In this artwork, how is the Analysis discussed?
One of this painting's defining features is the Madonna. She is the focus of the painting. She has a protective arm around Christ as he looks up at her while standing on one of her feet, showing a sense of dependency and childlike trust. On the other side kneels John the Baptist holding one of the two religious symbols seen in the work. Raphael diverged from the previous practice of placing multiple religious symbols in a piece. Instead he combines religious iconography and beautiful landscapes to show both humanism and the teaching of the Catholic Church. The other religious symbol seen is the faint halos that disappeared as artists entered the High Renaissance. The book that the Madonna is holding is believed to contain the foretelling of Christ's death. The way Raphael composed the painting creates a sense of intimacy between Mary and Christ, with John the Baptist as witness. The positions of Mary and Christ, and to a lesser extent John the Baptist, serve as a prefiguration of the Passion and eventual death of Christ. The book Mary hold tells of these eventual events.
Raphael Mary High Renaissance John the Baptist Christ painting