Madonna And The Carnation

he Madonna and the Carnation, or Madonna with Vase (1474), is an early oil painting completed by Leonardo Da Vinci. The painting shows a common Virgin and Child iconography, yet is completed with much more elaborate inclusion of detail. Mary is seated, and adorned in precious clothing, jewelry and hairstyle. The clothing is masterfully draped over Mary’s lap, and the intensity of the hue creates juxtaposition between the darkness and the shadowy elements of the background and the lightness that is used for the faces of Christ and Mary, which contributes to the disconnect throughout the image. The intricacies in Mary’s fashion, as well as the drapery, vase, and bouquet all depict the great skill of Leonardo in painting, but the combination and positioning of the elements in the plane of the painting creates an

There is also almost no emotion portrayed in the Virgin’s face, which solidifies the lack of emotional content within the painting. Also contributing to the lack of emotion content, the positioning of the bodies looks uncomfortable, in that Mary’s back is stiff and her arms seem tentative to connect with the child, and the Christ Child’s arms are awkwardly grasping for the carnation. The background of the painting is dramatized, and is rich and complex in its treatment of aerial perspective, showing at least 4 or 5 levels of depth in the mountain scene. The inclusion of all of theses elements intend to induce a sense of relief, three dimensionality, and a certain moment and energy into the typical iconography of the image, but there is a failure to induce the typical element of melancholy or sadness connected with Christ’s future fate, that is often included in a painting of Madonna and Child. What occurs instead is