Madonna and Child

Personal Reflection

Residing in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC, Madonna and Child by Italian painter Duccio di Buoninsegna is one of the most expensive pieces of art in the building. It's estimated they paid around $45 million for the painting, which is only about the size of a piece of printer paper. Why? Because it is one of the first depictions of child Christ touching his mother Mary instead of simply blessing her. Duccio explores a new level of intimacy by having Jesus touch her head scarf, making it a tender moment that aligns with the humanism school of thinking that began to emerge in this era. This piece is the middle ground between the Byzantine style and Renaissance style. There is also a parapet added in at the bottom of the painting, creating two spaces--a divide--in the piece, suggesting that viewers could step over it and join the pair. It leaves me wondering, to make these characters so human, does that remove their divine status?

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