Comparing Michelangelo's Madonna And Children

In the early 16th century, Leonardo and Michelangelo composed two religious iconographic images, similar in composition, but different in content. The first image is Leonardo’s Madonna and Child with St. Anne (168 x 112 cm) in the Louvre, created around 1508. This is an oil painting on wood support. The second is Michelangelo’s Holy Family, or Doni Tondo, (120 cm diameter) located in the Uffizi, and created in Florence circa 1504. This is a circular image in an elaborate frame, painted in oil and tempera on panel. Leonardo’s Madonna and Child with St. Anne was commissioned as an altarpiece for the Church of Santissima Annunziata in Florence and the Doni Tondo was likely commissioned by Agnolo Doni as a commemoration of his marriage to Maddalena Strozzi. Though not sharing any aspects in historical or physical creation other than their dates, these two images have a similar composition. The basic composition of these paintings is triangular in nature, and Mary is the
Anne depicts the Virgin Mary reaching forward to grab the Christ-child while the child is also reaching toward the lamb. The Virgin is depicted seated upon the lap of St. Anne. Due to the implied movement in the image, the triangular structure is loose and only held together due to the unnatural size of St. Anne, which is needed in order to accommodate a full-grown woman. There is a direct eye contact between Mary and the Child, with the lamb also directly looking at Mary, while St. Anne’s gaze is set upon the entire interaction. The way the composition unfolds creates a mothering and loving environment that is complemented by the stylistic components of the painting. The use of sfumato is a method in which the artist softens the outlines of figures and mutes the colors, and is one of Leonardo’s breakthrough methods. This fog-like component adds a more gentle aspect to the facial expressions and the environment that promotes unity and subtleness within the