Every choice an artist makes either consciously or subconsciously will have an effect on the viewer. Every form, every line, and every detail is up for personal interpretation; an artist will never be able to decide what the viewer takes away from the painting. However, there are certain choices that an artist can make to help guide the viewer to the desired interpretation. While observing Donatello's Madonna of the Clouds and Luca della Robbia's Virgin and Child with Lilies, the artists made vastly different choices in medium, color, style, and space to convey different messages, all while using a similar central subject matter. Donatello's, Madonna of the Clouds is a depiction of the Madonna and Christ in a somber, overwhelming field surrounded The scene takes place in the clouds, she is in the heavens surrounded angels. It's a moment of pure devotion, love, and fantasy. Clouds are often connected to the gates of heaven. It is at these gates where you are in a liminal space between life and death. Your judgement is being decided. Thus, again suggesting that this is a vision of Mary's. Mary is looking at her child and seeing that he is meant to "live and die for our sins", and there is no way to stop it. He was born only to be led to his death. He is in the liminal space between life and death, thus the physical setting within the sculpture and the ethereal setting of the Madonna and Child parallel each other to help convey Donatello's idea that Mary is an extremely powerful figure whose life was entirely led by the idea of faith and trusting that there is a plan. Christ came into Mary's life by Gabriel, an angel, coming down from heaven to tell her that god has a plan for her and that she will be the mother of Gods son. Her life was predetermined by god and she was meant to have complete trust in her god. Donatello's purpose with this sculpture was to convince his viewers to trust in god, protect Christ, and show complete devotion to Mary and the angels. It was to convey that Mary is the Queen of the heavens and is someone one must tout and Instead of heightening the somber and ethereal attributions of Madonna and Child's story, Luca dells Robbia heightens the purity, the joy, and the love between the pair. The sculpture is done in a higher relief with glazed terra-cotta. The figures are cleaner, more defined, and one two planes. There is the ground and the earth plane which is where the Madonna and child are seated, and then there is the heavenly plane which is where the three angles are located. The angles are higher than the Madonna and child and are looking down at them. However, unlike in Donatello's sculpture the angles are not there as protection but rather there to enjoy the scene there is a sense of joy within this. They are looking at the pair and rejoicing in the fact that there is a true bond between these two. They are in the heavens beaming down at them in a way that is quite lovely. The Madonna and child are in an intimate family scene. The child is playing with white lilies while the Madonna is staring lovingly at her child. It's a very personal and relatable experience. The lilies themselves allude to the purity of the scene. They are flowers that are connected to virginity and chastity. Emphasizing that Mary and Christ are both miracles. As the idea of a virgin icing birth to the son of god is considered a miracle. By putting the lilies in the earthly plane, a connection is made between the heavens and
At the top of the artwork the upper part of the cross extends beyond the altarpiece. The edge of John the Evangelist’s red robe on the left of the altarpiece and the edge of Mary Magdalene’s pale blue skirt on the right are cut off when the panel ends, giving the viewer the feeling that, rather than looking in on the scene, the viewer is actually taking part in the scene. This, added to the empathy invoked through the delicate, heart-wrenching rendering of the figures in the artwork, let the observer directly interact with the painting and places him/her within the narrative.
...is the focal point with the orthogonal of the gestures of the apostles lining up towards it. Masaccio makes good use of chiaroscuro, since his figures have soft, round edges and their bodies are apparent under their drapery. The drapery shows creases and edges which allow for that to happen. Masaccio also employs directed lighting in which the sun comes from the right and all the figures’ shadows are to the left, which is what would happen in real life. Furthermore, Masaccio uses soft, subdued colors, such as green, blue, and pink. The mood of Massacio’s painting is static with all the figures standing in contrapposto with their one knee sticking out and the individuals in Classical and naturalistic proportions. Masaccio placed his scene in the recognizable Arno Valley. Also, Masaccio’s story has no disguised symbolism and rather depicts a straightforward story.
