Mostre e Musei; institutional partner Intesa Sanpaolo, with the support of Rinascente. Catalogue published by Skira Editore.
