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The painting is an image, as its title suggests, of the Virgin with the infant baby Jesus. This, of course, was a very common subject during the renaissance and for years before and after it. There are countless paintings of the Virgin and Child from that time period, probably because of the power and influence of the church at the time. People were much more involved in the church and, therefore, the subjects they painted or requested to be painted were typically religious themes. Many also felt that by commemorating such religious figures it might even help them gain a spot in heaven. In any case, in this particular version of the Virgin and Child there are also four angels in the scene - two who are flying above the Virgin holding a crown over her heard, and two who are sitting on either side of her playing instruments. Beyond her there is a large archway that opens into a landscape with a view of some grass and trees, some architecture, and some mountains in the far distance. The virgin is wearing a red garb and the baby Jesus is barely draped in some white cloth. That, of course, is a basic description at a quick glance. In examining the painting further, it becomes obvious that this is prime example of Renaissance painting. To begin with, the composition is completely balanced, almost symmetrical. The four angels are placed evenly around the Virgin, with two on each side. On one side an angel plays a harp and is balanced by an angel on the other side, strumming some type of guitar. The two flying above Mary are basically in the same position. Even the church in the background seems to be matched with a mountain in the distance. The columns and archway that border the painting are, in fact, completely symmetrical. And the Virgin and Child are in the center. It is, again, a beautifully balanced composition, typical of the Renaissance. The composition is also completely filled, but not overcrowded. Even with the flying angels, the painting appears rational; all the figures appear to be based on real- life scale. There are no huge exaggerations. A peaceful, calming feeling is portrayed - The space, too, shows signs that this painting is from the Renaissance. There is clearly a recession in space, although it is seen mostly in the landscape beyond the main subject. But even in the foreground, the use of diagonals to create architectural perspective on the columns and on the tiled floor gives the feeling of looking back into space. Again, that becomes fully obvious when looking at the landscape beyond. Arial perspective is used very well to make the mountains in the far distance appear quite a bit hazier than the church that is supposed to be a little closer to the viewer, and that is even slightly hazier than the brick wall, shrubs, and trees that are right outside of that archway. David also makes the objects that are meant to be closer much larger. That mountain, of course, would be massive. But, because of the perspective he uses, it appears to be only about the size of the top of the church. Additionally, almost all of the figures in the painting lead the viewer's eye right to the baby Jesus. Each of the angels, except the one playing the guitar, are looking directly at him so that when the viewer looks at them, they immediately look over to Jesus. Even Mary, who is also the subject of the composition, is looking down at the baby. Renaissance paintings often used tricks like that to draw the viewer's eye to the main subject, which was usually Jesus. The lighting seems to be mostly unified, though some aspects of the lighting seem to be a bit more dramatic than would be typical of the Renaissance. There are some very dark areas placed against some areas of great light. For example, the brightly illuminated white of the flying angel's garb is placed against the dark shadow of the area along the sides, near the columns. Even the way Mary's dress is shaded shows a fairly dramatic contrast of light against dark or chiaroscuro. Some aspects of the lighting seem a little more like Baroque painting than Renaissance, although, overall, the lighting is even and unified. The lighting of course, helps to create that beautiful modeling, which is especially seen in Mary's hands and in the legs, body, and face of Jesus. All of the figures are modeled with great three dimensionality. They appear very realistic and human. Adding to that human effect is the use of line, or the non-use of it. Strong use of outline generally makes a painting look very flat - not real. These figures are painted without very much of an outline. Instead, the shadows, lighting and color create the shapes, which is very much like what is seen in real life. Speaking of color, characteristic of the Renaissance, David uses rich and vibrant colors - mostly the reds and the golds seem to stand out. Obviously, Mary's dress is an example of that deep, rich red. But that color can be seen along the columns on the side of the painting as well. In fact, much like the composition, the color is very balanced and spread evenly throughout. Besides the reds, there are the golds of the crown above Mary's head, which can also be seen on the wings of both of the angels holding it. Then again, that goldish hugh is seen in the instruments that then angels on both sides of Mary are playing. Blues and greens are used in a balanced manner throughout as well. On one side, the angel playing the harp is dressed in a light blue that is similar to the blue of the sky. The other angel is dressed in green, like the greens used in the trees and grass of the landscape beyond. The way these colors are painted, too, is very much in the style of the Renaissance. There is no visible brushstroke whatsoever. The entire painting is smooth, almost as if it wasn't really painted. This, too, adds to the realistic effect of the painting. The influence of the Italian Renaissance can clearly be seen in this painting by Gerard David. The composition is balanced; illusionism through perspective creates a recession in space; detailed modeling and shading make the painting appear realistic and human; vibrant colors are spread throughout; and a smooth, brushless texture adds to that realistic appearance. This work demonstrates the beauty and detail that was brought to Bibliography: Word Count: 1171
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