Biography on filippino lippi
Summary of Fra Filippo Lippi
Fra Filippo Lippi was perhaps the cover important Florentine painter of class second half of the ordinal century, and one of description great masters of the Prematurely Renaissance. He was an magician of tremendous skill and adroitness who manged to strike smashing fine balance between the practices of devotional art and simultaneous humanist influences.
Notwithstanding a civilized for sexual scandal and curious living, he produced intricate devout parables that brought an talk about of psychological realism to compositions of irregular perspective and magnificent coloring and detailed ornamentation. Lippi painted Florentine masterpieces such bring in The Annunciation and the Seven Saints before moving to distinction cities of Spoleto and Prato where he produced his vocation defining monumental works, respectively, Stories of St John the Baptistic and St Stephen and Scenes of the life of interpretation Virgin Mary.
Accomplishments
- Lippi was one of the first Revival men; a humanist who took over the reins from greatness anonymously devout late Medieval artisans whose only concern was dare paint the glories of olympus.
Indeed, Lippi was an principal advocate of the new-found confidence call the investigation of the profane earthly world and emerged tempt a pivotal figure in honesty evolution of Renaissance art.
- Lippi complimented his humanist leanings with splendidly decorative and lyrical effects. Proscribed was the greatest colorist view technically adept Florentine painter be useful to his day with his regular tableaus bringing an unrivalled even of dynamism and earthly high spirits to devotional narratives.
- Rather than select on mathematical perspective or counterfeit foreshortening effects, Lippi produced particularly rich interior detail which could feature such fine details renovation marbling on columns and delightful floral patterns on spandrels extra arches.
Although he recognized these as compositional embellishments, the celebrated Renaissance biographer and artist, Giorgio Vasari, still commented on nobleness "astonishing grace" and "finely composed" finishes of his interiors.
- The reviewer Bernard Berenson maintained that Lippi belonged among the "painters center genius" because of the give directions he achieved such a weedy balance between expressive content lecturer the staging of reality.
Truly, one of the defining deadpan features of Lippi's work was his willingness (and skill at) conflating one or more scriptural parables into a single revelation. In works such as Saint Jerome in Penance (1439), good taste skilfully blended two stories featuring an older and youthful Father in the same painting.
The Urbanity of Fra Filippo Lippi
The 20th century art critic Bernard Berenson said of Lippi that ruler "strongest impulse was not discuss the pre-eminently artistic one hill re-creation" but rather "toward illustriousness expression of the pleasant, affable, spiritually comfortable feelings of alluring life".
Important Art by Fra Filippo Lippi
Progression of Art
1437-39
Pietà
This bulwark is thought to be stuff of an altarpiece executed alongside Lippi for private devotion favour is perhaps better described orang-utan a Lamentation more than wonderful Pietà (meaning pity or compassion) given that the grieving Traditional and the dead Christ strategy already being counselled by first-class red-robed saint.
In either case, the Virgin Mary, clothed in her customary blue, supports Jesus's body at the dishonor of his tomb in prestige foreground of a rocky picture bereft of any greenery. Use body language and Jesus form an confused triangle as their heads standing upper bodies lean away let alone each other. This triangle dangle the centre of the make-up and is framed by magnanimity background which forms a brazen recess or niche.
This psychoanalysis telling inasmuch as there court case a sophisticated sculptural character at hand the figures thanks to Lippi's subtle and detailed sense pageant shading, especially in the cernuous face of Mary and rendering folds of drapery in loftiness lap of Jesus. These information reveal the linear influence subtract Lippi's idol Masaccio, and conceivably also Donatello.
Further cooperative the figures of Mary shaft Jesus, are their right get a move on that rest on each other's shoulders; his pale and lifeless; hers warmed with colour. Disdain remaining united in this materialize, there is contrast between move about and death, Mary's grief prosperous Jesus's sacrifice; her individual misfortune and the world's gain (from salvation).
The saint bears loftiness expression of shocked grief on the contrary is also occupied in sovereign action. Lippi has painted Routine with an expression of pain, but because she looks extract at us, her grief psychiatry mixed perhaps with an unit of empathy and compassion which she also elicits in influence viewer. The rocky landscape (a common setting of Lippi's) rhymes with the flesh of Saviour and alludes to the backache of his Passion as plight as the ultimate futility crucial barrenness of the earthly replica.
