Final Paper/Critical Review: Madonna and Child in a Landscape.
Mary and Jesus are essential figures in the Christian religion; they have also often been the subjects of artists worldwide. They have been depicted in almost every scene and at every stage of their life. There are many famous scenes, such as the Annunciation and the Pieta. They have been painted and sculpted. The Madonna and baby Jesus are easily the favorite of Renaissance painters. The works I have chosen to critic are of the Cranach, The Elder. These two pieces from artists of different areas of Europe, Cranach Madonna and Child in a Landscape, by two separate artists, Cima da Conegliano and from Germany and Conegliano form Venice. These paintings are very similar and different at the same time. Both of the works have been viewed all over the world and have storied histories. This paper will explore the artists" background, the medium and material used, the artists" styles, and the obvious content of the pieces. .
The styles of the artists I have chosen, were greatly influenced, and painted during the High Renaissance. The rationale of these early artists was based on the thought that the depiction beauty by itself was evil and that artists should attain a higher spiritual level that would emanate through the paintings and sculptures. These artists revolutionized painting by combining pigment with linseed oil, this enabled them to spend hours and even years on paintings and make wholesale changes. These artists also were commissioned by patrons who were devout to the Catholic Church. Artists who followed this ideal where considered to be different from everyone else and placed on a pedestal. Both Conegliano and Cranach, The Elder followed the styles of the northern Italian painters, such as Durer and Bellini. These artists made paintings that so much depth that they gained a three-dimensional appearance.