The Holy Family with Saint Anne and John the Baptist - Report Example

The Holy Family with Saint Anne and John the Baptist Introduction Anguissolo Sofonisba (c 1532-1625) no doubt enjoyed international recognition during her life time. In the history of Art her name has appeared with regularity since Marco Girolamo Vida counted her at age fifteen among the most significant painters. Her known works include small devotional paintings such as the Holy Family (1559Academia carrara, begomo); numerous portraits like the life-sized portrait of Isabel Valoise(c 1565, Prado, Madrid), more that half a dozen self portraits, which date principally to her youth; and paintings and finished drawings of her family. Within this corpus, the images depicting her family hold special significance. Thesis Statement Her painting titled The Holy Family with Saint Anne and John the Baptist (1592) is a good example of a religious narrative painting, which is a clear deviation from her usual portrait representations she was renowned for during her era. The work which is oil canvass and measures 125.7 by 110.5 cms, is in the collection of the Lowe Art Museum at the university of Miami. The signings and dating of the painting reflects Counter Reformation interest in devotional images that directly emotionally appealed to the viewer. The composition of her work reveals interest in sfumato and warmth of presentation that reminisces earlier Renaissance painters, instead of the harsher realism that characterized many Counter reformist artists. In the painting, the brightness in which the child is portrayed seems to suggest both human and super-natural aspects, clearly alluding to the ‘sainthoodness’ conveyed by the effect of the lighting. Anne, who is the common theme in the picyure, was the mother of virgin Mary, and Elizabeth Mary’s cousin was the mother of Saint John. This is known because copies of the picture by other artists exist and attest to the fact and identify Cambiaso as the original author of the composition. It is important to note that Cambiaso was one of the Counter Reformation painters who employed the so-called ‘new objectivity,’ in which sacred events were painted in convincing and realistic details. The image of the innocent little child reaching out for the suffering to come would then inspire great repentance for one’s sins. Ironically his death would be at the hands of the same family responsible for the massacre of the innocent and the Holy family’s flight to Egypt-however from this picture, a depiction of their return may have been possible. The appeal of the presence of Saint John is deliberate and very direct, especially with his mother. This was common approach, especially among women in Anguissola’s era of renaissance. She aptly manages to convey this idea in a subtle manner that does not overtly conflict with the surface-realism of the painting. The composition and the coloring of the painting also add to the intimacy of the concept. Interestingly paintings of the Christ child often made references to his inevitable fate of suffering and death. In the same light the poignancy of this painting is increased since John too was to face martyrdom. The picture depicts a scene that would only be visible inside an enclosed and warm private environment of the family (especially at night).This portrays a sense of their protectiveness of him and is the core of the painting’s appeal. Though the elements in the picture seem to show Anne, the details point more strongly to Elizabeth and her son as the people who sit with the holy family, thus a portraying a private devotional image meant for home use rather than a church institution. But regardless of who is shown, the principal iconographic element is the spinning wheel that revolves around John and the holy family. Moreover, Anguissola interest in domestic scenes also would not have been likely to separate the little child from his mother. Thus for the painter of course, the repetition of the mother-and –son motifying of Jesus-Mary and John-Elizabeth would also serve to heighten the focus on mother and son relationship. The space is filled with Jesus, John, Mary, Elizabeth and Anne who all fit in the composition of the generational theme. The choice of color is important here because it soaks up the light rather than reflecting it as is seen with the child’s body. The scene in the picture induces the viewer to contemplate the fact that the suffering of Jesus was due to himself or herself. Since Christ had to die in order to redeem the whole of humanity, the religious viewer would feel compelled to consider his or her sinfulness as part of the cause of the great poignancy of the scene. Before Christ’s baptism, it was not uncommon for painters to depict John and Elizabeth together as a subject matter. In this work by Anguissola Elizabeth rather than Anne through her style occupy almost all the space that exists outside the central triangle consisting of the two women, against which the child rests. According to the form and depth in the picture which lends it a three dimensional aspect, even those without religious inclinations at all, or are completely unfamiliar with the inherent subject and its iconography would still be charmed by the grace and warmth of Anguissola’s intimate conception of happy family. The painting was copied from a lost version of the same subject by Cambiaso. In order to convey the contrast between the sweetness of the moment and the bitterness of the future, Anguissola chose to render the moment as intimately as possible with visual concepts that transform the painting alive. The others seem to look on in awareness of his eventual fate but he remains a child in spite of the fact that he too would have to be aware of the future. Like Cambiaso and other objective painters of her era, Anguissola did not use Haloes to depict the sacred status of the people. This was probably due to the fact that they led a busy and interesting lives in which the‘Artists and literati’ were frequent visitors. Moreover, sofonisba’s visits to various courts provided subjects for her portraits and her contacts with painters like Luca Cambiaso, whom she probably met in 1583 while he was on his way to Spain, kept her abreast of current developments in art.Thus there is a natural element to account for it but it still remains subtly inexplicable. In creating her versions of this work, she favored a gentler, less hard-edge style. In the middle ages and early renaissance, numerous writers of legends added materials to the bible account of the early life of Christ. But in this representation, the green-brown range of color seems to reflect firelight and sets of the glowing Christ child perfectly adding to the mysticism of the subject matter. Anguissola employs the sfumato approach in which the transition from one color to the next is done so smoothly and gradually as to be imperceptible, with the colors blending as if they were smoke. This gives tangibility to the atmosphere of the room. It makes the figures to melt into darkness, and become part of the setting that surrounds the more brightly lit Christ child; perhaps portraying the fact that one day mankind will one day rally around him. Adjacent, John looks on with interest but the focus of the scene is the Christ child’s fascination with Anne’s work with the reel. This image of Christ reaching out may as well depict his surrender to the awaiting fate ahead of him on the cross as the redeemer of mankind’s sins. Conclusion The brilliant coloring technique and the light that washes the image of the Christ child and the central position he occupies in the picture, all add up to describe the principal core of the purpose of his life with the blessed role that her mother Mary plays as the blessed one among women. Also alluded to above, the secularist theme portrayed in the picture indeed gives it a warm homely setting that many can simply identify with. Another interesting aspect of the painting is that the background is not flat like is seen in many medieval paintings. This lends it warmth and intimacy and alludes to the ever protectiveness of the family scenario no matter what eventually may happen in life. The painting also shows accurate perspectives with forms of curves looking natural and real. The painting deeply evokes a range of emotions with love at the center bolt. Discernibly, sympathy and sorrow at the feeling of impending cruel fate that awaits both Christ and John the Baptist is clearly portrayed, especially underneath the color’s tone. Read More