Schone Madonna is a German term meaning “Beautiful Madonna”. This image possibly originated as a response to new ways to practice religion, and in particular, worship of the Virgin in a more personal manner. Three examples of this representation include the Roudnice Madonna, the Madonna of Krumau, and the Jihlava Pieta.
The Roudnice Madonna, a 35 1/2” x 26 1/4” panel constructed in approximately 1400, effectively shows the focus on amore soft and attractive Mary than seen in previous depictions. Using chiaroscuro, the artist modeled a beautiful face for the Virgin. The Christ child is more at ease than ever, relaxing comfortably with his mother. The drapery of the Virgin’s gown, similarly seen on the statues of this type, are full and rhythmic, extending to the wrist. This image of Mary is considered to be the finest image developed by the Bohemian sculptors, likely created for South Bohemian courts.
This new Madonna developed roots from the intense level of worship for the Virgin Mary at this time in history in Europe. There was a new desire to show this idol as a beautiful princess, not as a humble servant or out-of-reach queen. The Schone Madonna became the Bohemian feminine ideal.
The three basic prototypes for the “Beautiful Madonna”, Krumau, Thorn, and Breslau, are all very similar, with graceful postures, made of the same material, approximately the same height, and around the same time period. Of these, the Madonna of Krumau is considered the best and most famous. A stone sculpture, 4’3”, dating to approximately 1390-1400, it was created by a Bohemian artist who focused on Schone Madonna figures. This piece “embodies the beau ideal as the chaste princess of the Late Gothic age.” (p.31 textbook) Mary has a poised head on a long neck emerging from narrow shoulders, with a charming face and high forehead. Her long fingers gently, but firmly grasp her young son, while he makes eye contact with the viewer. The Madonna’s drapery is poetic in abstraction, a Schone Madonna style characteristic. The gentle “S” curve of her body allows for elegant cascades of draped cloth. (p. 31 textbook)
The Jihlava Pieta was sculpted of stone by a Bohemian artist around 1400-1410. This composition is formed by a seated Madonna, and the diagonal is marked by a rigid Christ. (p. 32 textbook) Mary almost looks happy to see her once suffering son dead, and this is somewhat disturbing.
Wayside Madonna is an oil painting on canvas by Edith Catlin Phelps. It was painted around 1939. Painted in southern California, it is a genre painting that is part of the regionalism movement but also has a religious subject. This painting is currently part of the permanent collection at Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, California. Phelps's oil painting Wayside Madonna ultimately focuses on the lady in the foreground, providing a narrative about southern California culture, and places an emphasis on the need for a more American focus and style of painting that does not rely so heavily on European art.
Barna di Siena’s Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine exhibits a highly dramatic style that was not seen in his mentor nor in his fellow student Lippo Memmi’s work. The symmetric composition consists of two main figures, Saint Catherine and the adult Jesus. In the painting, Jesus is seen placing a ring on Saint Catherine’s finger and taking her as his spiritual bride. Both figures appear to be very light and frail and the draperies they wear do not show the human f...
By most accounts, the year 1500 was in the midst of the height of the Italian Renaissance. In that year, Flemmish artist Jean Hey, known as the “Master of Moulins,” painted “The Annunciation” to adorn a section of an alter piece for his royal French patrons. The painting tells the story of the angel Gabriel’s visit to the Virgin Mary to deliver the news that she will give birth to the son of God. As the story goes, Mary, an unwed woman, was initially terrified about the prospects of pregnancy, but eventually accepts her fate as God’s servant. “The Annunciation” is an oil painting on a modest canvas, three feet tall and half as wide. The setting of the painting is a study, Mary sitting at a desk in the bottom right hand corner reading, and the angel Gabriel behind her holding a golden scepter, perhaps floating and slightly off the canvas’s center to the left. Both figures are making distinct hand gestures, and a single white dove, in a glowing sphere of gold, floats directly above Mary’s head. The rest of the study is artistic but uncluttered: a tiled floor, a bed with red sheets, and Italian-style architecture. “The Annunciation” was painted at a momentous time, at what is now considered the end of the Early Renaissance (the majority of the 15th Century) and the beginning of the High Renaissance (roughly, 1495 – 1520). Because of its appropriate placement in the Renaissance’s timeline and its distinctly High Renaissance characteristics, Jean Hey’s “Annunciation” represents the culmination of the transition from the trial-and-error process of the Early Renaissance, to the technical perfection that embodied the High Renaissance. Specifically, “Annunciation” demonstrates technical advancements in the portrayal of the huma...
