Rucellai Madonna

Duccio

Rucellai Madonna, 1285, Duccio
by REID GUEMMER

I'll admit, Renaissance art has never exactly appealed to me. I've never found solace in a painting which displays the classic values of the medium, despite the almost constant religious subject matter. I've admired the gold leaf press and the rich blues, but I have never felt anything but aesthetic pleasure from renaissance paintings.

Although, one thing I do admire about Renaissance art is the progressive mindset. The desire artists had to learn and evolve was well and alive.  Experimentation with the basic Greek and Roman styles led to the development of everything we consider art today. The most influential artists of the period were taught by one another. They all took bits and pieces of what they found admirable and worth experimenting with from each others work, using them to complete the beautiful masterpieces we can still see today. Although the result creates a common difficultly between art historians studying the period, and that is to differentiate the work of these artists.


Rucellai Madonna, for example, caused its fair amount of controversy between art historians. The question at hand: was the painting done by Duccio or his mentor Cimabue? Although art historian Franz Wickhoff later decided to compared Ruccellai Madonna to Duccio's most famous work, Maestà. He found that the two paintings shared many similarities and overlapped in technique, providing enough evidence for Duccio to reclaim his piece.


For me, Renaissance art is less about the individual but more about the progression of a era. Although Rucellai Madonna isn't Duccio's most famous piece, I feel it defines his stylistic evolution. It serves as a mile marker in his career, one that works as a compilation of all the characteristics he experimented with, all their prime.

I'm not sure I'll ever get over the creepy man babies constantly portrayed in Renaissance painting, but I can slowly feel myself warming up to style. Despite what it seems, Renaissance art is much more than just religious paintings. It functioned as a great turning point in style and the development of all that is today.
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Rucellai Madonna

Duccio

Duccio, Rucellai Madonna, 1285
Painted in 1285, Duccio di Buoninsegna’s famous work represents a significant departure from the Byzantine style that had previously dominated art. The most noticeable difference between Duccio’s work and those previous is the perspective. While the works of previous painters—and contemporaries such as Cimabue—presented the Madonna and Child looking directly at the viewer, the Rucellai Madonna presents them at an angle.

Duccio does not perfect the art of depth, but he makes an attempt, in itself unusual for its time. Duccio makes an attempt to shade the deep blue robe to represent shadow; the angels at the edge of the painting display his abilities here. Mary's robe’s naturally complex curves are beautifully done and much more intricate than the rigid form of days past demanded. Despite this, Duccio’s art in many ways represents a transition from one artistic style to the next. While he creates a much more life-like Madonna and child, the creepy boneless fingers and strange manhood of the baby remain. Madonna’s face fails to convey much meaning, greater expression appears in the reverent faces of the angels looking on from the sides.

These angels create upward movement in the painting by seeming to pull the throne up rather than hold it down, as does the pointed top and airy space above the throne. The throne itself bears bright hues and floral shapes lying behind a series of bars that support the structure. This differs greatly from other thrones of the day, such as those of Giotto or Cimabue, who painted much more solid structures. The small star visible on Mary’s shoulder comes from an alternate name for her, “Stella Maris,” or “Star of the Sea.” This name came about because Mary’s Hebrew name, Miriam, sounds similar to the Hebrew term for star of the sea.

Duccio’s work represents a major step in the progression of western art; additionally, it has value as a work in and of itself. The mother and child look forward, just as does Duccio.

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