This project (2018-1-ES01-KA203-050606) has been funded with support from the European Commission.
This web site reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.
This web site reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

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Hercules knocks down the Hydra


Place where the object is located
Florence, Uffizi Gallery
Story of the object
In Pollaiolo's painting commissioned by Lorenzo de' Medici, Hercules confronts and defeats the Hydra, a many-headed monster that exhales its mortal breath.the Hydra, a many-headed monster that exhales its deadly breath. The figure of Hercules is modeled in athe Hydra, a many-headed monster that exhales its deadly breath. The figure of Hercules is modeled in a position that well position that well expresses the moment in which he will strike the lethal blow. The facial expression face emphasizes it. It is enough to observe the contraction of the muscles and the stiffening of the skin that is stretched backwards like a sail.
Already in the previous work of 1460, "Battle of Ten Naked Men," made according to the new printing technique of the Renaissance, a clear exercise of anatomical virtuosity, Pollaiolo shows a constant research on the human body to which he dedicated long years of study to reproduce the proportions, plasticity and movement.
Bernard Berenson attributed to Pollaiolo to have first introduced the movement in painting expressing the feeling of dynamic effort of bodies in space.
Even more evident is the rendering of movement in the painting Hercules knocks down the Hydra, through the struggle and the manifestation of physical strength. The tension of the muscles and the dynamic force of the sinews impose themselves on the eye of the observer. The body of Hercules is drawn in a very effective way revealing an accurate knowledge of human anatomy. The figures are reinforced by a contour line called "energetic line" that, with a nervous trend, reinforces the sense of movement. In the painting you can see some Flemish references in the representation a bit woody and dry of the musculature.
The landscape behind is reminiscent of Leonardo, with cold colors in the background and warm colors in the foreground. From dark green fades into brown. The sky meets the almost white horizon that intensifies and becomes very dark. The sunlight is studied, it comes from the right and creates intense shadows, highlighting the anatomical details of Hercules.
The club raised on the head of the demigod who is about to hit the Hydra, creates a potential tension of the muscles. This detail anticipates the rotary movement also emphasized by the curve created by the lion's skin.
The representation of movement is present in all of his works.
In Hercules and Antheus, the sculpture made on commission of Lorenzo de' Medici in 1475 and preserved at the Museo Nazionale del Bargello in Florence, the figures are arranged on opposing arches and stand out for their strong gestures and the exasperation of the movements.
Very accurate is the rendering of anatomical details through straight lines that almost stripped the model, up to identify the tendons stretched for the effort.
The model generates a sense of explosive energy of a new vigor in the panorama of Renaissance sculpture.
Unit of the Educational Material connected (4 - 1)
Label
Antonio Pollaiolo
Year 1470
Commissioned by Lorenzo de' Medici
Oil on panel, 17.5 x12