This guide is written in the language that is easy to read. and to understand

Transcription

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2 This guide is written in the language that is easy to read and to understand. This language helps people with or without disabilities to understand better difficult information. The language easy to read and to understand is the part of an European Project which is called Pathways II. Association Anffas Onlus has participated in this project. P a g. 2 44

3 In this guide we described some of the paintings from the Exhibition and wrote the numbers of the rooms where we can find these paintings. In the first room there are: 1- The Punishment of Core, Dathan and Abiram (?) 2- The Sacrifice of Isaac 3- Lute Player In the second room there are: 4- Saint Sebastian Cured by Saint Irene 5- The Adoration of the Kings In the narrow corridor there are: 6- Saint Bonaventura in the Studio 7- The Birth of Saint Charles Borromeo 8- The Death of Saint Charles Borromeo 9- Sleeping Cupid (Vanitas) 10- Domestic interiors with Figures In the third room there are: 11- Zenobia, Queen of Palmyra 12- Portrait of a Gentleman 13- Portrait of Sigismondo Ponzone In the fourth room there are: 14- Miracle of the Mule 15- The Birth of the Virgin 16- The Beheading of Saint Paul 17- The Presentation of the Virgin at the Temple In the last room there are: 18- Miracle of Blessed Bernardo Tolomei 19- The Martyrdom of Saint Orsola 20- The Glory of Saint Orsola 21- Saint Lucy 22- Rest on the Flight into Egypt P a g. 3 44

4 The real name of Genovesino was Luigi Miradori. He is called Genovesino because the scholars believed he was born in Genoa. His date of birth is still unknown but it has to be between 1605 and Genovesino was in Piacenza in He worked for the Farnese family in Piacenza. Genovesino was in Cremona in In Cremona he worked for the religious people. In the paintings of Genovesino we can see the images of the ordinary life and also some fantasy images. Nowadays we can find his works of art in many museums and private collections all over the world. Genovesino died in Cremona in P a g. 4 44

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6 1. Title of the painting: The Punishment of Core, Dathan and Abiram (?) / Punizione di Core, Dathan e Abiram (?) is located in Parma. shows an episode from the Old Testament. The Old Testament is the first part of the Bible which was until the birth of Jesus. The episode is about God who punishes Core, Dathan and Abiran with a fire. God punishes Core, Dathan and Abiram because they wanted the rights of priests and they argued with Moses and Aron. In the painting there are differences between agitated movements of some characters and more calm movements of other characters. All the characters light the incense on the altar to ask God who has the rights of the priests. After the apparition of God people who had argued with Moses and Aron fell on the ground or got burned with the fire which comes from the sky. The first time they talked about this painting was in In this painting we see lot of brush strokes. P a g. 6 44

7 Since Genovesino made a lot of brush strokes the painting seems to be made very quickly. P a g. 7 44

8 2. Title of the painting: The Sacrifice of Isaac / Sacrificio di Isacco is located in a private collection in London. This beautiful painting was founded in This is a first time we can see it in an Exhibition. The painting illustrates an episode from the Bible when God asked Abraham to kill his son in order to show his faith to God. When Abraham is about to kill his son an angel arrived and showed a ram, so he could kill it instead of his son. is interesting because it is an example of how Genovesino painted when he was young. By looking at this painting we can see that Genovesino was influenced by a painter called Caravaggio. In this painting Genovesino used colours like others painters did such as Orazio Gentileschi or Gioacchino Assereto. The scholars believe that Genovesino painted this painting when he was in Piacenza around P a g. 8 44

9 The lying body of Isaac is the same as the one in a painting called Saint Sebastian Cured by Saint Irene, painted by Bartolomeo Schedoni. P a g. 9 44