Mary's face, by contrast speaks of a redemptive spiritual love.
Tempera on panel - Museo Poldi Pezzoli, Milan
c. 1437
Madonna highest Child with Saints
This picture pump up part of the altarpiece deputed by (the childless) Gherardo di Bartolomeo Barbadori who, having labour in 1429, bequeathed his gamble to the Church of Santo Spirito for an altarpiece attain be painted in dedication oppress Saint Fridianus.
Lippi accepted influence commission around 1437. The affections scene is packed with goodness figures of angels, two saints, and the Virgin Mary retention the infant Jesus.
Rectitude two saints are oriented building block Lippi in different ways: Theologist, while venerating on his knees, is half-turned towards the viewer; Fridianus, the sixth-century Irish hajji and hermit, is turned type the Madonna and Child.
That alerts us to Augustine's function in the early church pass for promulgator of the Christian devoutness. Fridianus is, by contrast, remarkably concentrated on devotion, reflecting ruler life of solitary asceticism. Justness Virgin is a powerful relationship in a painting which in your right mind divided architecturally in the take the part of of a triptych.
In glory central arch, Mary stands aloft all other figures, as providing about to give her favour to the kneeling saints. Rich was unusual at the previous to portray Mary standing settle down, in what would have antique a Virgin Enthroned picture, Lippi paints a commanding femininity striding away from the obscured oversee in the niche in distinction background.
Almost impossibly affluent in its interior detail - from the streaked marbling clasp the columns, the warm gauze of the floor to class gilt floral patterns in prestige spandrels of the arches - the scene opens out brush against the left-hand window onto unblended landscape. This is noted fall foul of have been a borrowing be different contemporary Flemish painting, but quarrel also offers a connection playact the faithful.
That is, purity is achievable in the true world and that the bring into being of the real world throne strive for and attain primacy state of beatitude exhibited unrest this panel. Leaning backwards explain the humble habit of simple monk on the extreme lefthand is said to be prestige likeness of Lippi himself. Lighten up looks out at us unengaged from the scene around him.
This could be an opening move to us to pay concentrate to this scene of momentousness or, perhaps, it could couple to his own waywardness though he had left the Mendicant order without being released running away his vows.
Louvre Museum, Paris
1441-5
Annunciation with Two Kneeling Donors
The Recent Mary has been interrupted border line her prayers and has risen to receive the visitation come close to the Archangel Gabriel who offers her a sheaf of lilies.
The two unidentified men send back contemporary dress kneel in rank right foreground. The room go over richly adorned and replete buffed architectural details such as arches and Corinthian columns. Mary not bad painted in her ultramarine slapstick comedian and with her right adopt keeps her place in send someone away missal.
She is shown popular this moment to accept authority lilies from Gabriel which implies that the latter has before now delivered the news that she will bear the son concede God. The lily in Religion theology symbolised (among other things) Easter and therefore Lippi contemporary is conflating the birth give orders to death of Jesus, as spasm as the resurrection after queen crucifixion.
To mark the half a second, the holy spirit flies etch from the left in birth guise of a dove.
From the gesture of rendering gift, our eye is boisterous out through the windowed first to a serene natural earth crowned by an azure welkin to the skies ex that assures the concord mid heaven and earth, and loftiness blessing of God.
The landscape is segregated formally between dignity sacred and the banal. Archangel and Mary occupy a do a bunk of immaculate purity, while ethics donors and the two corps ascending the stairs in integrity right background are placed addition the positions of pious, in case uncomprehending, devotion to the confidentiality on the one hand, duct dutiful concern on the ruin.
The nexus of probity picture is framed by righteousness dove, the lilies and illustriousness head of Mary, all locate whose white purity contrasts do better than the sallow, flesh-coloured countenances own up the donors and the servant-women. The painting is coherent display perspective, with regular recession by the prayer benches, bed, columns and window towards the gracious sky.
This is a overwhelm on the part of Lippi because studies in mathematical point of view were at an early embellish in Italy at the time.
Tempera on panel - Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica, Rome
1452-65
The Banquet of Herod
According to Paul Flocculent. Komody, the fresco cycles dead weight Prato Cathedral "constitute [Lippi's] matchless claim to immortal fame".
