History Painting (Istoria)

According to Italian Renaissance Art theory, the highest painting genre is reserved for 'History Painting'. Unfortunately, this term is misleading, as it does not necessarily mean the painting of 'historic scenes'. The term stems from the Italian word "istoria", meaning narrative, or story - one which typically involves several figures in action and emotionally engaged.

In his treatise 'On Painting' (Della Pittura, 1435), the Italian Renaissance art authority Leon Battista Alberti (1404-1472) identifies istoria with the representation of the noble, the exemplary deeds and struggles of moral figures - such as Saints or other Biblical figures, pagan divinities, mythological heroes as well as those of historical events. History Painting aims to elevate the morals of the whole community, and is ideally suited to the decoration of public spaces, in churches, town halls, and palaces. Thus History Painting is an inspirational and educational art genre, and is best portrayed on larger-than-life canvases.

Italian Renaissance

Almost all of the artistic developments in Italian Renaissance Art can be understood as a response to the character of History Painting. In his Scrovegni Chapel frescoes at Padua (c.1304-13), Giotto (1267-1337) condensed the Biblical narrative into moments of supreme drama, emphasizing the key actors and creating new scenes of pathos and significance. The greatest non-religious history painter of the Early Renaissance was Botticelli, whose key works were La Primavera ("Spring") and Birth of Venus - both highly complex mythological/allegorical paintings in the Medici collection.

He was followed by Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519) whose masterpiece 'The Last Supper' - surely the greatest of all Christian history paintings - was a seemingly authentic record of a unique event as well as a cogent portrayal of that event's universal significance.

Michelangelo (1475-1564) sharpened History Painting further with his 'Creation of Adam' on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel (part of the Genesis fresco), in which the precise moment of human creation is captured as the spark of life is passed from God to Adam. Twenty five years later Michelangelo executed his Last Judgment fresco on the Sistine ceiling. Raphael (1483-1520), the third Renaissance genius, consistently produced inspirational History Painting.

Among Baroque artists, Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) stands out as one of the great Hisory Painters, with works like 'Allegory of War and Peace' and 'Minerva Protecting Peace from Mars'. Another artist of this genre was Velazquez (1599-1660) with works like 'The Surrender of Breda' (1634).

Eighteenth century was a watershed in the development of History Painting. By the end, due to the dull prescriptions of the academies and the semantic confusion between istoria and history, the genre became devalued.

The decline of History painting quickened during nineteenth century. Artists strove more for dramatic art, rather than the morally uplifting or inspirational. In addition, as education became more widespread and the visual arts public increased in number, the acceptable range of subjects fit for inclusion in History painting also increased. As a result, the great models which history painters had previously looked up to began to lose their authority. Eugene Delacroix (1798-1863) was the most vigorous of the Romantic History Painters. Another painter of royalist history scenes was Adolph Menzel (1815-1905) who achieved fame through his depiction of scenes from the court of Frederick the Great.

In England, GF Watts was the best of the Victorian narrative painters.

In America, the historical painting tradition was maintained by the German-American artist Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze (1816-68) with his celebrated picture Washington Crossing the Delaware (1851, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York).

In Russia, the greatest history painter was Vasily Surikov (1848-1916), famous for paintings like The Morning of the Execution of the Streltsy (1878-81, Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow), Menshikov at Beriozov (1883, Tretyakov) and The Boyarina Morozova (1887, Tretyakov). Other historical painters included: Ilya Repin (1844-1930), famous for Ivan the Terrible and his son Ivan 1581 (1885), and The Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks to Sultan Mahmoud IV (1880-91); Vasily Perov (1833-82) noted for The Condemnation of Pugachev (1879, The History Museum, Moscow); and Vasily Polenov (1844-1927) best known for Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery (1887, Russian Museum, St Petersburg).