This is a name that most of the Western world, or those with access to Western media are fairly familiar with. Whether she is known as a prostitute, or as Jesus' most favored follower, Mary is one of the Bible's most interesting characters. I first heard about Mary of Magdala when I read the Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. It was a story that intrigued me and Mary definitely piqued my interest. So, while walking around the LA County Museum of Art, when I first saw a Baroque painting of Mary, it made me stop in my tracks. My first reaction was awe, at the use of candlelight in the painting and the sharp contrast that it creates. Then came the title, and the curiosity it invoked. Mary sits gazing into the flame of a smoking lamp, with one hand under her chin, and the other resting lightly on a skull in her lap. .
On the table with the lamp sit some books, a wooden cross, and a bloody scourge. The sooty flame gives out identical trails of smoke and is the only source of illumination in the painting. The result is a fantastically intense painting that invites you in to gaze in the flame with Mary.
Georges de La Tour is one of the most important exponents of the French Baroque, and is famous for painting mostly religious chiaroscuro scenes lit by candlelight. Although Georges de La Tour spent his entire artistic career in provincial France, far from cosmopolitan centers and artistic influences, he developed a poignant style as profound as the most illustrious painters of his day. In his lifetime his work appeared in the prominent royal collections of Europe. His religious paintings done in this manner have a monumental simplicity and a stillness that expresses both contemplative quiet and wonder. De la Tour's patrons and clients were usually from the wealthier classes and in 1639, he was appointed to the position of "Peintre du Roi," or the painter of the king.
The most striking art element in this painting is the chiaroscuro, with brilliant use of light and shadow to create a realistic image for us.