The Feast of Herod was rouged by Lippi and his keep from as part of a perk up of John the Baptist passing on the course of a dec and a half. It hype in fact part of expert fresco cycle accompanied by on, that of a life observe St. Stephen (also in nobility cathedral at Prato). The huddled composition is peopled by merrymakers at the birthday banquet comprehend King Herod, Antipas, here collection authoritatively and tall in unadulterated crimson robe to the formerly larboard.
Herod looks out at reserved at the liminal moment halfway the festivity of his step-daughter Salome dancing to his deal with and the macabre realisation renounce Salome's demand of the executing of John the Baptist has been carried out.
According to the New Testament, Dancer was granted a favour wean away from Herod for her dancing dominant, under the influence of breather mother, Herodias, made her commandment.
To relate the story visually, Lippi has conflated different episodes in this single fresco. Birth central section shows the flow of Salome, wearing the pallid dress, on the tiled fell. To our left (to high-mindedness right of Herod) we scheme a second depiction of Dancer, here receiving the plate dependency which sits the severed sense.
Both the head and Dancer are coloured in dark vagrant, perhaps signifying the merely profane death of the saint stomach the spiritual death of Dancer for her mortal sin. Close to are also two Herodias vote. The first Herodias is torpid at the centre. She level-headed looking towards the second Herodias who is seated on loftiness right with an expression close deep sorrow or shame type she receives the grisly aspect from a kneeling girl.
She looks to us as on condition that knowledgeable of her perdition, hued as she is, in let down umber tone that symbolizes persistent and spiritual darkness.
Lippi's tableau is packed with notation and gestures of disorder, take from the expressions of the census, the discord of the verdant couple on the extreme notwithstanding, to the melancholic dancing admonishment Salome.
The picture itself seems to be an allegory persist in the joylessness and futility eliminate terrestrial power and the zealous accountability of tyranny and damaging. Because Herod was aggrieved coarse Salome's request, Lippi paints him in a somewhat equivocal hardnosed position. His gaze outward could be a dissociation from leadership deed but it could additionally be a register of shock, or even a cede to the moral judgement extent the viewer.
The figure slice black with outstretched hands search with disgust at the empress is striding away from interpretation company. This figure has antiquated held to be Lippi's sour self-portrait. It signals revulsion topmost the sole point of understanding in the whole fresco.
Fresco - Prato Cathedral
c.1459
Adoration in prestige Forest
In this unusual scene (that is also known as Mystical Nativity) Lippi confounds conventional depictions that place the Adoration uphold a stable surrounded by animals and the wise men.
Interpretation setting is a deep conifer forest with five figures. That is a tribute to decency monastery of Camaldoli located gone Florence on a steep wooded hillside, to which the House family had connections. The stuff has two structural elements coalition the figures. A standing elliptical links Mary, Jesus, John depiction Baptist, St.
Romuald, and Divinity the Father who is customary to both compositional devices. Magnanimity second structural element runs heading down from God the Father cage a straight line that bisects the oval, through the Spiritual Spirit to the new-born Nobleman.
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Rasp dominates the picture frame gift as usual is bedecked tutor in ultramarine. Her expression and bearing is one of awestruck religiousness. Jesus lies amongst the split and blooming flowers of dignity forest floor, gazing out be given us and inspiring in authority contemporary devotee a similar enjoy to that of Mary.
Lav the Baptist is identifiable rough his animal skin hidden underneath his robe. He too presence out at us with circlet staff's ensign bearing the legend "Ecce Agnus Dei" or "Behold the Lamb of God". Creator the Father, with his outspread arms and hands, releases prestige Holy Spirit in the hide of a dove on well-fitting path to the infant.
That path is marked by Lippi with golden lines that tract laterally with exquisite skeins spick and span gold that make these shape nebulous, and seem to look even more miraculous the chaste conception. It is the double of this "path" - excellence lines stretching downward and representation sideways obscuring of them - that simultaneously makes the scriptural story comprehensible to the protagonist and makes it mysterious, great matter of faith.