The little Madonna was a bee in my bonnet; I wanted to see her again, and quite unreasonably (like a man I knew who lost a treasured walking -stick in the London Blitz and still looks hopefully in every curiosity shop in case it might turn up) I kept hoping to find her. (123)
The immediate background consists of natural mounds of dirt and a brick wall that enclose the Virgin, Child, and St. John, amplifying the protective effect that Mary’s figure has. The dirt mounds roll inward with a brick wall bordering them on the right, drawing the viewer’s attention towards the three figures. The background is painted in broad terms, with a simple, uniform depiction of tree leaves and smooth rock faces on the horizon. This contrasts with the fine-lined detail and texture of Mary’s hair, facial features, and veil, which further contribute to her elegance and highlight her
She knows her mother has a history there and she hopes to bring herself closer to her. Lily carries with her three of her mother’s old belongings, the most important of these belongings being a small statue of the Black Madonna. The Black Madonna is a recurring symbol of hope and guidance for Lily, leading her down the path to inner peace.
Bernard Van Orley painted the Virgin with Child and Angels (ca. 1518) near the beginning of his career. This piece brings elements from the High Renaissance as well as early Renaissance and hints of the Gothic era. Orley’s use of oil on wood in this piece has allowed him to paint intricate details on the structures in the building and the drapery in the fabrics, and the triangular composition in the foreground gives it a nice focal point. The first thing that captures the eye in the hierarchy of scale is the Virgin Mary, holding a nude baby Jesus. The lack of a golden halo on both figures is notable, bringing the world into a realistic perspective. Mary face and body encloses Christ with an expression of endearment, creating a circle that connects
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.
As I walked into the first gallery, I saw a wood sculpture that stood in the center of the room. This carving depicted “the crucified Christ, flanked by the Virgin Mary and St. John the Evangelist with Angels holding instruments of the Passion”. It was painted oak and very appealing to the eye. It stood approximately 15 feet in the air. The origin of this sculpture is unknown, but it was found in a Belgium church. This kind of sculpture usually stood at the entrance or at the center of the alter in the church facing the congregation. This image of the suffering Christ relates to the Christian ideas of suffering and Christ’s salvation of all mankind.
“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.
As the years have passed, art has revolutionized. The two paintings Birth of the Virgin by Pietro Lorenzetti and Birth of the Virgin by Domenico Ghirlandaio are an example of how both artists illustrate the same scene in different time periods. Lorenzetti`s art piece takes place during late medieval Italy and was completed in 1342. It was created for the altar of Saint Savinus in the Siena Cathedral in Italy and was painted as a tempera on wood on a three-piece panel. While Ghirlandaio`s takes place during the renaissance in Quattrocento Italy and was completed from 1845- 1490.
In the piece, the Christ looks up at Virgin Mary and pushes her veil out of the way. The Virgin Mary has a “sorrowful expression” because she knows that Christ will be crucified in the future (“Madonna and Child”). The two figures look connected through their
The Pieta as a master piece of work is an art sculpture of Michelangelo located within the Vatican City inside St. Peter’s Basilica and where as is described by to Fisher, it is not possible to see it from outside (2007). Made from only one piece of white marble from Carrara, it was created for the period of the years 1498 and 1499 taking two years to its completion. Among the greater variety of works by this artist, it is the first that was worked on bearing the same theme of pain and redemption combined with beauty s the final product. It is also the only one that bears his signature on the diagonal ribbon across Mary’s chest. Pieta ...
Despite that, Madonna and Callas’s public reputations are far apart.√ good Callas was considered a tragic woman during the height and end of her fame,; her image was of a fragile woman and she was seen as ‘mirroring in her life aspects’ (Phillip,, R,. 2008, p.175) when she performed on stage. Operatic roles within the twentieth century are mostly heart-breaking, where ‘almost all of the characters die, on stage or just off it, through suicide or murder’ (Phillip, R,. 2008, p. 175) and these characters were Callas’s speciality, giving her a feeble image. In contrast, Madonna is considered a ‘bankable image, carefully and continually constructed in an era of media globalisation’ (Nick Jones, 2008, p. 168), and greatly known as a ‘Pop Queen’ who relies on the public for her reputation by continually conforming to society styles to increase her performances, sales and reputation. √ good observation. Perhaps emphasise the fact that in comparison to Callas, Madonna can be seen as very much in control. She’s not a victim.
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