Madonna and Saints Adoring the Child, Perugino (1445/50-1523)
Perugino, the teacher of Raphael, is celebrated for his paintings of the Virgin. This detail from a small devotional panel now in the Pierpont Morgan Library in New York evokes a mood of gentle contemplation. The two saints kneeling on either side of the Virgin reinforce the atmosphere of prayer. Nothing in the scene distracts them (or the viewer) from the focus of the figures’ devotion, which of course we must imagine. Perugino swathes his figures in garments whose weight and gently falling folds convey a vivid physical presence. A soft atmospheric light binds the foreground figures to the landscape in the distance and persuades us visually of a deeper unity which unites us with the Virgin and Saints before us. What hopes and what fears do we, like them, bring to the Christ child? Of course, because here we see only a detail of the larger painting, we must rely on our imagination to complete the scene. Sometimes even a partial glimpse of the sacred can be enough to nurture us on our journey.
Art Guide Resource
The 2013 Art Guide has been compiled by Claire Renkin, well-known Art Historian and Lecturer at Yarra Theological Union and narrated by Margaret Coffey. Margaret has a background in historical research, journalism, education and broadcasting including at the ABC. Artworks featured © Bridgeman Images.
Related Links
- VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: Download the 2013 Art Guide (PDF) Resource
- Watch/Listen to the complete 2013 Art Guide
