HOW TO UNDERSTAND A WORK OF ART

The image of the Madonna has constantly been changing...

One of the subjects that artists had continuesly been exploring for many centuries was the image of the Madonna with the Infant Jesus. Although the subject remained the same each epoch presented it differently and various artists tried to interpret it in other ways. We will present you two completely different paintings, both of the above discussed theme. The first one (illustration 12) dates from the XIIth century - it is an icon. The Madonna is nowadays still presented in a similar way in the Eastern Orthodox tradition. We mean by this the unity of Byzantine style, as in the West starting from the XIIth century the image of the Madonna was constantly developing. The first picture originates from the period when people were influenced by religion. They believed that life on Earth is proceeded by life after death - eternal life. The second picture (illustration 13) was painted approximately 300 years later, during the Renaissance period. It is one of the early works of Leonardo da Vinci and was later used as a model by Rafael, who also was a Renaissance artist, the creator of many paintings with the Madonna. During the period of Renaissance humans began to feel free, liberated from the rigour that was forced upon them by religion. They attempted to get to know the world that surrounded them, understand it better and enjoy living in it.
	12. Vladimir`s early XIIth century	13. LEONARDO DA VINCI The Benois Madonna 1475 - 78
Due to the fact that the spiritual values of these two epochs were different so was the form of the pieces of art. The first painting is about human submissiveness towards God. The background of the painting is of a golden colour and the Madonna is pictured wearing rigid, dignified garments. She is motionless, majestic, inaccessible, full of spiritual mysticism. In the second painting the Madonna is playing unconcerned with the Infant Jesus, which is shown as if she was an ordinary mother with her child. The scene is cheerful. Mary's clothing is soft, the Child is naked. The background is no longer golden, it shows a fragment of a laic room (landscapes were also often used as a background) - a fragment of a world whose secrets were well known to a Renaissance man.