It was done by Leonardo Da Vinci between 1469 and 1471. The painting features a young woman with a naked baby standing on her laps.
The young lady is believed to be Virgin Mary and the infant is baby Jesus. She is clad in precious but simple clothes carrying the child in an awkward posture.
Leonardo’s massive artistic gift is openly displayed in this particular picture. He lightens the face and hands of the young mother and that of the child, while the other parts are presented dark. This is outlined by a shaded background.
The woman is carrying pomegranate, a symbol of fertility. Leonardo wants to show his audience that the light displays hope for humanity as Christ is born through some awkward circumstances.
Biblically, Jesus was born in a manger, and this believed to be really humble. Leonardo wanted to show his audience that in spite of a simple birth, the future is very different.
The young mother is the mother of hope and she is equally important as displayed by the pomegranate. What’s also conspicuous about the portrait is the glancing nature of the two. The baby appears to be looking up while the mother is facing down.
However, it is not clear what Da Vinci intended here as there is no clear eye contact between the two. Some Critics argue that it is because the two characters had different missions.
In this case, the mission of the mother was to bring the young baby into the world and after that, the job was done and the two had to follow their different paths. To Mary, her life was to continue like any normal mother or wife. Jesus, on the other hand, had a purpose to save humanity.
The infant is naked as expected with all infants, especially if they are newborn but this particular child appears to be a few days older and we expect him to be clothed. Some critics will argue that this is a symbol of simplicity, and Christ was born humbly.
He appears to be standing firmly on her mother's laps holding grains directed to the mother. Nevertheless, the mother looks back at him with an unfamiliar look as opposed to the normal cheerful look that mothers show to their infants. Here Leonardo is displaying a symbolic message of the boy’s eminent tragic fate. The mother can’t comprehend the sadness and she is troubled as indicated by her expression.
The painting is the only portrait by Leonardo that is permanently displayed in most galleries in Germany. Major characteristics of the portrait include: the original image measures 15.7cm by 12.8cm, the technique employed in the original design is oil painting style amd the artwork is also available in most National Galleries in the US, especially in Washington, DC.
The Dreyfus Madonna painting displays the artistic qualities possessed by Leonardo da Vinci. The painting is an expression of quality skills by the artist and Biblical relevance.
His presentation of the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus standing on her laps is Biblically suggestive and applicable in the modern Christian society. There is so much spiritual connection that one can derive from this portrait. It is a masterpiece and worth years of artistic reflection and celebration.