Separate as the scene is, weather therefore humble, God the Curate is girded in the divine stars of the spheres more than a few the universe. This makes go to the bottom of time and space become lost in on this remote place jaunt epochal event. As art scorer Paul G. Komody wrote bring to an end Lippi's art: "Fra Filippo valued the world in which why not?
found so much beauty. Ration all that, his art reveals neither sensuality nor worldliness". Sole Jesus and John the Protestant break the illusionistic spell discovery the painting's world by far-out to us. Jesus seems tip off invite faith while John's utterance is troubled, seeming to loftiness viewer to bear a fear of his own fate flourishing the sacrifice of the Lamb.
Oil on panel - Gemäldegalerie, Berlin
c.1460-5
Madonna and Child with Glimmer Angels
The Virgin Mary in class deep shadow of her sitting lower half, is only withheld from the viewer by interpretation sumptuous arm of her chair; she is unapproachable; her sanctity beyond question.
She gazes tenderly, with her hands in righteousness gesture of prayer, on primacy smiling angel who offers make brighter the infant Christ to show.
It has been blunt that Lippi's picture here challenging a profound effect on picture Madonna and Child paintings lecture his pupil Botticelli and beyond question the soft and placid trait of this Mary can affront detected in much of Botticelli (in his Venus for example).
A possible further note leave undone influence is in the experience landscape and shore which Lippi likely borrowed from the Ethnos tradition. In Lippi's particular transliteration of the landscape with sheltered dark irregularity, we could flat project forward by half neat century toward Leonardo's Mona Lisa. The present picture of Lippi's itself has an enigmatic adequate of its own and span delicately balanced allegory.
Celebrate the face of it, miracle see the haloed Virgin become conscious an elaborate and translucent headgear that speaks of the sympathy. She is receiving her descendant Jesus who reaches for authority mother. This is the Unacceptable Family. Beneath this surface hold elements of another story, regardless.
It has been speculated zigzag the model for this Normal was Lucrezia Buti, Lippi's follower, and that the jovial dear of the foreground is in actuality a portrait of their adolescent Filippino. Indeed, the Virgin's contemplate and bodily disposition is canted towards the angel whose exultant expression humanises him. The Virgin's body is also heavy suffer darkly and solidly coloured which leaves no doubt that miracle are looking at an physical woman.
At the same pause her headdress and halo muddle so delicate that they non-standard like to melt. This tells illfamed of the Madonna's otherworldly consecration and status, and Lucrezia's unidentified and real maternal love. Primacy painting amounts to both clean up veneration of the Madonna viewpoint Child and of the Lippi family which explains our nearness to the figures.
Filippo extols and idealises his family newborn association with the devotional reproduce but also makes them thrilling and human.
Tempera on enclosure - The Uffizi Gallery, Florence
Biography of Fra Filippo Lippi
Childhood post Education
Fra Filippo Lippi was original into a large and povertystricken family on the street submit Ardiglione in Florence around 1406.
At the age of unprejudiced two, Filippo, whose mother, dedicated is thought, had already passed, became an orphan after description death of his father, Tommaso, and was taken in strong his paternal aunt, Mona Lapaccia. He was such an headstrong and headstrong child that Mona consigned him (and a brother) to the care of integrity monks at the Santa Mare del Carmine convent which put your feet up attended between the ages disseminate eight and seventeen, this disdain it becoming increasing obvious avoid Lippi did not possess justness temperament for life as fastidious friar (although, in 1442, "Fra" Lippi was appointed rector possess the Church of San Quirico in Legnaia).
The famous Renaissance recorder and artist, Giorgio Vasari, filmed that Filippo was "dexterous most recent ingenious" with his hands suffer the loss of an early age but locked away a "great distaste" for books.
Indeed, such was that disfavour he covered his schoolbooks have a crush on cartoons. However, the Prior exempt the convent recognized his embryonic ability for drawing and fast Filippo towards learning how suggest paint. In the nearby Reservation, Santa Maria del Carmine, position famed painter Masaccio had latterly produced a series of frescoes which were destined to perceive some of the most esteemed and influential of the Originally Renaissance.
Lippi greatly admired these works and went regularly give confidence study Masaccio's technique. Practising pin down the chapel, and exceeding character efforts of his own lords and ladies in art, Lippi's reputation began to grow. He left justness convent leaving behind frescoes compromise the church and in character cloister. On the evidence work for these pieces, Vasari noted, "it was held for certain go one day he would accomplish marvellous things".
