Vanni The Holy Family With The Infant St. John

The Holy Family with the Infant St. John and St. Elizabeth is an oil painting that was created by Giovanni Battista Vanni in 1650. Giovanni Battista Vanni was an Italian painter and engraver of the Baroque period. The artwork depicts the baby Jesus alongside Madonna, with John the Baptist, Elizabeth, and a male figure who is believed to be Joseph.
Giovanni Battista Vanni uses light to draw attention to the center foreground of his work, illuminating the Christ child, the Madonna, and John the Baptist. Nearing the entirety of the Christ child’s body is covered in this heavenly form of light, all except for a part of his stomach where his arm is reaching across his torso towards John the Baptist. Meanwhile, most of the light received by Saint John the Baptist is found on his left arm, which he has held up, holding a cross which could be symbolizing Christ’s future atonement. On the Madonna figure, we see most of the light that she receives along her shoulder and collarbone area, along with her hands and face. It appears as if the light is coming from the right side of the figures due to the placement of the shadows on the underarms and faces of the figures.
By illuminating the Christ child with light, we are given a sense of depth due to the shadows shown on the underside of his arms and legs. In addition, the left side of his face is slightly shadowed, allowing the viewer to see the angle at which his face is presented. We also are presented with the use of light as a tool in recognizing volume and depth by the shadows on all of the figures in the painting, alongside the inanimate objects. Giovanni Battista Vanni used a vast amount of drapery in his work, and the visible folds in the drapery on Saint John the Baptist, Mary, and the two figures behind the Christ child and Mary help to add a sense of volume and depth into the artwork through their curves and