Masterpiece of the month

Deeds of the Antichrist (c.1501)
Luca Signorelli (c.1450 - 1523). Fresco. Orvieto Cathedral, Italy.

Everything has two sides. Take a magnet, for example: positive- negative. Humans can be good and bad. Bussiness have two side as well. One is shown to the public -"the face"- and the other is the mastermind -"the brain"-, hiding behind its creation. The face is seen by everybody, but it can't do anything; it is the puppet of its maker, designed to be a perfect model- appealing, familiar and, essentially, believable- carrying out its master's bidding blindly, without being aware of the consequences of its acts.

And isn't that the profession of the Antichrist?

The Antichrist (detail)
Corbis Images

This can clearly be seen here: the devil adopts the image of Christ, proclaiming his sovereignty on Earth, as Satan whispers his orders. And this can only work if the two are close together; in fact, they are so close that they share an arm. This unusual representation of mankind's destructor is what makes this work so incredibly fascinating. But not only that, because Signorelli's fresco is structured in a complex narrative with a wealth of details. In the foreground, ignorant followers offer riches to the Antichrist, while some are perplexed at the massacre carried out at their left. A large cathedral is being profaned in the background as monks pray for salvation, but the Antichrist ressurects a corpse to testify his divinty. Finally, he is killed by an angel as his worshipers die in agony with him.

The author of the fresco (with Fra Angelico behind him), clad in black, stands impassively, a silent witness testifying against evil and the passing of time, maybe implying that not all is lost...

Artist of the month

Luca Signorelli  (Cortona c.1441 - 1523)
Italian painter

Luca Signorelli (left, with Fra Angelico).
Detail from The Deeds of the Antichrist (c.1501),
Fresco ,Orvieto cathedral.

  Thousands of painters and sculptors that appeared in the Italian Renaissance were eclipsed by the overwhelming fame of Leonardo and Michelangelo. One of those who was lucky enough to remain (slightly) unforgotten was Luca Signorelli. Why? Because of his enormous influence on later generations.

  Born in Cortona as Luca d'Egidio de Ventura at an uncertain date (probably between 1441 and 1445). His apprenticeship took place around Tuscany and Umbria. In the latter, he became a pupil to Perugino, who was also Raphael's (1483 - 1520) mentor. Piero della Francesca's (1415 -1492) influence is also notable, but it has been very overrrated: the latter was obsessed with symmetrical symplicity, while Signorelli's work, albeit strongly structured too, was more concerned with human motion and space.  He died in his hometown, and barely stopped painting until he became paralysed by his old age.

  His early style, as said before, had complex, geometrical compositions, but the more he studied the human figure, the looser his style became. These detailed drawings- mainly of the male nude -are the next best thing before those of Michelangelo, who was greatly influenced by the San Brizio chapel frescoes of Orvieto Cathedral when painting The Last Judgement (a theme they have in common); just like Raphael as he executed his frescoes in the Vatican. Luca Signorelli represents the bridge between the classical restraint of the High renaissance, embodied by Botticeli and Piero della Francesca, and the explosion of colour and movement that is Mannerism, heralded by Michelangelo.