10 3. Title of the painting: Lute Player / Suonatrice di liuto is located in Genoa. In this painting we can see a girl who plays the lute. The lute is a musical instrument similar to guitar. The girl looks to the musical score with a great attention. The musical score is a sheet of paper where the musical notes are written. On the table there is some jewellery and in the empty space above there is a skull. Next to the girl there is an open bag with dinars. Above, on the left-hand side there is a burned sheet of paper. These objects indicate that this painting is about Vanitas. The Vanitas is a thought that reminds us that the time goes by for everyone and that all of us die. The scholars still do not know who was the owner or where the painting was located. was painted around P a g

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12 4. Title of the painting: Saint Sebastian Cured by Saint Irene / San Sebastiano curato da Sant Irene is located in Genoa. In this painting we can see Saint Sebastian who is still alive but wounded by the arrows. Saint Irene, Lucina and an angel try to take care of Saint Sebastian. We can see how the body of Saint Sebastian is bent diagonally and leaves in the background the others characters. The only free space in this painting is above on the left-hand side where a bit of landscape is seen. The faces of the characters and the body of the saint are seen very clearly. Scholars believe that this is the first known painting of Genovesino. reminds us of some painters passed through Genoa like Orazio Gentileschi or Simon Vouet. reminds us also some painters born in Genoa like Bernardo Strozzi. P a g

13 5. Title of the painting: Adoration of the Kings / Adorazione dei Magi is located in Parma. The characters are close one to another in a very limited space. On the left-hand side of the painting there are Madonna and Saint Joseph. The characters are dressed in a simple way. On the right-hand side of the painting are the Kings, dressed in a very elegant way. We can see the Baby Jesus who plays with the pieces of gold which are inside of the wooden box while the King observes him. The way in which the characters are situated resembles to a Dutch engraving from An engraving is a design made with the object which cuts grooves on the design surface. P a g

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15 6. Title of the painting: Saint Bonaventura in the studio / San Bonaventura nello studio This small painting is located in a private collection. It is the only painting of Genovesino made on the copper. Painting on the cooper allows making very small details with a light and brilliant colours. In this painting we can see the Saint who stopped his writing to look at the crucifix in front of him. The objects inside the room are not visible very well. Among these objects there are robe with a patch, a wooden table and a red hat of cardinal which the Saint left on the ground. These objects make us believe that this is a real room inside a monastery. P a g

16 7. Title of the painting: The Birth of Saint Charles Borromeo / Nascita di San Carlo Borromeo The painting of Saint Charles Borromeo is a small painting which illustrates a moment of female servants prepare a bath for a newborn. A newborn is a baby who was born recently. In the background on the right-hand side there is a bed where lies the mother of the baby. The mother of the baby is Margherita Medici of Marignano who was the sister of the Pope Pio IV. is located in the chapel of San Carlo Borromeo in the Church of Santi Donnino e Carlo. This church is located in via Bissolati and nowadays is abandoned. P a g

17 8. Title of the painting: The Death of Saint Charles Borromeo / Morte di San Carlo Borromeo In the painting The Death of Saint Carlo Borromeo there is Saint Charles who lies on the bed with the crucifix on the chest. Close to him there are two small clerics with the candles and a priest who gives the Extreme Unction to Saint Charles. The Extreme Unction is a blessing which is given with the oil for a person who is about to die. In front of the bed of Saint Charles there are two angels who take the soul of the saint into heaven. was located in the chapel of San Carlo Borromeo in the Church of Santi Donnino e Carlo. This church is located in via Bissolati and nowadays is abandoned. and the painting of The Birth of Saint Charles Borromeo were placed in a wooden cornice. In this wooden cornice there were other images about life of Saint Charles. These images are not there anymore. In the middle of this wooden cornice there was a wooden statue made by Francesco Pescaroli. P a g

18 This wooden statue presented Saint Charles on the knees in front of the Virgin. P a g

19 9. Title of the painting: Sleeping Cupid (Vanitas) / Cupido dormiente (Vanitas) is located in the Civic Museum of Cremona. The painting portrays a child who represents Cupid. Cupid was the god of love. Cupid sits on a big book he has an arrow in his left hand, and he leans the right arm on a skull. A toad comes out from the mouth of this skull. On the right-hand side we can see a vase of flowers which is connected with the topic of Vanitas. The Vanitas is a thought that reminds us that the time goes by for everyone and that everybody dies. There are people who think that this vase is not made by Genovesino. These people think that the vase of flowers is made by a Belgium painter. To see how Genovesino could paint like a Belgium painter we can see the cornice with flowers and children in the corridor between the first and the second room. The cornice with flowers and children which we see during this Exhibition is a picture which is in Codogno. P a g

