The Tempest (painting)

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The Tempest
Giorgione, c. 1508
oil on canvas
82 × 73 cm
Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice

The Tempest (Italian La Tempesta) is a famous Renaissance painting by Italian master Giorgione (around 1508). It is housed in the Gallerie dell'Accademia of Venice, Italy.

[edit] Overview

Commissioned by the Venetian noble Gabriele Vendramin, The Tempest is one of the most enigmatic works in the history of art. It depicts an arcadian landscape outside a city, with a river, trees and ruins. The darkly clouded sky is lit by a flash of lightning, announcing an imminent storm. A woman, sitting on the right, breastfeeds her baby. She is nude except for a white sheet, suggestive of purity and innocence, which covers her shoulders. From her round belly, her full breasts and the fact that she is lactating a child, she may symbolize fertility. To some commentators, however, she represents charity. The possible association with the Virgin Mary is obvious.

A man, possibly a soldier, holding a long staff or pike is standing in contrapposto on the left. He smiles and glances to the right, but does not appear to be looking at the woman. Art historians have identified the man alternatively as a soldier, a shepherd, a gypsy or a member of a club of unmarried men. X-rays of the painting have revealed that in the place of the man, Giorgione originally painted another female nude. To some, he represents steadfastness. They point to the pillars behind him: pillars often symbolize force and steadfastness. However, the pillars are broken — a classic symbol of death.

One may also note the stork on the rooftop on the right. Storks sometimes represent the love of parents for their children.

Everything seems to anticipate the storm. The colors are subdued, the lighting is soft. Greens and blues dominate. The landscape is not a mere backdrop: Giorgione painted a landscape with figures rather than the other way around. The painting has a wonderful, silent atmosphere which continues to fascinate modern viewers.

There is no definitive reading on this painting, and no contemporary textual explanation. To some it represents the flight to Egypt, to others, a scene from classical mythology (Paris and Oenone) or from an ancient Greek pastoral novel. According to the Italian scholar Salvatore Settis, the desert city would represent the Paradise, the two characters being Adam and Eve with their son Cain: the lightning, like in ancient Greek and Hebrew times, would represent God who has just ousted them from Eden. The broken columns would therefore refer to the men's deaths as a condamn for the original sin.

Others still have proposed an allegorical reading or have concluded that Giorgione had no particular subject in mind.