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Madonna and Child with Young Saint John the Baptist - Fra Bartolomeo

Born in 1472, Fra Bartolomeo (also Bartolommeo) was an Italian Renaissance painter of primarily religious subjects. Born in Savignano di Prato, Tuscany, Bartolomeo's technique and style were innovative, influencing other great painters as much as great painters had influenced Bartolomeo. Bartolomeo's "Madonna and Child with the Young Saint John the Baptist" was not only an influence on Rafael but also shows the influence of Netherlandish painters on Bartolomeo. This analysis will discuss various formal aspects and elements of Bartolomeo's "Madonna and Child," including how these elements help reinforce the meaning and message of the work.

One of the most striking elements of "Madonna and Child" is Bartolomeo's use of paint and medium. The painting is a combination of oil paint and gold on wood (Bartolomeo 1). The colors are rich in texture, including the red top and green wrap on the lap of the Madonna. To highlight these and add texture, Bartolomeo has tinged the creases of the folds with gold, as well as trimming the Madonna's cuffs and neckline in gold. Gold is also used to add shimmer and sheen for light in the window scenes of outdoors behind the subjects. It also provides an ethereal light to the halo that surrounds the Madonna. In this way, the paint and materials used by Bartolomeo have a striking impact on the formal elements of color and light. This halo-like aura and ethereal lighting and color reinforce the theme that these are Holy subjects. The use of light shows influence on Bartolomeo of other artists. As one Metropolitan Museum of Art critic notes, "The treatment of light reveals a careful study of the work of Piero di Cosimo" (Bartolomeo 1). The value contrasts also make the subjects more distinct, with the richly colored Madonna in sharp contrast to the nearly white child in her arms.

Bartolomeo's work influenced great artists like Rafael, but "Madonna and Child" shows th...

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Madonna and Child with Young Saint John the Baptist - Fra Bartolomeo. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 06:24, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/2001083.html