Appearance of Jesus Christ to Maria Magdalena

Christ's Appearance to Mary Magdalene after the Resurrection is a painting by Russian artist Alexander Ivanov (1806–1858), completed in 1835. The painting is housed in the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg (inventory number Zh-5263). It measures 242 × 321 cm. The canvas depicts Mary Magdalene and Jesus Christ in a life-size two-figure composition. The painting depicts the moment in the Gospel story when Mary Magdalene recognises the risen Christ. However, he stops her impulse by telling her, "Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father".

The initial phase of the project, comprising the creation of sketches and studies, commenced in 1833. Ivanov completed the large canvas between 1834 and 1835 in his studio in Rome. Upon completion of the painting, it was successfully exhibited first in Rome and then, in mid-1836, in St Petersburg. The Imperial Academy of Arts awarded Ivanov the title of Academician for this painting. This allowed the artist to extend his stay in Italy and provided an important foundation for his magnum opus, the canvas The Appearance of Christ Before the People, which Ivanov worked on between 1837 and 1857.

The artist and critic Alexandre Benois wrote that the painting Christ's Appearance to the Magdalene showed "all of [Ivanov's] skill in nudity and drapery." At the same time, according to Benois, in the image of the Magdalene one can see "something that shows what understanding of tragedy Ivanov had already reached, what kind of heart reader he had become, how deeply he could feel, to the point of tears, the tender story of the Gospel". The art historian Mikhail Alpatov noted that the canvas was "a typical work of academic classicism", yet the artist simultaneously achieved "a grandeur that the academicians did not know". In both figures depicted by Ivanov "there is such a majestic dignity that is more characteristic of the heroes of classical tragedy than of the characters of the Gospel legend".

History

Background and creation

As a pensioner of the Society for the Encouragement of Artists, Alexander Ivanov went to Italy in 1830, and began living and working in Rome in 1831. It is documented that in 1833 he had already conceived the idea of creating a monumental multi-figure canvas on the theme of the "Appearance of the Messiah to the People". This was reported in his letter to the Society for the Encouragement of Artists. Nonetheless, the artist initially elected to attempt a more simple, two-figure composition, commencing work on the painting Christ's Appearance to Mary Magdalene in early 1834. This served as an important preparatory phase on the path towards the eventual creation of the canvas The Appearance of Christ Before the People. In a letter to Count Vasily Musin-Pushkin-Bruce dated 28 February 1834, Ivanov reported: Having never tried myself in the production of more, I have now undertaken to write a picture in two figures, in natural size, representing “Jesus in the vertograd”, which is already underpainted."

In the spring and summer of 1834, Alexander Ivanov travelled to northern Italy, "wishing to study all the schools of Italian painting". He went to Venice and Milan, visited Bologna, Ferrara, Padua, Vicenza, Verona, Bergamo, Brescia and other cities. During the journey, the artist carefully studied the works of the old Venetian masters, especially those of Titian. In the drawings of this period, Ivanov "pays particular attention to the development of the plasticity of descending draperies, achieving the impression of their weight and shimmering fabric." Later, the artist noted: "Careful consideration of the Venetian school, and especially copying Titian, helped me a lot to finish the above-mentioned painting 'Jesus, Revealing Himself to the Magdalene'."

In addition to preparing to paint the Apparition of the Messiah, the painting Christ's Appearance to Mary Magdalene was to be a report work for the Society for the Encouragement of Artists, on the funds of which Ivanov was sent to Italy, as well as, it was hoped, to assist in obtaining permission for his planned trip to Palestine. In a letter to the Society for the Encouragement of Artists committee dated 27 November 1834, Ivanov reported that he was still working on the painting Jesus, Revealing Himself to the Magdalene after the Resurrection, "three and a half arshin high, five long," and asked for his pension to be continued: "But, prompted by a lively zeal to prove to the most honourable Society my strength, and to justify myself before it – by the deed itself, I would pray him unceasingly to prolong my pension, promising to send in a short time my painting: ‘Jesus, Revealing Himself to the Magdalene’'"

After creation. Italy

The painting, entitled Christ's Appearance to Mary Magdalene, was completed in December 1835 and exhibited in the artist's studio. One of the visitors was the writer Alexei Timofeev, who offered the following commentary on the painting: "‘The Appearance of the Saviour, after the resurrection, to Mary Magdalene Vertograd’ – a subject on which many painters worked; but what is particularly good in this painting – the position of the Saviour. This is God! Greatness, meekness, confidence, goodness, holiness, mightiness. This painting is beautiful!" Other artists had also visited Ivanov's studio. In particular, the Danish painter and sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen offered a highly complimentary assessment of the painting and the skill of its author. In a letter to his father, Andrey Ivanov, Alexander Ivanov wrote: "More artists looked at my painting: Thorvaldsen in particular announced to everyone his satisfaction with it. This is flattering! It is not easy to earn Thorvaldsen's praise. It can not be bought with neither money, nor meanness." The Italian artist Vincenzo Camuccini, who was not generally inclined to offer praise for Ivanov's work, also commended the painting.

It is likely that the background of Christ's Appearance to Mary Magdalene was less dark in the 19th century than it is today. This is indicated by a lithograph of the painting by Vasily Timm, published in the journal Russky Khudozhestvenniy Listok (No. 24 of 1862). The lithograph clearly illustrates the entrance to the tomb on the left and the trees of the garden in the background. In a letter to his father, Ivanov himself stated that he sought to "avoid blackness" and "convey the morning deepness."

原文较长，这里只摘了前面一部分，摘自英文维基百科「Christ's Appearance to Mary Magdalene after the Resurrection」（暂时没有中文条目，下面是英文原文），按 CC BY-SA 4.0 使用，去掉了参考文献、外部链接等尾部小节和表格，其余文字未作改动。