As this painting was created in the High Renaissance, the composition shows the transition from spiritual to humanist. During this period, artists began to experiment with attempts to pay attention to realism and naturalistic features while still maintaining the appearances of spiritual figures. In the painting, Baptism of Christ, Verrocchio and Leonardo da Vinci worked on two angels seen on the left of the piece. Verrocchio was a renown early Renaissance artist, paying extreme details to humanism to a point where the line between real and spiritual was obsolete. In this painting, it is no different; the angel painted by Verrocchio appears as a small boy with a halo above his head. However, Leonardo’s contribution portrays an angel that is still divine, yet still having elements of realism. This concept of “realistic, yet spiritual” was a main idea that embodies the High Renaissance, and can be seen in Orley’s piece as well. Although there is a lack of attention to proper anatomy, the conception of “realistic, yet spiritual” is shown through the scenery in the background, where the landscape is depicted as a castle on the hilltop looming over a foggy forest. This imagery could be seen in reality, but the hazy feeling gives off a more spiritual world that is unearthly, but still on Earth. Landscaping also became a prominent theme that grew in
The history of the Madonna and Child starts in the Byzantine era. In this era paintings were not meant to look realistic, but rather were supposed to remind the viewer of a story or theological concept, in this case usually the concept that Jesus was both fully God and fully human. The years progressed and these paintings became more and more realistic as the Renaissance era was ushered in. During this time period artists strove to paint more accurate representations of their subjects. Even during this time, however there was still a use of iconology. Though all of these paintings have basically the same content, with the addition of various saints and angels, the theology that we can see in each painting differs greatly.
Though most works of art have some underlying, deeper meaning attached to them, our first impression of their significance comes through our initial visual interpretation. When we first view a painting or a statue or other piece of art, we notice first the visual details – its size, its medium, its color, and its condition, for example – before we begin to ponder its greater significance. Indeed, these visual clues are just as important as any other interpretation or meaning of a work, for they allow us to understand just what that deeper meaning is. The expression on a statue’s face tells us the emotion and message that the artist is trying to convey. Its color, too, can provide clues: darker or lighter colors can play a role in how we judge a piece of art. The type of lines used in a piece can send different messages. A sculpture, for example, may have been carved with hard, rough lines or it may have been carved with smoother, more flowing lines that portray a kind of gentleness.
“The Met’s very own Mona Lisa” (Tomkins 9). That is what Duccio di Buoninsegna’s Madonna and Child painting is known as today. “The Metropolitan Museum of Art bought the Madonna and Child for forty-five to fifty million dollars” (Tomkins 1). However, the painting was not always in public hands; in fact, the Met purchased the last known work of Duccio in private hands. Originally, the painting was held in the private hands of Adolphe Stoclet and his wife. When the couple died, their house and their collection went to their son, Jacques who held onto the painting, and passed it down to his daughters who lent it to an exhibition in Siena of Duccio and his school. The painting was eventually withdrawn from the exhibition and sold (Tomkins 2). Madonna and Child painting dated 1300 and was painted by Duccio di Buoninsegna a Sienese painter, who is considered the founder of modern Italian painting. I chose to research this painting because the subject matter of religious imagery and symbols interests me. Also because when I looked at the painting the emotion on the Madonna’s face almost jumped out at me. It is as if, she is looking at her newborn child with this deep sadness, which almost makes you think that the painting is foreshadowing the death of Jesus Christ. In addition, the burns of the side of the frame peaked my interest, as to why they were there. Art critics were also interested in this work they even consider Madonna and Child one of Duccio’s perfect works, and it said to be worth all the other paintings exhibited under the name of Duccio (Christiansen 14). The Madonna and Child painting’s iconography, imagery, emotional appeal to the viewers, and meaning all make this painting still a great work of art today.
Duccio created an image that had the ability to make the Virgin Mary and Christ feel like real people, while simultaneously still preserving their divinity. Moreover, by creating a compact painting that could be used to pray in a personal home, this Madonna and Child gave a new meaning to devotional images; no longer did people have to go to church to worship the Virgin Mary and
Additionally, one of the primary emotions displayed by the people in this painting is sadness. Everyone is walking together from a church holding a candle, and there is a woman kneeling on the floor that looks like a beggar. The people are ignoring this woman's plea for help, which I found ironic because the Church teaches to helps those in need. Thus, I think that the meaning of this work has to do with religion and its lack of interest in those who are less fortunate. It moreover tells us how those who are religious turn their head and ignore these serious issues. The church is a place for people to pray, but there are countless scandals that do take place, which I moreover think portrays injustice and is an issue in our current society
