Madonna (art)

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Madonna is a medieval Italian term for a noble or otherwise important woman. In Western Christian art tradition this word is used for the works depicting the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus. The word has also been adopted by the English and other European languages.

1 Introduction
2 Representations
3 Renaissance
4 Paintings and Art
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Introduction

Andrey Rublev's Virgin of Vladimir, 1410(?).

The depiction of Madonna has a deep and ancient tradition that is derived from the old Christian (mainly Orthodox) iconography and Byzantine art. The prevailing idea of these images is a so called Eleousa (Greek έλεος—"pity, regret, compassion") - the Loving Kindness—the idea of endless and unbounded love of the virgin to her son and humanity. It also expresses the grief and compassion.

After the end of the Middle Ages a new comprehension of the holy images has arised. The emotional and expressive manner of drawing has given the birth to the great number of masterpieces. The tradition of painting of Madonna has got a brand new impulse in the Renaissance.

[edit] Representations

Iconography itself has strict and severe rules and cannons regulating the scenes, images, and appearances of the character(s) depicted.

Stereotypical representations stressing one aspect can have a name of their own, such as Seat of Wisdom (with the infant Jesus on Mary's lap)

[edit] Renaissance

The Renaissance has given birth to the new traditions of painting in Western European Art. In aggregate, Renaissance itself proclaimed the return to the traditions of painting and sculpture of antique Greece. This was mainly a secular, often non-canonical art though usually addressing religious subjects. The Renaissance artists allowed themselves to be more emotional and humanistic, even more utilitarian, thereby creating bright masterpieces close to the hearts of their contemporaries. The art of this period is characterized with more anatomically correct proportions, sincere human emotions, color and light.

Leonardo da Vinci, The Sketch of the Head of Madonna, approx. 1484 AD.

The great number of painters of the Renaissance paid attention to the Biblical subjects in general, including Madonna. Such titans as Da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael were among them. Many painters have been invited to the Vatican by Popes to decorate churches with religious frescos and paintings.

Though the Renaissance painters covered almost all the life of the Virgin, there were some subjects especially favorite among them. They were The Virgin and the Child and Pietà. Traditionally, Madonna is depicted expressing compassion, kind and love. The tenderness and caress of the ordinary mother to her beloved child, the epiphany of the young Christ, the antiquated, light, colorful surroundings make the spectator sympathize with the characters. The despair of the mother that holds the body of her crucified son, mourning his fate and nevertheless the light of hope in her eyes are inspirational, live and impressive.

[edit] Paintings and Art

A Madonna is an artistic or iconic depiction of Mary, especially with the infant Jesus. A black Madonna is a statue or painting of Mary in which she is depicted as having black skin.

Golden Madonna of Essen (the oldest preserved sculpture of a Madonna)
Madonna and Child (also known as the Stroclet Madonna or Stroganoff Madonna), a painting by Italian Renaissance artist Duccio di Buoninsegna, from around the year 1300.
The Black Madonna of Częstochowa (Czarna Madonna or Matka Boska Częstochowska in Polish) icon, which was, according to legend, painted by St. Luke the Evangelist on a cypress table top from the house of the Holy Family.
Madonna and Child with Flowers, otherwise known as the Benois Madonna, a painting that could be one of two Madonnas started by Leonardo da Vinci, as he remarked himself, in October 1478.
Madonna of the Steps, a relief done by Michelangelo.
Madonna, a painting by Edvard Munch, painted in five versions between 1894 and 1895.
The Madonna of Port Lligat, the name of two paintings by Salvador Dalí created in 1949 and 1950.