I wonder if Raphael’s Madonnas may bring about a therapeutic effect. I am not talking about religious sympathy that some will undoubtedly experience; it’s the pure psychological influence of calm and nervous relaxation that comes to mind. As mentioned in this Wikipedia article, art is known to provoke extremely powerful emotional responses. Could it be that Raphael transferred by his work the whole notion of art it as a catalyst of intense, even shocking psychic experiences to the contrary realm of soothing comfort? Had he found a new communication channel, which works on mental frequencies below the average, as to counter the hyper sensational waves that oscillate above? In the light of general recognition and admiration of the artist’s achievements, as well as the personal opinion of yours truly, these questions arise only as rhetorical, and the answer would surely be affirmative.
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Another masterpiece, which I have had the privilege to examine closely in the Rijkmuseum, Amsterdam. A brief historic review is available on Wikipedia and Britannica also offers a great and free article on the artist and this painting. A must read.
Any review and interpretation would inevitably be trimmed, because so is the piece in its current condition. Still, we can discuss what is at hand as if it were a complete work of art. The most salient compositional feature of this group portrait is the clustering: in what appears to be Rembrandt’s trademark device, the crowd is divided into several groups, each with its own distinct dynamic. Additionally, the groups relate to each other to create a complex and truly grand composition. Each smaller congregation may be viewed as a miniature separate painting that conceptually echoes the overall design, a local person representing a group and the local central figure the lavishly illumined captain, around whom the groups gather. Such symmetry makes particular sense in the militant context of the scene, reflecting the notion of the chain of command.
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This painting is difficult to approach for its sheer complexity: both a group portrait and a theatrical scene cohere into a pictorial narrative of visual, scientific and historic significance. Wikipedia offers engaging insight on this painting, as well as on Dr. Tulp, a very well known persona of the time. In fact, probably every person on this piece could be traced historically, a circumstance that contributes immediacy and panache to the canvas. It also redefines the painting as a document, adding a somewhat banal value of the bureaucratic kind, though today we examine even that detail through the screen of aesthetic and historic concern. If we ignore all of the information that links this piece with contemporary reality, the deep symbolism arising from the depicted close encounter with death will surface as the primary theme, which is the primary concern of this review.
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The woman’s face becomes an emotive center point: the slightly risen brow discloses surprise, the faint blush on her cheek reveals a measure of pleasure from being noticed by the king, the downcast eyes express humility and inevitable doom. When combined, these emotions synthesize into a sense of fate, along with recognition and acceptance of it. Bathsheba’s absent-minded gaze points towards the slave as if in an envy of the servant’s plain and uncomplicated position — the opposite of the mistress’. The rest of lady’s body enacts mentioned feelings. Her left hand (which seems disproportionately large) grabs the blanket in an unsure motion, which both repels and summons the future. The other hand, holding the letter, rests weak-willed on the right thigh. Rembrandt often used written messages as plot propelling tools, and this painting exemplifies how the letter triggers the conflict mirrored on Bathsheba’s face.
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