Visual Antinomy of Sacred Perfection. Ginevra de’ Benci’s Mystery in Tarkovsky’s Mirror

E.  Dulgheru

E. Dulgheru Arca Învierii Publishing House

Keywords: hermeneutics of cinema, art theory, Andrei Tarkovsky, Renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci, Ginevra de’ Benci, visual antinomy, sacred perfection

Abstract

The article examines the significance of Renaissance aesthetics for Andrei Tarkovsky and explores the functioning and semiotic effects of the Renaissance figurative model in the film Mirror. The study focuses on one of the least commented stills with a great symbolic significance – the “Portrait of Ginevra de’ Benci” (or “Portrait of a Young Woman with a Juniper”) by Leonardo da Vinci. The author emphasizes the visual and semantic connection between Leonardo’s canvas and the image of the main character of the film, showing how the director creatively develops the mysterious connection between the two women from different times and cultures. On one hand, the inner world of the main heroine is reflected in Leonardo’s canvas. On the other hand, a certain view of the camera on Ginevra’s portrait and the lighting technique reveal the secret world of the spiritual evolution of the main character. Tarkovsky visually connects the biographical plot with the sacred themes of eternity, immortality, the antinomic perfection of man, and the salvation of the soul, using the symbolically rich Renaissance imagery created by Leonardo da Vinci.

Author Biography

E. Dulgheru, Arca Învierii Publishing House

DOI: https://doi.org/10.34680/vistheo-2021-1-119-130

Elena Dulgheru
Arca Învierii Publishing House, Bucharest, Romania
elena.dulgheru@gmail.com

Abstract
The article examines the significance of Renaissance aesthetics for Andrei Tarkovsky and explores the functioning and semiotic effects of the Renaissance figurative model in the film Mirror. The study focuses on one of the least commented stills with a great symbolic significance – the “Portrait of Ginevra de’ Benci” (or “Portrait of a Young Woman with a Juniper”) by Leonardo da Vinci. The author emphasizes the visual and semantic connection between Leonardo’s canvas and the image of the main character of the film, showing how the director creatively develops the mysterious connection between the two women from different times and cultures. On one hand, the inner world of the main heroine is reflected in Leonardo’s canvas. On the other hand, a certain view of the camera on Ginevra’s portrait and the lighting technique reveal the secret world of the spiritual evolution of the main character. Tarkovsky visually connects the biographical plot with the sacred themes of eternity, immortality, the antinomic perfection of man, and the salvation of the soul, using the symbolically rich Renaissance imagery created by Leonardo da Vinci.

Keywords: hermeneutics of cinema, art theory, Andrei Tarkovsky, Renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci, Ginevra de’ Benci, visual antinomy, sacred perfection

References

Dulgheru 2021 – Dulgheru E. Film as a Prayer. The Poetics of the Sacred in Tarkovsky’s Films. Saint-Petersburg, 2021. In Russian.

Dulgheru 2014 – Dulgheru E. Tarkovsky. Film as a Prayer. Bucharest, 2014.

Kononenko 2011 – Kononenko N. Andrei Tarkovsky. The Sounding World of the Film. Moscow, 2011. In Russian.

Synessios 2001 – Synessios N. Mirror. London, New York, 2001.

Terekhova 2002 – Terekhova М. With Andrei Tarkovsky. About Tarkovsky. Ed. by М. А. Таrkovskaya. Moscow, 2002. P. 135–140.
In Russian.

Turovskaya 1989 – Turovskaya M. Tarkovsky: Cinema as Poetry.
Transl. by N. Ward. London, Boston, 1989.

Turovskaya 1991 – Turovskaya М. 7 ½ or The Films of Andrei Tarkovsky. Moscow, 1991. In Russian.

About author

Elena Dulgheru
Dr. Sci. (Film studies), Director.
Arca Învierii Publishing House, Bucharest, Romania.
E-mail: elena.dulgheru@gmail.com

For citation:
Dulgheru E. Visual Antinomy of Sacred Perfection. Ginevra de’ Benci’s Mystery in Tarkovsky’s Mirror. Journal of Visual Theology. 2021. 1 (4). P. 119–130.
https://doi.org/10.34680/vistheo-2021-1-119-130