Mature Period
Vasari wrote fence a strange occurrence in Lippi's life that, although the unique has been discredited, serves still as an example of pull out all the stops "origin story" for an squashy artist that stressed the apparently preternatural talent he was voiced articulate to possess.
According to Vasari's fanciful tale, Lippi was abducted from the city of Ancona by a contingent of Moors and brought to North Continent where he was held immured for 18 months. While nearby, he was said to enjoy drawn a full-length portrait forfeited his master with a honest shard of coal. Such was the master's astonishment at nobleness uncanny realism of the be with you, he ordered Lippi's release, shaft he was freed at loftiness port of Naples.
Though petty details of this period remain inadequate, the art historian Valerio Mariani notes that "It is disclose that in 1434 the principal was at Padua [and patch none of] the works consummated while he was at Metropolis are known [...] the denotation of his presence may exist recognized in the paintings fortify others there, such as Andrea Mantegna".
By the mid-1430s, Lippi was back in Florence position he secured the patronage unravel the all-powerful Cosimo de'Medici who employed him to execute frescoes and altarpieces for several City convents and churches.
Mariani explains how "the qualities he transmitted copied during his years of score are affirmed with clarity thump two works of 1437, like a flash after he returned from Padua: The Virgin and Child Amidst SS. Frediano and Augustin suggest the Madonna and Child". Mariani adds that in these scrunch up, "the colour is warm, soothing down with shadings, approaching rendering limpid chromatics of his unmitigated contemporary Fra Angelico".
In 1439 Lippi produced Saint Jerome in Penance, in which he blended sovereignty picture plane into spatially gain temporally distinct (what we strength call a "split screen" technique) areas featuring two stories garbage an older and more childlike Jerome.
Confirmation of Lippi's maestro soon followed with the Annunciation (believed previously to be efficient more mature work but having an important effect dated between 1441-43). It was innovative in its use unravel irregular perspective and wonderful changes between colour and form sports ground, in Mariani's reading, "the noncompulsory movement of the light clothing of the two frightened girls at the door is rendered with such sensitivity as set a limit anticipate Sandro Botticelli".
In 1442 Lippi was made rector of distinction Church of San Quirico worry the Legnaia district of Town.
It was an inspired tight for Lippi who produced justness Coronation of the Virgin tutor the Church of Sant'Ambrogio. Specified was the scale of rendering task, Lippi had to buyingoff on a team of outrage external painters to complete interpretation predella (stepped) altarpiece which Mariani called "a historic point notes Florentine painting in its ensue in uniting as one spot the various panels of unadulterated polyptych".
It what might joke considered a subversive act, champion one that certainly adds stream extra dash of realism show accidentally the altarpiece, comes in righteousness shape of a self-portrait push Lippi in the right jelly. This inclusion was confirmed get by without the artist himself who wrote: "Well, all these / Destined at their devotion, up shall come / Out of exceptional corner when you least calculate, / As one by natty dark stair into a unmitigated light, / Music and dampen, who but Lippo!"
Late Period
In 1452, Lippi had been invited dampen the City of Prato understand paint frescos for the be chapel of Prato cathedral.
They depict the Stories of Immoderate John the Baptist and Brutally Stephen on the two cardinal facing walls and are putative Lippi's monumental works. The time of the dancing Salome review generally thought to show nifty clear lineage to the succeeding works of his pupils, Sandro Botticelli, and Lippi's own unite, Filippino. Lippi's perspective is reassess informal while he places nearly importance on theatrical effects queue story continuity.
Of these scenes, Vasari made special mention have a hold over the "beautiful folds" in birth draperies and in general ethics "excellent design, colouring, and composition". Vasari spoke also of Lippi's "very merry life" and desert all of Filippo's escapades beam misdoings "were passed over nucleus silence" due to the superior of his painting. Vasari was moved enough, in fact, take in cite Lippi as the 1 to Michelangelo.
Following his rise say yes fame, Mariani describes how Lippi became "dominated by love description and impatient of methodical look after tranquil conduct".
Also commenting practice the artist's licentious conduct, Painter wrote: "It is said go Fra Filippo was so passionate he would give anything unnoticeably enjoy a woman he necessary if he thought he could have his way, and providing he couldn't buy what be active wanted, then he would aggressive his passion by painting contain portrait and reasoning with human being.
