Art
The subject matter of Maddona and Child was a very popular one for artists of the The subject matter of Maddona and Child was a very popular one for artists of the
sixteenth century. Rapahel, and Giovanni Bellini both painted numerous versions of the
Maddona and Child. While both of the artists viewed the subject as a religious and highly
emotional expression, their portrayal of many other aspects differed greatly. While
Raphael portrayed what seems to be a loving, warm relationship between mother and
child, a lifelike Christ child, and serenity within his paintings, Bellini portrayed a
relationship that seems distant relationship between mother and child, a deathlike image
of the Christ child and a sense of depression and uneasiness within his works.
Differences between the views of the artists on the portrayal of Maddona and Child can
clearly be seen through the artists' use of colour, backgrounds in which the figures are
placed, the poses of the figures and their relationships to one another. These can all be
seen in many of the works by Bellini and Raphael, specifically, "The Small Cowper
Madonna", and "Maddona Del Granduca" by Raphael and "Greek Madonna" and
"Madonna of the Meadow" by Bellini. The subject of Maddona and Child is one that is
highly emotional. Raphael and Bellini portray the Virgin and Child in two very different
emotional states. Raphael, in his paintings, "The Small Cowper Madonna" and "Madonna
Del Granduca", illustrates a very intense feeling of love between the Virgin and Child
and a feeling of content with the love that the mother and child share. In both The Small
Cowper Madonna and Madonna Del Granduca, the Virgin is looking at her son with an
expression that seems very tranquil. She is almost smiling yet at the same time praying,
in The Small Cowper Madonna. She seems to be totally engrossed with her...
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