Artwork Page for The Holy Family with Mary Magdalen

Details / Information for The Holy Family with Mary Magdalen

The Holy Family with Mary Magdalen

c. 1590–95
(Spanish, 1541–1614)
Culture
Spain
Measurements
Framed: 160 x 131 x 7.5 cm (63 x 51 9/16 x 2 15/16 in.); Unframed: 130 x 100 cm (51 3/16 x 39 3/8 in.)
Public Domain
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The nearly levitating body of the Christ child further emphasizes the ethereal setting of the Holy Family.

Description

The seemingly weightless figures, the startling color combinations, and the moody, imprecise setting all show El Greco’s interest in conveying the intense spirituality of these figures rather than their concrete reality. Above all, the painting addresses Mary’s role as mediator between Christ and the viewer. She supports her son, but her faraway look indicates awareness of his fate. Mary feeds Jesus fruit held by Joseph that is full of symbolic meaning, with the apple representing the fall of man; cherries, the blood of Christ; peaches, salvation; and pears, the sweetness of Christ’s virtue.
A vertically oriented oil painting depicts the Virgin Mary holding baby Christ and flanked by a man and woman, all with light skin tones and elongated bodies. The man on our left holds out a bowl of fruit to Christ, a yellow fruit passing between the hands of Mary and Christ as they both gaze to our left. All wear flowing garments in muted blue, pink, yellow, and orange in front of a sky swirling with gray clouds.

The Holy Family with Mary Magdalen

c. 1590–95

El Greco

(Spanish, 1541–1614)
Spain

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