Mom and newborn baby - one of the most popular subjects in art.
He paid special attention to both popular and well-known artists (Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael Santi), and little known to the general public (Bartolomeo Murillo, di Markovaldo and others).
Virgin Mary di Markovaldo
Coppo di Markovaldo is considered the founderSiena School of Fine Arts. Its fate is quite interesting, since in the middle of the XIII century. He participated in one of the battles on the side of the Florentine followers of the Pope, according to the results of which the artist was captured. But since he was very talented, he was able to “buy” his freedom by drawing a very beautiful and quite realistic image of the Madonna and Child, which was then transferred to the Siena Church. This Madonna was called the Madonna del Bordone.
This picture represents the viewer Virgin Mary,sitting on the throne, slightly raising one leg, so that the baby would be more comfortable to sit in her arms. She touchingly holds him by the leg, and he reaches out for her hand. They already have some noticeable interaction, which was not observed in earlier pictures.
The head of the Virgin surrounds barely visible halo.It is worth noting the incredibly expressive eyes of this Madonna. She looks at the viewer, as if looking into his soul. Her clothes represent a simple black cape, but for greater chicness, the artist traced drapes in gold. On the sides, left and right, are the angels, depicted in full growth (this is the tradition of Florence). Usually they were painted the same, but these, if you look closely, are not completely identical to each other: the differences are in their faces.
From the less well-known, let us turn to the more popular ones and consider in more detail the most vivid pictures on this subject.
"Madonna Litta" by Leonardo da Vinci
One of the most famous paintings in whichMadonna with the baby is depicted - this is the painting "Madonna Litta" by the brightest Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. Now it can be seen among the masterpieces stored in the Hermitage.
Главное лицо на этом полотне - молодая женщина, which holds the baby in his arms and breastfeeds him. As in all the paintings of the Renaissance, it is distinguished by more vivid colors compared to the background, where the viewer can watch the windows in the form of arches, through which one can see a bright blue sky with fluffy white clouds. It is worth noting that the Madonna and Child are drawn very clearly, her features seem to be highlighted, as if painted under the flash of a camera, compared to a slightly blurred background - these are also the distinctive features of portraits of that era.
Mom looks at the child with tenderness.Some people think that she smiles slightly (Leonardo's smile, which is popular for the artist’s paintings), in fact, the Madonna is pensive. The child looks at the viewer, holding in one of the pens a bird - a little goldfinch.
Goldfinch on the painting "Madonna Litta"
There are different versions of why the chick is depicted in this picture.
- The bird as a symbol of the future suffering of Christ, whereThe red head of the goldfinch denotes the blood shed by the Son of God. According to legend, when Christ was led to Golgotha, a goldfinch flew at him, pulled a thorn out of Jesus' eyebrow, and blood poured on him.
- A goldfish symbolizing a soul that flies away after death: this designation comes from ancient paganism, but it is preserved in Christian semiotics.
“The apocryphal gospel of Thomas tells a slightly different story: Jesus revived the deceased triangle, just taking him in his arms, and therefore depicts this chick in many pictures with the baby.
Madonna Rafael Santi
But there is another, no less famous Madonna withas a baby Rafael Santi was the one who wrote it. Or rather, he has a lot of paintings with such a plot: this is the well-known Sistine Madonna, the Madonna Conestabile stored in the Hermitage, and the unusual Madonna with a Veil, which depicts not only the mother and the child Holy family
Directly picture called "Madonna withas a baby, Raphael wrote in 1503. The woman is more refined and undoubtedly more youthful than da Vinci. Obviously, the connection between mother and child is more pronounced. They look at each other with touching love and slight thoughtfulness, mother supports baby behind the back of his hand. This is not the alarming Virgo, which can be seen in the early paintings of the artist.
Together they read the Book of Hours, a symbolthe authority of the church - in which texts of prayers, psalms, church services are recorded (earlier, by the way, they learned to read through this book). According to some reports, the "Hour's Book" is open on the page that corresponds to nine o'clock, and this is the time when Jesus was crucified on the cross.
On the background is a smoky landscape with a church andtrees. By the way, this landscape can also be called a distinctive characteristic of the works of Santi on the theme of mother and child. In almost every painting by Raphael there is a fairly detailed landscape background.
It makes no sense to determine whose picture is better: da Vinci or Raphael. Madonna and child each of them looks original and unique.
Not only visual art was interested in the topic of mother and child, therefore it is worth considering the way it was reflected in other forms.
Madonna and Child in Sculpture
The attention of any connoisseur of art attracts the sculpture "Madonna and Child", the author of which is the famous master Michelangelo.
This masterpiece was intended by the customersis at a height of about nine meters, so viewers would look up to him like a deity. By the way, it is for this reason that the eyes of the mother and child are directed downwards.
There is evidence that Cardinal Piccolomini(the first customer) was unhappy with the sketches, primarily due to the fact that Jesus was naked, so their contract with Michelangelo was broken. A sculpture, of course, found its owner. They became de Mouscron - a merchant from the city of Bruges. He then transferred it to the Church of Our Lady, where it was placed in a dark niche, which contrasted beautifully with the marble-white color of the sculpture itself.
At the moment, in order to protect the work of art, the city authorities have placed it behind the bulletproof glass.
Madonna Doni by Michelangelo
Besides the fact that Michelangelo was a great sculptor, he was also a wonderful artist. Although he did not consider this to be an achievement, and he was not at all proud of his talent.
Images drawn by him amaze the viewerincredible plasticity, it seems that even when drawing he "sculpts" the figures, giving them volume. In addition, the picture depicts the entire Holy Family, which was rare for paintings of such a plan. Of course, in the full sense of the word, Michelangelo is a sculptor, not an artist. Madonna and Child, however, is just a masterpiece.
So let's summarize.If we talk about the most famous painting depicting the Virgin Mary, this is Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece Madonna and Child. If a person is interested in other forms of art, then the most vivid and memorable, of course, is the work of Michelangelo.
