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| Baptism of Christ | |
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| Artist | Giovanni Bellini |
| Year | 1500–1502 |
| Medium | tempera on panel |
| Dimensions | 400 cm × 263 cm (160 in × 104 in) |
| Location | Chiesa di Santa Corona,Vicenza |
Baptism of Christ is a tempera painting onpanel by the Italian Renaissance masterGiovanni Bellini, dating to 1500–1502, and now located in theChiesa di Santa Corona inVicenza. It is signedIOANNES / BELLINVS on a rock in the lower left.[1]
The work is among the first produced by the artist to show an immersive tranquility of the figures in the space that surrounds them and envelopes them in light and atmosphere. These elements suggest that the painter was possibly helped by a youngGiorgione, or perhaps another student close to Bellini, at least according to the information provided byVasari.
The painting depicts the baptism of Christ in a fairly traditional composition, with Jesus at the center turned toward the viewer, whileJohn the Baptist, at left,[2] baptizes him on a cliff and at right three angelic figures with gaudy dress (allegories of the threetheological virtues) await.[3] On high, the figure of God the Father appears amongcherubs andseraphim, which sends forth thedove of the Holy Spirit.
The three feminine figures are also recall the angelic figures that are placed at the side of the baptized Christ, in traditionalicons. The gilt line of the early dawn on the bottom semantically marks the desired territory of the divine. The man who is not the ordered center of the universe commands but constitutes all that lives in harmony.[4]
Some have attributed the angel in red to the hand of Giorgione. The hut on high and to the right symbolizes theOld Testament; at left, on the summit of the hills, the castle symbolizes theNew Testament.
As in traditional iconography, the water of the river stops at the feet of Christ, to avoid depicting his reflection (in icons, reflections aren't emitted from divine figures). Another symbolic element is the little red parrot, symbol of thePassion of Christ.
The altarpiece is notable for the smoothness of tones that tie together the landscape and the sky, that muffles the surroundings of the enveloped figures, in a surprising anticipation of thetonalism that later paintings ofGiorgione andTitian would display. The landscape is ample and reposed. From the sky falls a warm light that suggests the valleys around theRiver Jordan. As has been said, "The colors obtain the density of a breath that comes from the depths". "The personalities, in natural dimensions, pull the spectator into the scene, miraculously in equilibrium between the spectacle of nature and the contemplation of mystery".[5]