BERGOGNONE, Ambrogio

The intersection of styles characterizes this small panel, in which Northern elements traceable to Rogier van der Weyden are conspicuously present, but so are certain Vincenzo Foppa influences, mainly in the physiognomy of some figures in the middleground, in the facial types and some solutions in the drawing that were to remain unaltered in Bergognone’s works of subsequent years.

The background of this small panel records the lyrical feeling of a calmly contemplated landscape. Seen with an eye for detail, the panorama includes a path going up to the church, two horsemen in conversation, a view of the town, and figures in a boat. The intensity of the background is to some extent dissipated by the foreground of the painting. Here the somewhat distracted and independent compositional device of the heads revolving around the Child suggests a desire to create an effect of distinction and beauty that the delicate forms can scarcely sustain. In the gestures of the hands plucking at the air or touching things without grasping them (the Madonna’s carnation, St. Catherine’s crucifix), there is almost the ingenuousness of a miniature painter. Another instance is the Virgin’s mantle, which swells up to support her prayer book.

As a whole, however, the composition is complex and almost scholarly. Two diagonal connections are set up, not merely to divide the surface of the work but to create a spatial perspective. They connect the figures above and below, and inversely link the foreground and middle ground, converging in the figure of the Child or rather in the tangle of hands in the middle. Foppa’s silvery hues have become here a tremulous gray, which extends from the draperies into the faces and the hands. A high note is struck by the yellow of the Child’s shirt, and there is a sober response in the colour harmonies of the Madonna’s robes.

The central panel (89 x 76 cm) depicts the Presentation in the Temple, while the left wing (150 x 65 cm) represents St Augustine and a Kneeling Donor, the right wing (150 x 65 cm) St Peter Martyr and a Kneeling Donor.

Bergognone inherited from Vincenzo Foppa, the founder of Lombard painting, a strict construction and soft modelling in an ashen, silvery light. However, he was receptive to the innovations brought to Milan by the architect Bramante (architectural perspectives) and Leonardo da Vinci (modelling created by intense chiaroscuro), as also to the monumentality of Florentine art.

In November 1497 the deputies of the church of the Incoronata at Lodi employed him and Antonio Raimondi (d. late 1510s) to decorate the main chapel and to gild and colour the wooden altarpiece already installed there. This project was begun in May 1498 and completed by the end of August 1500. Between 1500 and 1510 Ambrogio abandoned his maniera grigia in favour of a brighter palette. During this period a vague influence of Leonardo da Vinci, adapted entirely to Ambrogio’s means of expression, became apparent. This can be seen especially in the four panels depicting scenes from the Life of the Virgin (Lodi, Incoronata) and the Virgin and Child with the Infant St John and St Roch (Milan, Brera).

The picture shows one of the four panels depicting scenes from the Life of the Virgin.

This fresco is from the church of San Satiro, Milan. After its discovery in 1865, the fresco cycle to which this work belongs was detached and progressively moved to the Brera during the late nineteenth century.

Similar to the St Catherine of Alexandria, this composition shows its refinements in the architectural framework rather than in the ornamentation of the subject. The figure of the saint is harmoniously constructed, with her arms in subdued counter-movement, one lightly bent and the other extended. The turn of the head is admirably shown and harmonizes with the movement of the body. Incorporeal, Agnes emerges as if freeing herself from the large, circling folds of her dress, which is much lighter and more diaphanous than the silk of the big sleeves. She appears to emerge not only from the sumptuous garb but also from the niche in which she stands. Her hand touching the pilaster decorated with intarsia emphasizes the three-dimensional space of the architectural background.

This fresco is from the church of San Satiro, Milan. After its discovery in 1865, the fresco cycle to which this work belongs was detached and progressively moved to the Brera during the late nineteenth century. At one time, the signature and date, “Ambrosius Bergognonis 1495,” could be read below the figure of St. Catherine.

The aristocratic appearance of this female figure is based entirely on the circling patterns of the robe, which builds up an ogee form embracing vibrant spatial rhythms. These are most marked in the arm, the wheel and the somewhat heavily rendered drapery. The well-mannered monumentality is enhanced by the yellow colour. In the embroidery of the bodice the yellow has the quality of a goldsmith’s work; it ripples as if there were a slight movement in the air.

In the background to the right, the Charterhouse at Pavia is seen in the course of construction which suggests the dating for this picture. Bergognone was one of the leading painters in Milan at the time, and made several paintings for Pavia.

This early work by Bergognone reveals the strong influence of Vincenzo Foppa.

This painting from the late period of the artist was executed for a cell in the Certosa di Pavia. In the background two seated monks can be seen.