20 10. Title of the painting: Domestic interiors with Figures / Interno domestico con figure is located in an art collection in Milan. The first time they talked about the painting was in The topic and the characters of this painting are not well known. We can see a silent room of a house which has a table. Around this table we can see several serious and elegant men. These men are dressed like the spanish people from the epoch. The spanish people from that epoch were always dressed in black suits with white collars and white shirts which were seen from the sleeves. On the right part we can see a sitting woman who is about to coddle a new born baby. Still on the right part we can see another woman who makes a pillow. On the left-hand side we can see a little girl who sews and she is close to a small dog who moves his tail. P a g

21 The background of this painting is divided into three parts. In the central part there is the entrance to this room through a door. On the left-hand side there is a monk who looks like he prays. On the right-hand side there is a woman who looks in the direction of men. Probably Genovesino painted this painting around P a g

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23 10. Title of the painting: Zenobia, Queen of Palmyra / Zenobia, regina di Palmira is located in a private collection. We can see an image of a character who was represented few times. This character is Settimia Zenobia who was the queen of the city of Palmyra. Zenobia was enslaved by the Roman emperor Aureliano and was put in chains in the city of Rome. Zenobia lived as a prisoner in the Villa of Tivoli close to Rome. In the documents about her it is written that she had a light skin white teeth and two big dark eyes. In this image Zenobia wears a veil because she had lost her husband. Zenobia leans her right arm on a skull. Above on the left-hand side there is a burned piece of paper which is about the city of Jerusalem. This piece of paper P a g

24 makes a comparison between Zenobia and Jerusalem as it mentions that Jerusalem is similar to a woman who had lost her husband. was one of the many paintings which owned the Spanish Governor in Cremona in Some scholars believe that this painting was one of the paintings in a group. In this group there were some images of the very important women like Lucrezia, Cleopatra and Artemisia. P a g

25 12. Title of the painting: Portrait of a Gentleman / Ritratto di gentiluomo is located in Mantua. It is still unknown who is the character dressed elegantly. This character wears very expensive clothes and he looks like a very serious person. In the background there are seen the ruins of the ancient buildings for example the column on the right-hand side. In some old books it is written that maybe it is one of the many spanish officials for whom Genovesino worked. Genovesino made a lot of paintings for the spanish officials who were in Cremona. The painting illustrates another elegant man which we have seen in the second room. The scholars believe that Genovesino painted this painting between 1651 and P a g

26 13. Title of the painting: Portrait of Sigismondo Ponzone / Ritratto di Sigismondo Ponzone is located in the Civic Museum of Cremona. This character is Sigismondo Ponzone and when Genovesino painted him he was four years old. Sigismondo Ponzone was a member of a very rich and important Cremonese family. Most of the paintings which are in this Civic Museum were the property of the Ponzone family. In this painting we can see how the child holds the collar of the dog of the house who is as tall as he. The piece of paper which he holds in hands shows the importance of the art for the Ponzone family. The elegance of the clothes reminds us of some paintings of the painter Anton Van Dyck. Anton Van Dyck was a painter who in this epoch was in Genoa. of Genovesino illustrates a child with a very smart gaze. P a g

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28 14. Title of the painting: Miracle of the Mule / Miracolo della mula is located in a church in Soresina. The painting shows a miracle which happened in 1223 in the city of Rimini. The owner of the mule did not feed it for three days. One day he brought the mule in square and he put close to it a bag full of food. The mule does not eat the food but comes closer to Saint Anthony who comes out of the church holding in hand the Host. The story tells us that the mule got down on its knees in front of the Host because inside the Host was Jesus. was ordered by the father Vincenzo Balconi for the San Francesco Church in Cremona We can see a portrait of the father Vincenzo Balconi in the previous room. was moved from the San Francesco Church in 1773 when the church had become a hospital. The other painting which were in the San Francesco Church P a g

