The Madonna And Child Duccio Buoninsegna

Silvia Kim Ren. Art History Hetherington H Period
11/03/15 Trimester 1 Assignment Part 1

The Relationship between Secularism and Divinity The Madonna and Child (ca. 1290-1300, tempera and gold on wood) by Duccio Buoninsegna renders the Virgin Mary holding Christ in her left arm as her gaze strays away into the distance. Christ reaches up with his arm brushing aside the Virgin’s veil. Both figures’ heads are surrounded by halos surrounded by a gold background. The Virgin Mary wears a dark, rich blue robe lined with a gold rim while Christ is wearing a red robe. At the bottom of the painting is a parapet,
In the Madonna and Child (ca. late 1480s, oil on wood) by Giovanni Bellini, the Virgin Mary is portrayed with a vague gaze that is directed at the audience while wearing a red robe while a blue veil, brimmed with gold drapes around her body. Bellini depicts Christ as a nude figure with his gaze fixed upwards and his left hand on his chest with his right holding a fruit. Both subjects have halos surrounding their head. In the background, a red drapery is pulled aside to reveal a distant landscape. The landscape consists of clouds high up the in the sky with mountains right below the dawn sky. Bellini shows naturalism in his painting with his depiction of light, a dimensional background, and his naturalistic portrayal of his figures while Duccio’s only illustration of dimension, composition and content convey an unnaturalistic approach. By doing so, Bellini establishes a connection between the
The hands of the Virgin seem boneless and elongated. Her index finger stretches out and is far too unproportional. Duccio’s lack of shadowing and dimension results in the absence of natural attributes. In his representation of Jesus, the child’s unchildlike features question the age of Christ. His clothing and veil almost portrays him as a grown and mature figure. His much too defined nose bridge contradicts the usual rounded figure of a baby. Bellini, nevertheless, follows the idea of naturalism with his portrayal of the two subjects. Mary’s hands now appear with visible joints and creases to depict the human hand. He depicts the notion of light and shadow with darker and lighter colors. Christ, fully naked, reflects his infancy with his plump figure and nudity. Jesus’ nakedness emphasizes his purity and simplicity, establishing his childlike nature. His body is rather round with no harsh edges or lines and the outline of his body is filled with curves. The dichotomous aspect of the two artworks is by the unnaturalistic and naturalistic interpretations of the human