Madonna and Child in Glory - Case Study Example

Visual analysis Introduction It is rather obvious that one can easily study the history of the mankind with the helpof works of art as they reflect the development of the human civilization. Indeed, art often serves an important function of expressing the creative potential of the people. That is why values that the society deems essential can often be traced on art. It is suggested that the age of Renaissance was the time of cultural awakening of the European nations; so, a careful examination of works of art of that period is extremely interesting. This paper will analyze a painting which is titled Madonna and Child in Glory by Il Garofalo, suggesting it is shows the gradual transition for the medieval typical depiction of religious scene to a more modern and realistic manner. Visual analysis of Madonna and Child in Glory To begin with, it may be suitable to take a close look at the lines that can be found in the above mentioned work of art. Thus, one can easily see that there are no sharp edges, every line is soft. Indeed, Mary the Virgin is sitting straight and her posture forms the major vertical line. The upper part of the body of Jesus is parallel to her, bending a little bit to the right. His legs are spread and form two sides of a triangle. However, legs of Mary are also spread, but the feet are place together. So, their legs form some kind of a diamond shaped figure. The proportions that were used by the painted are also quite interesting. There is no doubt that the canvas is divided into two unequal parts: the upper one which depicts Mary, Jesus and angels; and the lower one which depicts the material world. In spite of the fact that all objects in each part are depicted proportionally with relation to each other, the figures in the upper part are bigger. This might mean that the author wanted to stress the supremacy of the spiritual world over the material. In addition to that angels are made smaller that Mary and Jesus which reflects their place in the divine hierarchy. What is more important is that the proportions of body of little Jesus are adjusted: little children have oversized heads if compared to the rest of their bodies; however, there is not such disproportion in the painting which shows that Jesus is not an ordinary child. The landscape which occupies the lower part of the painting should be analyzed in particular. On the one hand, the painting in question might be seen as a great example of religious art since it depicts a popular theme of Mary and her Son. Nevertheless, on the other hand, the painting is also valuable since it feature a great landscape. This means that the artists was able to draw beautiful portrays as well as excellent landscapes. What is even more important is that the way it is depicted is quite realistic. Contrary to the examples which were created several decades prior to the painting in question, the latter might be studied as two separate works of arts when it comes to level of precision and use of techniques. When a person takes a look at Madonna and Child in Glory, one is able to see that it features harmony between the depicted objects. Indeed, the two parts (the heavens and earth) may not be equal, but the upper does not seem exaggerated. Moreover, there is a clear symmetry in the depiction of the Mary, Jesus and angels. The former two might be seen as single figure, the focus of the entire painting. There are two angels on each side with their heads not rising above the waist of Mary. In addition to that, there are two angels that hold the crown of Mary, one of each side. In spite of the fact that all angels are shown in different positions, they are still perceived in symmetrical order. Finally, the visual analysis of the picture in question should also involve examination of colors. One can not help noticing that the dominant color is blue: the color of the garments of Mary, the background of the upper part and the sky. The next important color is red: once again it is the cloth of garments that Mary ad three angels wear. It is obvious that the combination of blue and red as quite typical for depiction of the Biblical themes. For example, The Last Supper which was created in Renaissance as well shows Jesus and some of the disciples wearing the same set of colors. Differences from other works Now it may be particularly advantageous to compare the above mentioned piece of art others in order to highlight its artistic peculiarities. The first one will be engaged in this comparison is Annunciation by di Lorenzo. The first difference that is evidence when the two paintings are places side by side is the visual aesthetics of the former. Indeed, the two figures that are depicted are very much alike. The only difference between them is the wings behind the back of the angel. In many other aspects such as face, hair color or skin they are practically identical. This shows that Il Garofalo decided to break the tradition and make the characters seem different from each other. Indeed, his painting features six angels and they are not the same in any aspect. The next work of art that may be used to compare to the one in question is Madonna and Child by di Credi. Similar to the previously discussion picture, this one has somewhat stereotypical depiction of the faces of the characters. In other words, similar human figures can be found virtually on every painting in the course of Renaissance. This means that the work by Il Garofalo might be seen as a representative of a more modern way to perceive and depict humans. Thus, one can hardly find a person who looks like Mary or Jesus from di Credi’s work, but one is likely to find a person who resembles the characters for Il Garofalo painting since the latter is quite realistic. In addition to that, the piece of art created by di Credi also features a peculiar aspect: the background that is depicted is somewhat fantastic. Indeed, it looks like illustration from a book which contributes to the supernatural impression of the painting. Contrary to that, the landscape which was painted by Il Garofalo is perceived as a real landscape and one can hardly doubt that. As a result, the level of precious of depiction of reality is different. This might be explained by the following idea: di Credi, who belonged to an earlier period of time clearly distinguished between religious matter and the real world, trying to make the former supernatural. On the other hand, further artists tried to introduce realism into religious art. Conclusion Having examined all the evidence which was presented in the course of the analysis one might conclude that Madonna and Child in Glory by Il Garofalo represent the new wave of artists who did not want to comply with the previously held beliefs about art and increased the extent of reality in their works in order to depict the world as it is, not through some abstract values. Nevertheless, while trying to make his painting realistic, Il Garofalo did not forget about depicting aesthetically pleasing lines and colors as well as minting proper proportions and balance that make his work a true masterpiece. Read More