Madonna of the Meadows and Madonna of the Long Neck - Essay Example

Art History: Madonna of the Meadows and Madonna of the Long Neck A great deal about the culture of an age can be deduced by comparing the changes that were taking place in art. This is better than just looking at a particular piece because it helps to put the images in context. This approach is most effective when it is possible to compare two works of art that deal with a similar subject. To illustrate how the culture of Italy was changing from one that focused on depicting physical reality to one more focused on portraying spiritual reality, it is helpful to compare images such as Raphael’s painting “Madonna of the Meadows” created in 1505 and Parmigianino’s painting “The Madonna of the Long Neck” started in 1535 but never fully completed. Raphael’s painting shows the Madonna as a softly rounded woman with soft blonde hair gathered into a soft bun out of the viewer’s angle of vision. She is delicately bent over her son who is depicted as a plump and somewhat strangely proportioned infant just on the verge of walking. He is reaching out for a wooden pole suggestive of a cross held by a slightly older St. John. This entire scene is seen over the backdrop of a very green landscape that stretches far back into the distance with a large lake and mountains visible far into the horizon. Parmigianino’s painting also depicts the Madonna tenderly holding the infant baby Jesus. She is tall and columnar as she looks down on an elongated infant who seems on the verge of falling out of her lap. She perches on a pedestal backed on one side by a rich red velvet curtain while a large grouping of angels gathers around her on this side to look adoringly at the baby. One of these angels is carrying a vase or urn that has a mirrorlike finish to it. It is positioned in such a way that it would throw a reflection back at the baby Jesus and may be the reason the baby was startled as the vase also has an etched cross on its surface. On the other side of the Madonna is a kind of landscape scene that is mostly a cloudscape. The visible sky is full of storm clouds with just a hint of blue on the horizon. There is also a tall Roman style column and the figure of St. Jerome. There are a number of ways that the two paintings are similar. They are both concerned with the relationship between Jesus’ birth and his eventual death as well as the presence of his mother in both of these events. This is seen in the way that both paintings suggest the cross connected in some way – in the small post Jesus grabs in his infant hand in Raphael’s painting and the etched image in the vase that startles the baby Jesus in Parmigianino’s painting. Both paintings depict the same characters because they each contain a representation of the Madonna, Jesus and at least one additional saint. This reflects the importance of the church as a patron of the arts during this period, but both painters decided to incorporate Neither one of these paintings adhered to the accepted standards of the time, either. Raphael veered away from the absolute realism of the period in the vibrant, unnatural shades used in his painting and the unreal element of his background scenery. Parmigianino purposefully altered the proportions of his models to illustrate his ideas regarding the story of Christ. However, the ideas the artists were expressing were as different as their ideas about how to express them. Raphael uses vibrant colors to convey a sense of optimism regarding the role that Christ is destined to play in life. He reaches out of his own volition to grasp the cross being handed to him by St. John and is on the verge of walking indicating he’s ready to take on the task before him. His mother is a strong presence behind him, ready to support him when he needs it but also remaining out of his way. As they are depicted, the holy family is seen to exist over nature, rather than in it. In all of these things, Raphael illustrates his ideas through primarily technical details. This is different thon Parmigianino’s approach in which he purposely alters reality in order to express his spiritual ideas. The Madonna’s neck is strangely elongated and curved, deliberately painted to give the impression of a swan’s neck and thus convey this bird’s grace and beauty upon the Virgin Mother. The Christ’s body is out of proportion, indicating an imbalance, perhaps even reluctance in taking up the task before him as he becomes startled by the image of the cross. The baby seems about to fall out of his mother’s lap, indicating her inability to protect him while the stormy background indicates a difficult journey ahead. Parmigianino uses dark and muted colors to reinforce the somber mood while also using technical artistic techniques such as chiaroscuro and shading to give an impression of deep space and rich fabrics. While the similarity of subject matter in these two images illustrates the central importance religion held in the people’s lives, the differences illustrate a changing attitude. The optimism and blatant richness of Raphael’s work is brought into sharp relief against the somewhat threatening, gloomy atmosphere of the later church now becoming suspicious of the former opulence of the clergy and the potential for corruption. While both artists purposely veered away from the strictly realistic portrayal typically required at the time, their approaches to flaunting the rules were completely different. Raphael chose to fantasize his background, placing the Madonna and child in a safe, happy place where pain and separation did not yet exist yet duties and responsibilities were already being established. Parmigianino deliberately altered the realistic portrayal of his models as a means of focusing more fully upon the spiritual appearance of the scene and the individual human reaction of the principle players in the drama to come. Through this comparison, the shift from an opulent, showy, materialistic culture to one more reserved and fearful can be discerned. At the same time, an artistic shift can be seen underway, gradually moving from the strict realism of the high Renaissance in a motion already started with Raphael into the more expressionistic symbolism of the Baroque carried forward by Parmigianino. . Read More