Artwork of the day

The Madonna of the Pinks ('La Madonna dei Garofani'), Raphael, 1506-1507 oil on yew, National Gallery, London

Among the most famous painters of the Italian Renaissance, Raphael was born exactly 528 years ago on 6th April 1483 and also died on a 6th of April in 1520. 

This small painting deals with a subject with which the artist was very familiar: the Virgin Mary with the infant Jesus. The painting has been famous since the time of its creation. Various copies have been made and in the 19th and most of the 20th century it was questioned whether this was the original. Close visual examination revealed that this is actually a work by Raphael himself.

Mother and child are represented seated interacting with each other, showing emotions that would occur between a young mother and her baby and forming a very realistic and tender scene. They hold pinks, a symbol of marriage. The Virgin Mary is therefore not only the mother but also the bride of Christ.

Picture from:

http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/raphael-the-madonna-of-the-pinks-la-madonna-dei-garofani

The Adoration of the Magi, Leonardo Da Vinci, 1481-1482, yellow ochre and brown ink on panel, Uffizi, Florence

Although never completed by Leonardo, it is one of the most famous paintings related with nativity and a very good way to send seasonal greetings!

Artwork of the day

David, Michelangelo, 1501-1504, Academia Gallery, Florence

Seen in the turbulent context of the first years of the 16^th century in Florence, David –a statue that is still considered one of Michelangelo’s greatest works- is better understood. A magnificent colossal statue, made from Carrara marble, the artist's favourite material, David was made to impress and to show the magnificence of the city of Florence, as seen by a proud Florentine. David is in reality a symbol of the “courage” and “strength” of a city that had just come out of Savonarola’s theocratic regime and the turmoil that followed his fall and execution. At the same time, David exhibits the artistic ideologies of the Renaissance, of which Michelangelo was one of the primary exponents. The Classical influences in terms of the representation of the male nude, the posture, proportions and idealised male beauty are clear. The theme –David, a biblical hero, instead of an ancient Greek god- has been Christianized and for Michelangelo’s contemporaries this combination achieved the unthinkable: it surpassed the ancient prototypes.

Michelangelo, Pietà, c. 1499, marble, St. Peter’s, Vatican

In connection to this week's Art history book, today's artwork is created by Michelangelo. It is his famous
Pietà. 
It is one of the first great works of the artists and was created in 1499 for the tomb of the French cardinal Jean de Bilhères. It is made from Carrara marble, known for its pure white colour, which Michelangelo prefered for most of his sculptures. The idealised characteristics of a very young Madonna have been widely discussed, while the work is being admired both for its beauty and its technique.

Artwork of the day

Botticelli - Primavera, c 1482, Uffici Gallery, Florence, Italy


The painting with the many interpretations is Botticelli's most famous work (along with the Birth of Venus). A series of scholars have presented different –and often conflicting- interpretations of what it actually represents, for whom it was created, where it was placed and even when it was made.
What is generally agreed is that this is a secular painting based on ancient classical mythology. The most widely accepted view suggests that the central figure depicts Venus in her garden having to her right the Three Graces and Mercury and to her left the scene of the raping of Chloris by Zephyrus and the transformation of Chloris to Flora. Above Venus’s head stands her son, Cupid.