29 nowadays are located in the San Siro Church in Soresina and in the Town Hall of Cremona. P a g

30 15. Title of the painting: The Birth of the Virgin / Nascita della Vergine is located in the Civic Museum of Cremona. The painting The Birth of the Virgin represents what the Apocryphal Gospels describe. An Apocryphal Gospel is a book that describes episodes of the life of Jesus which are not in the Bible. On the left-hand side we can see a female servant who prepares a bath for the baby Mary. On the right-hand side we can see another female servant looking at us. This female servant warms up a blanket in front of the fireplace. In the background on the right-hand side there is Anna the mother of the Virgin who lies on the bed. In the background on the left-hand side we can see also Joachim the father of the Virgin. P a g

31 16. Title of the painting: The Beheading of Saint Paul / Decollazione di San Paolo The painting The Beheading of Saint Paul shows the moment when the head of Saint Paul is being cut off. The beheading is the cutting off of the head. Behind Saint Paul there is a soldier with a sword, who is about to cut off the head of the Saint. At the bottom right-hand side there are two soldiers in armour. On the upper left-hand side there are two angles pointing at the sky. They carry two objects. These two objects are a palm leaf and a crown of roses for the Saint. The palm leaf and the crown of roses were usually brought by the angles to the saints when the saints were about to die after having suffered a lot. The paintings The Birth of the Virgin and The Beheading of Saint Paul were located inside the San Lorenzo Church in Cremona and they were moved in 1798, when the church was closed. The two paintings date back to the 1640s. P a g

32 17. Title of the painting: The Presentation of the Virgin at the Temple / Presentazione della vergine al tempio is located in the San Marcellino Church in Cremona. This church used to be the Jesuit headquarters in the city of Cremona. The Jesuits are a group of clerics who take care of the Christian education of young people. We can see the moment when the Virgin Mary in a blue dress climbs the stairs of a temple. Having climbed the stairs she gets on her knees in front of the priest who blessed her. In the upper part of the painting we can see an angel and two children throwing the roses on the stairs. At the bottom right-hand side there two men dressed in a different way. At the bottom on the left-hand side there is a woman dressed in an elegant way and she carries the basket on the head. In the background we can see a church which reminds us of the Church del Gesù in Rome. The Church del Gesù used to be Jesuit headquarters in Rome. P a g

33 The date of this painting is unknown but it could be around P a g

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35 18. Title of the painting: Miracle of Blessed Bernardo Tolomei / Miracolo del Beato Bernardo Tolomei is located in a church in Soresina. The painting shows a miracle which was done by the Blessed Bernardo Tolomei. Bernardo Tolomei created a monastery at the beginning of 1300s. At the bottom of this image we can see the devil who doesn't allow men to work. The devil is a character who has wings and a snake. The Blessed sends away the devil because he doesn't allow men who are around to move the stones. These men tried to move the stones but they didn't succeed. When Genovesino painted this painting they brought the painting in San Lorenzo Church in Cremona. In the San Lorenzo Church in Cremona there were two other paintings which we have seen in the Exhibition. These two painting were The Nativity of the Virgin and The Beheading of Saint Paul. In some old documents is written that the character close to the Blessed P a g

36 was a monk from the Pueroni family. In this exhibition we can see the portrait of this monk alone in front of the painting Miracle of Blessed Bernardo Tolomei. P a g

37 19. Title of the painting: The Martyrdom of Saint Orsola / Martirio di Sant Orsola is located in the San Marcellino Church in Cremona. In this painting we can see the story of the French princess Orsola. Orsola was murdered in the city of Cologne with another eleven thousand girls by the army of the warrior Attila. Here we can see a lot of movement and very violent details. At the bottom we can see the wounded girls and the warriors of Attila who look very angry. At the bottom we can also see two bishops who are about to have their heads cut off. These two bishops are on their knees and they are Bassano and Permerio. In the background on the right-hand side in the part with more bright colours there is Saint Orsola with a crown on her head and she remains completely still. P a g

