The Penitent Mary Magdalene - Research Paper Example

The Penitent Magdalen Introduction The penitent Mary Magdalene is a famous painting painted by Georges de La Tour. In the painting, Georges de La Tour incorporates many symbols of Mary Magdalene’s secrets (Henry 205). In the painting, Mary Magdalene is holding a skull on her lap as she “poses before the lighted taper presented to the illuminati” (Henry 205). The painting is well known around the globe and copies of it hang in museums and galleries around the world. The use of light in the painting is incredible, as well as the realism of the painting, which are the two main unquestionable characteristics of La Tour’s paintings. Viewing the painting from a personal perspective makes one get the idea that La Tour could have seen the light, since it seems so real. The symbols in the painting have a lot of meaning and they lead to an understanding of Mary Magdalene’s deeper secrets and mysteries. This paper is a discussion of the painting’s background, meaning, techniques and the painter Georges de La Tour. History of the Painting It is speculated that the painting ‘The Penitent Magdalen’ was painted between 1638 and 1643 (Metropolitan Museum of Art 129). According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, it “is one of four representations that La Tour did of the penitent Magdalen” (129). The painting is unique since it portrays Mary Magdalene during the important moment of her conversion. Meaning of the Painting The meaning of the painting is discussed in different traditional readings and commentaries. In this discussion, the meaning of the painting is explained according to commentaries from the New York City, Metropolitan Museum of Art guidebook. In the painting, Mary Magdalene is wearing luxurious clothes and it seems that she has just cast her jewels aside, since they can be seen lying on the table next to her. She is in deep thought as she as gazes towards the candle. On her lap, Mary Magdalene is holding a skull. The skull symbolizes mortality and by holding it in her hands, Mary Magdalene seems to be going through “peaceful acceptance of death” (Henry 207). In front of Mary Magdalene stands an elegant silver mirror. The mirror is a symbol of luxury given its quality. In front of the mirror is a lighted candle standing on a candlestick. According to Henry, “the flame of the candle provides a soft and almost mysterious air to the work” (207). A prominent characteristic of the candle is that it is self-consuming and will eventually die out, once it is finished. This is also an undeniable characteristic of human life. In the painting therefore, the self-consuming candle standing on a candlestick in front of the elaborate silver mirror symbolizes the “frailty of human life” (Henry 207). For skeptics, a candle is simply a candle and the depiction of a candle in paintings that are not religious is simply taken to have no meaning. However, in religious paintings, a candle has to be interpreted in religious terms and this is why the candle in this painting is believed to carry a lot of meaning. A candlestick is also a great symbol in religious symbolism. According to Henry, it “is the symbol of spiritual illumination, of the Light, and of the seed of life and of salvation” (207). Henry adds that in Christian symbolism, a candlestick “is the divine light shining into the world and Christ as the light of the world” (207). Therefore, a lighted candle standing on a candlestick portrays the words of God as He says that He is the Light of the world. In cases where two candlesticks are used, they symbolize the two-fold nature of God, since He is both human and divine. Painting’s Techniques La Tour’s painting techniques express the importance of passion and feeling. Passion and feeling can be expressed using the colors red, yellow and brown, which La tour uses in ‘The Penitent Magdalen’ (White 54). He creatively uses negative space to direct the eyes of the viewer’s, taking their attention to the objects in front of Mary Magdalene, rather than taking their attention directly to Mary Magdalene, who is the subject in ‘The Penitent Magdalen’ painting. Georges de La Tour achieves this by placing a great contrast of light and dark among the black abyss that is mysterious, the elaborate silver mirror and the flame of the lighted candle. In order to have the viewer focus immediately on the skull that Mary Magdalene is holding on her lap, he places it near the elaborate silver mirror and lighted candle. This ensures that the next thing the viewer sees after looking at the mirror and flame is the skull. This effect also brings an association among the three objects, that is, the mirror, lighted candle and skull. Another use of light and dark can be seen between the wall behind mirror, candle and skull and the wall behind Mary. The wall behind Mary is lighter while the one behind the objects is dark. This ensures that after the viewer focuses on the objects, his second interest is Mary. Mary’s face and front part are also lighter compared to her back and this takes the viewer’s focus to her face. La Tour has also used carefully delineated and smooth brushwork. This makes the painting so real. This together with the sharp contrast between light and dark brings in realism and makes features of the painting stand out. The tonal range of colors in the painting is wide and this makes it easy to display textures. For example, Mary’s hair and skin are very smooth, while the wall behind her and the ground are slightly rough. About Georges de La Tour Georges de La Tour, who was a famous Caravaggist painter of French origin, was born in 1593 at Vic-sur-Seille, which was an independent duchy of Lorraine (Fahy 146). This region was located between the Protestant states of western Germany and northeastern France (Fahy 146). La Tour’s parents were bakers. Very little is known about La Tour’s education. According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, “some scholars postulate that La Tour went to Italy during the 1610s, while others propose that he made a study trip to the Netherlands” (126). Baker spent most of his life in Luneville. In fact, by 1616, he was known in the region as a famous painter, since he had already established himself as a master in the art. La Tour got married in 1617 (Zirpolo 306). According to Zirpolo, “he married Diane Le Nerf from an ennobled family of cloth merchants from Luneville, also in the Lorraine, where the couple lived out the rest of their days” (306). La Tour’s paintings have some affinity to Hendrick Terbrugghen’s art. According to his biographical records, La Tour received two commissions from the then Duke of Lorraine, Henry II (Zirpolo 306). In regard to his character, it is said that he had a bad temperament. This came from two assaults he was accused of; one in 1648 for assaulting an officer and the other in 1650 for mutilating a peasant (Zirpolo 306). He is also said to have been arrogant and pretentious. However, these characteristics do not reflect in his paintings. In fact, his paintings portray humility and gentleness. After his death in 1652, a lot about him was forgotten, only to be rediscovered three centuries later. This was in the twentieth century when his work was rediscovered. Harris points out that “he has since become among the best-known French painters of his time” (264). Works Cited Fahy, Everett. The Wrightsman Pictures. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2005. Print.   Harris, Ann Sutherland. Seventeenth-century Art and Architecture. London: Laurence King Publishing Ltd., 2005. Print. Henry, William. Mary Magdalene: The Illuminator. Illinois: Adventures Unlimited Press, 2006. Print. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Europe in the Age of Monarchy. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1987. Print. White, Keith J. Masterpieces of the Bible: Insights into Classical Art of Faith. Michigan: Baker Publishing Group, 1997. Print. Zirpolo, Lilian H. Historical Dictionary of Baroque Art and Architecture. Maryland: Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2010. Print.     Read More