Madonna of the meadow

Painting : Madonna of the meadow

Date : 1505-1506

Artist : Raphael

Style : High Renaissance/ religious painting

The painting represents Mary, infant Jesus and infant John the Baptist. The 3 figures are painted to form a triangular

arrangement on the foreground. They are linked by their hands and gazes.

Mary is sitting with her right leg straight in diagonal, her feet barefoot. She is bending towards the children, looking down on

them, with her head slightly inclined. Her gaze is soft and maternal. She is wearing a royal-blue coat upon a blood-red dress,

both with gold embroidered borders. Her neck is naked with her golden hair arranged on top of her head and wearing a beige

fabric headdress. She supports Jesus with her hands, who is standing naked, with golden short straight hair. He is bending

towards and touching a cross held by John the Baptist. John the Baptist is bending his knee to the ground and is only wearing a

parma colored scarf around his upper body. His hair is also of gold color, but curly. We can perceive the golden aureoles on top

of the three figures, confirming their divinity status.

Right behind Mary, we can see two poppy flowers, another symbol of religion (Christ's passion, death and resurrection). In the

background is a meadow, occupying two-third of the painting. Even further is a lake and a city (Raphael was in Florence Italy by

that time, so the city depicted is likely to be it). The sky is light blue and cloudy. The main colors in the background are shades of

light brown and light blue.

The light is coming from the left-hand side of the painting, illuminating the 3 figures on the foreground. This is accentuated by the

very pale complexion of the three figures, the dark vegetation painted on the bottom of the painting and the shadows surrounding

Mary.

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