I found this particular piece of art while researching the artist of one of my favorite paintings, Edvard Munch's The Scream. I loved his particular style and wanted to see further paintings of his. I found this particular piece on Wikipedia and it struck me deeply as soon as I saw it. This piece has been called Madonna and has also been known to Munch as Loving Woman. It is an oil on canvas measuring 90.5 x 70.5 cm, painted ca. 1894.
Edvard Munch was a Norweigan Expressionist, born December 12, 1863. His paintings were usually repainted by him multiple times. Munch usually painted limp figures with indistingushable faces. Some of his most famous works are: The Scream, Puberty, Death in the Sickroom (of his dying little sister), and Vampire. After looking at his other works of art, I got the feeling that this man had much turmoil and hurt in his life, but none of his paintings are really that erotic or sensual This painting left me wondering, why such a sexual portrayl of the supposed mother of Jesus Christ?
This painting has absolutely beautiful, round shape. This woman is enveloped by darkness, but with a light protruding from behind. She is completely nude to her pelvic region, with bright skin that contrasts the darkness that surrounds her. Her face is peaceful, enveloped in a stream of light and dark that flows around her. The focal point of this piece is the woman's face, she is expressionless, almost as if she is in rapture of some sort. She looks regal and even holy, as the name of the artwork would imply. Her arms are behind her, lost in the play of light and dark. She arches her back, as if suspended in mid-air. The long dark hair that flows down her chest and back is adorned by a kind of "halo" of crimson, which once again gives her the look of royalty and holiness.
This piece struck me as an extremely sexual and erotic interpretation of the Virgin Mary. Even with the discovery that Munch himself liked to refer to the painting also as Loving Woman, she still has a quality to her that makes her seem more than just a mere woman. In dealing with the Virgin Mary, some may find it difficult to understand why an artist, especially a man, would depict this holiest of holy figures as a sexual being. But, I believe, that was just the point. The Virgin Mary has always been seen as the epitome of piety and she has most importantly been seen as a virgin. But, Mary was a woman also. Munch does the impossible. He takes this holy figure and turns her into a sexual being without offending the open-minded. The sexualizing of the Virgin Mary makes her more real, more touchable, more human and definately more interesting.
In my humble opinion, this is one of the best works of art I have ever seen. I don't claim to be an expert, but I know many paintings and many artists. None have struck me as much as this piece. I feel that Munch's message for this artwork is: she was human, she was a woman and she was a sexual being. I think that this work could possibly have the biggest impact on the art world itself and probably people like me that get the chance to see it and appreciate it. Although I would love to think that it could change the minds of some religious zealots out there and lead to a change in some religious practices and beliefs, I know better. In running my own gallery, I believe the painting is worth upwards of $400,000 given the artist and his other famous works.
To my original question: Why such a sexual portrayal of the supposed mother of Jesus Christ? My answer is that she needed to be portrayed in a way that was completely different. People need to realize that she was a woman with feelings, hopes, fantasies and desires. She was a human being who became legendary, but who needs to be remembered also as the woman that she was. Holy or not, she is a great source of inspiration to a lot of people and deserves to have her experience told has a real woman and not just as the mother of the "savior."
- Link for more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madonna_%28Edvard_Munch%29