The title of the piece, Madonna of the Clouds, implies setting; however, Mary’s robes blend in with the surrounding cherubs, creating a mass of folds. Donatello shows perspective through subtle changes in the depths of carving – stiacciato relief – a technique that he devised (Britannica). This varying strength of line utilizes shadows to enhance emotion, as seen with the Virgin Mary. The concern that she shows for her son in her arm foreshadows his fateful end. This expression though, is not only demonstrated within the facial features of her profile, but also in the ever-present shadow under her chin, directly above Christ’s head. Stiacciato relief depends on the reflection off of pale materials, like marble, in order to manipulate light to enhance or detract from the forms themselves (Britannica). Donatello controls his medium to work with his audience’s position, casting shadows to be where they are most meaningful. Awareness of his viewers’ angle ceased to allude Donatello as his earlier marble masterpieces, the sculptures at the Or San Michele, employed their alleviated situations to accentuate his subject’s personalities as seen with Saint
This sculpture artwork has a sense of realism in it as well as incarnation of the concept of the Christian repentance. It is for the purpose to have some knowledge of Magdalene since she had sinned and didn’t have any principles or morals. She didn’t follow the laws of the bible and was judged and stoned because of that. Her facial expression pleads for forgiveness, so she appears penitent for the since she committed. She looks unhealthy, tired, sad gaze, has her mouth opened, and really long hair. It is a sculpture that was made with a lot of emotion and religiosity in
Madonna and child is one of the early Christian paintings. It shows “Madonna” as the virgin Marry and the “Child” as baby Jesus. The artist Berlinghiero did this great painting in the Greca period in the twelfth century. This painting was done on wood with two figures in front of a gold background. Madonna is wearing a dark blue cloak with golden decorations that cover most of her body; she is also wearing a reddish dress underneath her cloak that is only visible on her arms. To show here modesty the only thing that can be seen is here arms, neck and face. Her hand has and unrealistic look to them so as if they look long and skinny. According to the museum label “Berlinghiero was always open to Byzantine influence, and this Madonna
In Giotto’s Madonna and Child Enthroned I see an older renaissance painting of a woman and her child. The child is sitting on the lap of his mother who is sitting on a large burgundy throne in the middle of the painting. The woman is dressed in a navy cloak while her child is clothed in a pink robe. Above the child’s head there is a yellow circle. This circle is a renaissance symbol for religious leadership or importance. Surrounding this throne are a gathering of angels. There are exactly seven angels on each side worshiping this mother and child. The background consists of a yellow brick pattern.
The artists of the Baroque had a remarkably different style than artists of the Renaissance due to their different approach to form, space, and composition. This extreme differentiation in style resulted in a very different treatment of narrative. Perhaps this drastic stylistic difference between the Renaissance and Baroque in their treatment of form, space, and composition and how these characteristics effect the narrative of a painting cannot be seen more than in comparing Perugino’s Christ Delivering the Keys of the Kingdom to St. Peter from the Early Renaissance to Caravaggio’s Conversion of St. Paul from the Baroque.Perugino was one of the greatest masters of the Early Renaissance whose style ischaracterized by the Renaissance ideals of purity, simplicity, and exceptional symmetry of composition. His approach to form in Christ Delivering the Keys of the Kingdom to St.Peter was very linear. He outlined all the figures with a black line giving them a sense of stability, permanence, and power in their environment, but restricting the figures’ sense of movement. In fact, the figures seem to not move at all, but rather are merely locked at a specific moment in time by their rigid outline. Perugino’s approach to the figures’themselves is extremely humanistic and classical. He shines light on the figures in a clear, even way, keeping with the rational and uncluttered meaning of the work. His figures are all locked in a contrapposto pose engaging in intellectual conversation with their neighbor, giving a strong sense of classical rationality. The figures are repeated over and over such as this to convey a rational response and to show the viewer clarity. Perugino’s approach to space was also very rational and simple. He organizes space along three simple planes: foreground, middle ground, and background. Christ and Saint Peter occupy the center foreground and solemn choruses of saints and citizens occupy the rest of the foreground. The middle distance is filled with miscellaneous figures, which complement the front group, emphasizing its density and order, by their scattered arrangement. Buildings from the Renaissance and triumphal arches from Roman antiquity occupy the background, reinforcing the overall classical message to the
Jacopo del Sellaio’s Virgin, Child, and St. John is a characteristically iconographic tempera panel painting of Madonna, the Christ Child, and the infant St. John from the early renaissance, dating to the early 1480s. Sellaio was a Florentine painter under the apprenticeship of Sandro Botticelli, which reflects through his style and symbolism in the painting. In this work, he depicts a classically devotional scene filled with biblical symbolism. Sellaio’s Virgin, Child, and St. John expresses Mary’s loving role as Christ’s mother, the protective power and warmth of her maternal bond, and the significance of the birth of Christ.
The ability to create a picture of The Annunciation in one’s mind is a key factor in understanding the analysis of the work. Francisco de Zurbaran approaches the painting with a naturalistic style. The painting features a room in which a woman – like angel is seen at the left kneeling on the ground before the Virgin Mary. The figure of Mary is placed between a chair and a small wooden table draped with a green cloth. Mary disregards an open Bible on the table, as she appears solemn while staring at the floor. Floating above the two main figures in the upper left side of the painting are cherubs resting on a bed of clouds. They happily gaze down at Mary with eyes from Heaven.