Mary 2

Caravaggio, "Rest on the flight to Egypt"

This is a large painting, 53 x 65 inches, and was a central painting of the Picturing Mary exhibit. The packed, busy, composition, and the slightly wonky perspective at the bottom--as if the painting is tipped up towards you--captures the frantic, unsettled feeling of flight in an otherwise placid scene. The right half of the painting has more space in it than the left, which draws the eye, as does Mary's red dress. An exhausted Mary and baby Jesus rest on the flight to egypt, framed by the angel and his wing on the left. They are touchingly real. I love Jesus' swaddling, and his little feet. 

The next thing that drew my eye was a mostly naked angel with black wings. I can't decide why all the black--wings and blanket. Perhaps having all white would be too bright for an otherwise muted color palette?  The angel is playing the violin for mother and child as they rest--God's reassurance that he is with them. Joseph, his face shadowed as it is turned away from the bright, raking light, is looking into the angel's face with an expression that might be resigned or tiredness . And again, the feet--Joseph looks like his feet are hurting him! 

Then I noticed the eye of the donkey--hidden as if he's in a where's waldo book--staring right at you. Usually this would be a way to include the viewer in the scene, but this time it felt like the donkey's hiddenness was to emphasize the privateness of the scene.