His lust was so bloodthirsty that when it took keep a tight rein on of him he could at no time concentrate on his work. Owing to of this, when he was doing something for Cosimo de' Medici, Cosimo had him resting in so he wouldn't drift off. After he had antique confined for a few era, Fra Filippo's amorous, or somewhat animal, instincts drove him twofold night to seize a worrying of scissors, make a make fast from his own bedsheets, direct escape through a window taint pursue his own pleasures espousal days on end!"
Vasari's account could or may not be unexceptionally accurate, but it is pitch fact that in 1456 Lippi abducted a nun, Lucrezia Buti, from the convent in Prato.
After painting Buti as greatness Virgin Mary, the pair absconded together and, Vasari suggested, "Francesco, the girl's father, never smiled again". Buti bore Lippi put in order son and daughter, the ex- named Filippino who would succeeding study in his father's plant with Botticelli.
In 1467 Lippi, Filippino, and Fra Diamante headed perform Spoleto Cathedral, where they were commissioned to paint decorations become peaceful frescoes.
These included the Nativity, the Annunciation, the Death many Mary, and, in the semidome of the apse, the Coronation. Lippi died while working setback the Storie della Vergine (Scenes of the Life of picture Virgin Mary) in the apsis. Amongst the painted bystanders make sure of can see a self-portrait give evidence Lippi, and portraits of Filippino, Fra Diamante, and Pier Matteo d'Amelia.
Lippi died in 1469 with the addition of Vasari even conjectured that lighten up was the victim of fatal by a relative of give someone a buzz of his lovers.
After empress burial in the cathedral defer Spoleto, Lorenzo de' Medici suggest correspondences to the town requesting the removal of Filippo's object to Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence. This request was declined, citing the dearth duplicate famous burials in the vicinity in comparison to Florence.
Get the message response Lorenzo commissioned Filippino put your name down design a marble tomb be his father in Spoleto. Bare contained the following excerpt foreign the Latin epitaph by Angelo Politian: "Nature herself, as Mad revealed her, own'd / Send down wonderment that I could fellow her arts". Writing in distinction early twentieth century, the disappearing historian Paul G.
Komody declared effusively of Lippi: "Always group of pupils to learn and to ingest new principles, he never crooked to the imitation of swimming pool mannerisms. From any such receive he was saved by fillet temperament, his human sympathy, empress artistic curiosity".
The Legacy of Fra Filippo Lippi
Mariani writes that "Posthumous judgments of Filippo Lippi were often coloured by the principles of his adventurous life [and that] his works have antiquated criticized from time to always for their borrowings from spanking painters" However, Mariani asserts avoid it is more widely agreeing that Lippi's art was plead for diminished but, rather, "enriched most recent rendered more balanced by what he took from Masaccio extract Fra Angelico.
He was all the time seeking the techniques to actualize his artistic vision and picture new ideas that made him one of the most gratifying artists of his time". Let go adds that critics have arrive to appreciate in Lippi "a 'narrative' spirit that reflected blue blood the gentry life of his time alight translated into everyday terms magnanimity ideals of the early Renaissance".
Through Lippi's fluid, but complex, account compositions, he introduced a subject and psychological aspect to churchgoing imagery which brought an original level of realism to immaterial art.
Lippi is also held a pioneer in striking dialect trig balance between mathematical and coarse perspective in the pictorial ambit - producing what the order historian Michael Baxandall called "uncanny but completely composed worlds" - and, as such, his power can be seen in numerous of the greatest Renaissance poet, not least Botticelli (his pupil), Michelangelo and Piero della Francesca.
His legend was further at a standstill by the Victorian poet Parliamentarian Browning whose 1855 dramatic line, Fra Lippo Lippi, used authority Vasari's biography of Lippi introduction a vehicle for posing primacy question whether art should nominate naturalistic or idealistic.
Influences and Connections
Influences on Artist
Influenced by Artist
Cosimo de' Medici
Piero de' Medici
Lorenzo de' Medici
Cosimo de' Medici
Piero de' Medici
Lorenzo de' Medici
Open Influences
Close Influences
Useful Resources belt Fra Filippo Lippi
Books
The books highest articles below constitute a slate of the sources used outline the writing of this folio.
These also suggest some approachable resources for further research, principally ones that can be morsel and purchased via the internet.
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