Comparing The Virgin And Child In Renaissance Art

Barna da Siena’s Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine and Other Scenes from 1340 is vastly different in content, composition, and a number of other attributes from Fra Carnevale’s 1467 painting Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple. It is clear between the roughly hundred years between when the two were painted that advancements in realistic painting soared and a further appreciation for realism and humanism developed. The need to portray more than just the holy subjects, and to show how far painting had evolved is evident in the differences between Barna and Fra Carnevale’s works. Although, the emotion behind Barna’s work, and its significance are, in my eyes, far greater than that of Fra Carnevale’s.

Many ages of art shine through Duccio’s portraying of Mary in Madonna Enthroned (fig. 6). Both being trained in the Greek manner, Duccio’s version of Siena’s patron saint is comparable to Cimabue’s Enthroned Madonna and Child with Angels and Prophets from the year 1280 2 (fig. 7). Duccio, however, took a softer

Throughout history, people have used paintings and art as a tool to express their religious beliefs and values. Illustrations depicting the Virgin Mary and child, often referred to as Madonna and Child, are one of the most recurring images in Christian and European Art through the ages. Though these paintings and sculptures may have similarities in their iconography and style each work of art varies based on the different artists’ and time periods. Two paintings that portray these features currently reside in the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. The first, Virgin and Child by Rogier van der Wyden, was originally painted after 1454. In the painting, the Virgin Mary is holding Christ against her shoulder as he twists around to face toward the viewers. The second painting is Virgin and Child with a Donor, painted by Antoniazzo Romano and originally painted c. 1480. In this painting, Virgin Mary is supporting Christ who seems to be standing and includes a figure of a man with his hands crossed in prayer. While both paintings depict the mother and child, there are both similarities and differences in style and portrayal. In this paper, I will thoroughly examine these traits, as well as address the similarities and differences associated with the two paintings. This analysis will be done by using information gained from reading Gardner’s Art Through the Ages, in class lectures from ARTH 1381 Art and Society Renaissance to Modern and ARTH 1300 Ways of Seeing Art, and close visual

For My Museum Essay, I have chosen Rogier van der Weyden’s “St. Luke drawing the Virgin” (c. 1435-40). First of all, this painting is an extraordinarily beautiful piece of art, with both meticulous details and true to life emotional state of the figures portrayed. And it intrigued me even more when I found out that there is a very compositionally similar painting by Jan Van Eyck (“Madonna with Chancellor Rolin”).

paintings of the Virgin and Child from that time period, probably because of the power

The painting, ‘Virgin and Child with Donor’, by Antoniazzo Romano, despite painting a similar scene, possesses several differences. The most notable difference is the fact that the work of art was crafted on an entirely different medium, which was the ‘Tempera and gold leaf on wood’, according to the museum’s description. The painting is similar to Rogier van der Weyden’s work in its depiction of the Virgin Mary with very soft, blended features. The facial expression of the Virgin Mary is also very like that of Rogier van der Weyden’s painting as well, conveying a sense of peace and

The title of this artwork is Virgin and Child with the Young Saint John the Baptist and Angels. It was created by François Boucher in Paris. It was painted in the year 1765. It was painted with oil on a canvas. This painting is housed in the Metropolitan Museum in New York City, New York. In this painting, Boucher wonderfully depicts the Virgin Mary and the baby Jesus, along with a toddler Saint John the Baptist and a lamb, having a picnic together. They are being watched over by five small cherub angels up in the heavens.

Although the surface of the artwork has been fairly damaged by smoke from burning candles and incense, there is still a suggestion of the bright circular halos which had once ‘crowned’ both the Virgin and the child. Cooper relates the symbolism of the circle as “one which expresses archetypal wholeness and totality and therefore divinity” (1982:19). The upper body of Mary appears very large, especially in comparison with the Christ-child, whose body ‘fits’ into her bosom, which is generally associated with comfort. Almost as though she tries to console him concerning his future death (Tansey & Kleiner, 1996: 312).

     The style and the form of these two paintings reflect the development of the artistic techniques during the Italian Renaissance. While both reflect a Biblical theme with a central focal point of the Madonna and Child, “Madonna Enthroned” has a key image that is best viewed from a central position and “Madonna and Child…” has a greater degree of importance over the majority of the surface of the canvas. In “Madonna and Child…” the viewer does not perceive that an image is being forced upon them as is found in the work by Giotto. A use of light and space is also key to preventing the Puligo piece from being “forced”, where the organization of distance visibly removes the viewer from “Madonna Enthroned” while drawing the viewer into the painting in “Madonna and Child…”. Color also serves a similar purpose, where Giotto’s work is monochromatic but ocher while Puligo’s work carries a greater expression through the detail involved.

