Raphael's Madonna of the Meadows (84) and Leonardo da Vinci's The Virgin and St. Anne (87)
The two paintings under consideration both explore religious themes. They emerged out the same cultural context. Rafael and da Vinci were contemporaries and are both prominent artists of the Italian Renaissance. Their exploration of New Testament themes is typical of the period, as the Catholic Church commissioned a great number of artworks in the fifteenth and sixteenth century to embellish churches or other buildings associated with the church.
Raphael's painting depicts Mary and the infants Jesus and John the Baptist. Da Vinci's charcoal drawing also depicts Mary with the infants Jesus and John the Baptist but in addition also shows St. Anne. Raphael chose to compose the picture in a way that the bodies of Mary, Jesus and John the Baptist suggest a triangular shape. Da Vinci's drawing on the other hand is dominated by round shapes, such as the faces, cheeks, and shoulders of the persons depicted. Raphael's painting has strong contrasts between the different elements in the painting. Mary's body, for example, is in strong contrast to the bright sky in the background. Da Vinci's charcoal on the other hand shows rather low contrast, as contours, light and shade are partially blurry. The color in both artworks also differs significantly, as Raphael's painting has bright and crisp colors, particularly blues and reds. Da Vinci's charcoal drawing is dominated by browns, blacks, and neutrals.
Note: Addressed in this paper are the following aspects: shapes, theme, cultural context, color, and contrast.
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