North Carolina Museum Analysis

I went to the North Carolina Museum of Art on April 8th, a beautiful and sunny day. Being around the museum conjured a sense of nostalgia to my middle school days when I took a field trip to the museum. Since that last visit I have gained a better understanding about art and what goes into every piece of work. I have also gained more experience, back then I did not know how to shade properly and did not know a thing about composition. Now, I have a greater appreciation for every stroke of a brush and color applied. The reason I chose the North Carolina Museum of Art was solely to re-experience the art with my new artistic eye. While walking through the museum, I searched for that one piece of art that would catch my eye and inspire me to talk
What caught my eye first were Madonna’s and the angel’s gowns. They shined as if a light in front of the painting was making them shimmer. The coloring of the skin on all the subjects looked precise and the rosy tones on the cheeks and eyelids gave off a warm feeling, which added to the overall adoring nature of the painting. Standing back one would never notice the small intricate details Francia painted but up close they become apparent. Francia went as far as painting the creases and lines within the palm and fingers of the baby Christ giving the subject a sense of realness. Up close one can see the small embellishments on Madonna’s gown and cloak. Around the neck of the gown and edges of the cloak there is an intricate white pattern. The hair on the angels looks like each and every strand was painted separately. Francia even painted the light bouncing off the hair and the crease of the flower crown creates on the angel’s hair on the right. As was common in the time period, Madonna has a halo above her head painted in a bright gold to bring emphasis to it. The baby Christ also has a (what is perceived to be a) slight halo that represents his holiness along with his mother. Francia painted a transparent veil under Madonna’s clothes and even painted creases into the veil where it bunches on her chest, the talent apparent in the painting amazes
Francia uses contrast between the dark blue and green values of Madonna’s clothes and the light flesh tones of the skin. Movement is used as the eye begins at the halo and travels down slowly to Madonna taking in all the detail then glances at the two angels in the middle ground. The eye is meant to move slowly throughout this piece to find all the small details Francia painted. Francia puts emphasis on Madonna by putting a bright gold halo behind her head. He put emphasis on Madonna because she is incredibly important and holy. Putting blue values throughout the whole painting shows harmony. There is blue in Madonna’s clothes, the angel’s wings, and in the sky. By using blue throughout the whole painting it keeps the eye moving and gives the work a sense of