Mario Donizetti - Christ Blessing

The iconographic subject of Christ's face has ancient origins and is connected to the legend of Veronica. The episode in which Christ's true likeness was imprinted on a cloth used by a woman to wipe his face is also recounted in the Gospels. This woman was identified as Veronica, likely due to the similarity with the Latin words "Vera Icon." Since the early Christian era, Christ's face has been the object of particular veneration. Its depiction has spanned the entire history of Western art. From the first iconic representations of the early Christian and early Middle Ages, we have gradually evolved to increasingly naturalistic (starting in the Renaissance) or realistic depictions (typical of Flemish art). In this specific case, we have the variant of Christ Blessing, depicted in the act of raising his right hand to bless the faithful.

The aesthetic of Bergamo-born Mario Donizetti draws on a classical conception of artistic creation, characterized by a naturalistic rendering of the subject, marked by a strong idealization. Donizetti, in fact, turns his gaze to the formal principles of ancient and Renaissance art, which had reworked and embraced those principles. For this reason, this artist's works are distinguished by their highly natural depiction of the subject and an overall compositional harmony imbued with a serene and calm idealization. In this Christ, too, we see how his physiognomic description is precise, not only in the facial features but also in the anatomical structure of the torso, with the bones and tendons clearly depicted. Furthermore, Christ is inserted into a real space, with a very natural torsion. The subject, however, is transfigured in a classical sense, in his monumental aspect and his ideally calm and serene expression.

Mario Donizetti was born in Bergamo in 1932. He is considered one of the most important exponents of realist art, internationally renowned for the spirit of his artistic production, which draws on models and techniques of the past and contextualizes them in the present. Many famous people have posed for his works, including Marta Abba, Jean Louis Barrault, Valentina Cortese, Rossella Falk, Giorgio Albertazzi, Vittorio Gassman, Marcel Marceau, Rudolph Nureyev, and Gianandrea Gavazzeni. In 1983, the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana in Milan honored him with a retrospective exhibition. His frescoes are in the Abbey of Pontida, and a Crucifixion is housed in the Museum of the Treasury of St. Peter's in the Vatican. Several of his portraits have been published in Time magazine.

The transaction takes place with maximum security for both the seller and the buyer. We take care of the conformity (provenance, authenticity, state of conservation) of the work and handle the shipping.
Returns are possible no later than 14 days after receiving the order.