38 20. Title of the painting: The Glory of Saint Orsola / Gloria di Sant Orsola is located in the San Marcellino Church in Cremona. In this painting Saint Orsola is elevated above the city of Cologne which we can see under the cloud. At the foot of Saint Orsola there are some angels who carry the objects with which the warriors of Attila killed the Saint. On the right-hand side there are the other girls who are dead. On the left-hand side there are the men from the church and some princes who are not religious. We can see the bishop Bossano dressed in a long, white and light blue tunic with the bishop's hat. To paint this painting Genovesino copied some images from Hermann Crombach s book. The Jesuits who were in the San Marcellino Church had a copy of this book. The image of the city of Cologne P a g

39 is the same as the image which was in Crombach s book. These paintings were used in 1653 to make the San Marcellino Church more beautiful. In this year they brought in this church the remains of the body of Saint Bassano. P a g

40 21. Title of the painting: Saint Lucy / Santa Lucia is located in a church in Castelponzone. Saint Lucy wears a plum coloured cloak and in her hands she holds the awl and the kind of chalice with her eyes. There are two angels who carry the palm leaf and a crown of roses. The palm leaf and the crown of roses were usually brought by the angles to the saints when the saints were about to die after having suffered a lot. At the bottom on the left-hand side there are two pieces of wood which are still burning. These two pieces of wood remind us that Saint Lucy was burned to death. The Castelponzone s church where this painting is located was constructed by the Ponzone family. Genovesino had contacts with the Ponzone family. The parish Archive of Castelponzone was written the year 1654 about the picture of this painting. Close to this painting we can see another Saint Lucy who is smaller and with brighter colours. P a g

41 22. Title of the painting: Rest on the Flight into Egypt / Riposo durante la fuga in Egitto is located in the Sant Imerio Church in Cremona. On the left-hand side we can see the Virgin who looks with attention at the Baby Jesus while she sits on the bag. Farther on the right-hand side there is Joseph who is in the middle of the painting because this painting had to be put in the Saint Joseph altar. Therefore the altar was named Saint Joseph he is in the middle of the painting because like that we can see him more easily. Every angel who is in the painting is making a different movement like the the Apocryphal Gospels describe. An Apocryphal Gospel is a book that describes episodes of the life of Jesus which are not in the Bible. The destroyed buildings which are seen on the left-hand side mean the end of the pagan world. Pagan means someone who doesn't believe in the Christian God but has his own god. In the background it is seen The Massacre of the Innocents. The Massacre of the Innocents was ordered by the Roman king Herod to kill all the male children and in this way to kill the Baby Jesus. P a g

42 In some old documents it is written that Genovesino painted the characters with the features of his relatives. The Virgin who we can see here has the face of the wife of Genovesino and some of the angels have the faces of the children of Genovesino. is located in the Sant Imerio Church but in a different chapel that in the beginning. The date of this painting is 1651 and it is one of the main works of Genovesino. P a g

43 If you arrive here it means that you finished visiting the Exhibition. If you want to leave the Museum you have to come back the same way you entered. If you want to continue visiting the Museum you must move forward. Remember that when your visit in the Museum is finished you have to come back the same way you entered. Besides the paintings of Genovesino which you have already seen in this exhibition you can go and see other paintings in following places below: the Cremona Cathedral the Town Hall of Cremona the San Siro Church in Soresina the Santa Maria dei Sabbioni Church in Cappella Cantone Bear in mind that in these places you can enter free of charge. P a g

44 This guide in the language that is easy to read and to understand is created by Anffas Cremona Onlus Association. To create this guide people with and without disabilities worked together. To create this guide Anffas Cremona Onlus collaborated with the Museums network of Cremona and the association CrArT. This guide was created for the Ci sei Musei? project approved by the Municipality of Cremona. P a g