This period housed many depictions of the Virgin Mary, including Cimabue’s Enthroned Madonna and Child. Mary was seen as the perfect example of feminine virtue, showing chastity, piety, humility, and maternity. Images of the Madonna, or Mary, whether sculpture or painting, encouraged women to live up to her. Mary wasn’t the only woman that was looked up to in Renaissance art. Women could be portrayed as witches, saints, temptresses, or members of the working class, and their image would still be an encouragement to dress and behave properly. (Jacobs)

In the painting The Immaculate Conception (Figure 1) painted by Antonio de Palomino y Velasco, there is a prominent central figure found in the middle of the canvas. The figure is a woman draped in white and blue garments with red accents and surrounded by cherubs and doves. The woman is the Virgin Mary and has a crown of 12 stars around her head. Both cherubs and doves are often used as religious symbols and this piece of art is Biblical in that it illustrates Mary very much like she is described in the book of Revelation. Revelation 12:1 reads that “…a great sign appeared in heaven: A woman clothed with the sun and, the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.” During the time period that Antonio Palomino created this piece, there were countless other artists painting similar works with their own spin on things. Notable artists include the likes of Juan de Valdes Leal and Bartolome Esteban Murillo. In this time period, the counter-reformation was taking place and I believe that, as a response to the protestant reformation, the painting of religious images was used to reignite growth in the Catholic Church.

The Byzantine era is the continuation of the Roman Empire and as we, all know they were influenced by the Greeks. Around the 11th century “the clergy began to display icons in hierarchical order Christ, the Theotokos, John the Baptist and other saints” (Kleiner 279). The Virgin and Child Icon is tempera on wood, 30x21 inches. The virgin and her child have been an inseparable part of Russian history and its people. Many Russians claim and believed of miraculous interventions and favors received from the Virgin Mary due the

While both reflect a Biblical theme with a central focal point of the Madonna and Child, "Madonna Enthroned" has a key image that is best viewed from a central position and "Madonna and Child…" has a greater degree of importance over the majority of the surface of the canvas. In "Madonna and Child…" the viewer does not perceive that an image is being forced upon them as is found in the work by Giotto. A use of light and space is also key to preventing the Puligo piece from being "forced", where the organization of distance visibly removes the viewer from "Madonna Enthroned" while drawing the viewer into the painting in "Madonna and Child…". Color also serves a similar purpose, where Giotto's work is monochromatic but ocher while Puligo's work carries a greater expression through the detail involved.

Art in the Medieval Times was dreary and bland. Many works of art were solely about God or holy figures. The most obvious change from the Renaissance to Medieval Times was the arts, according to Document A and also that “One begins to know the names of the artists ... feel stronger emotions in the subjects”. This shows that Renaissance art not only changed in style, in changed in how it made the viewer feel when seeing the art. Similarly, in Document A, Renaissance art is described as “new artistic styles would echo the broader movements and interests of the new age.…”. As compared to Medieval Times, the style of art became something similar to the time that people could relate to. In the Medieval Times, art was just meant to extol God’s many feats. People who viewed the painting were supposed to put that style of art on a pedestal. Medieval art was supposed to be worshipped, not so much understood. The individual in the Medieval Times was supposed to take away from the painting that the only thing that mattered in their life was the Roman Catholic church and God already had a plan for their lives. But in comparison, Renaissance art was supposed to empower and help people of the time to understand themselves and the fact that they can change their own lives.

Once gracing the lavish floor of Getty Center, the Coronation of the Virgin which was painted by the extraordinary Italian artist Gentile da Fabriano in 1420, attracted many attentions by its sacredness, powerfulness and magic of the Christ. At 36 ⅝ inches and 25 ¼ inches size tempera, Christ gently places the ornate gold grown upon Virgin Mary's slightly bowed head by the watching of angels from either side as she becomes the Queen of Heaven. Since the first century, Christianity has played an important role in Western Art, which has inspired numerous artists in making their masterpieces. However, artists must follow the religious ‘rules to build up the imagery of the Christ, and educate audience about the religious. Coronation of the Virgin by Fabriano is a perfect presentation of that.