Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Paintings of mother Mary with Baby Jesus had always been popular in Renaissance
Italy. But before Leonardo, large altarpieces typically showed the Madonna and Child
seated formally on a throne, surrounded by saints, angels, elaborate architecture, and com-
plex symbolism. Leonardo reinvented the theme in intimate, small-scale works for private
worship. He deleted extraneous characters and focused on the heart of the story—a mother
and her child alone in a dark room, sharing a private moment.
Benois Madonna
(1475-1478)
:
Mary shows Jesus a flower. Jesus (with his Casper-the-
Friendly-Ghost-like head) inspects this wondrous thing with a curiosity and concentration
that's wise beyond his years. Mary practically giggles with delight. It's a tender, intim-
ate moment, but with a serious psychological undertow. The mustard flower—with four
petals—symbolizes the cross of Jesus' eventual Crucifixion. Jesus and Mary play with it
innocently, oblivious to the baby's tragic destiny.
This is one of Leonardo's earliest known works. In fact, it may be the first painting he
did after quitting the workshop of his teacher, Verrocchio, to strike out on his own. The
painting, which was often copied (including by Raphael), was revolutionary. The painstak-
ing detail astonished his contemporaries—the folds in Mary's clothes, Jesus' dimpled flesh,
the tiniest wisps of haloes, Mary's brooch. How did he do it? The secret was a new tech-
nological advance—oil-based paints. Unlike the more common tempera (egg-based) paint,
oils could be made nearly transparent. This allowed Leonardo to apply layer after layer to
make the subtlest transitions of color, mimicking real life.
