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GEORGES DE LA TOUR
"THE PENITENT MAGDALEN"
Circa 1640-44; oil on canvas; 133.5 x 102 cm (52'A x 40 in);
Metropolitan Museum, New York.
The artist painted four different versions of this subject,
which lent itself to an exploration of the "nocturne"', or night
scene -the scene is set in an enclosed, candlelit interior. The
style of the work is clearly in the
Caravaggist tradition. The
theme of the penitent Magdalen, still in her prime and shown
contemplating the worldly goods and vanities that she rejects,
occurs frequently in 17th-century European Catholic art, from
Guido Reni to
Artemisia Gentileschi (c.1596—1652). The figure is
seated, her legs almost in silhouette, while the upper part of
her body is better lit. Her face is turned away. shown almost
entirely in profile, and her hands are clasped on a skull
resting on her lap. Nearby, a small mirror with an elaborate
frame stands on a table: in front, there is a lighted candle.
Jewels lie scattered on the table and on the floor.
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The composition is unusual yet simple, dominated by the
still solid figure of the Magdalen. A series of three irregular
trapeziums can he seen in the form of her figure as a whole,
apart of her arm in the foreground, and her underskirt. In the
upper area of deepest shadow, the mirror is outlined by its
elaborate gilded frame, broken only by the shape of the
candle and its reflection, which almost bisects it. The rounded forms
of the head and skull are echoed in the curves seen in the more
strongly lit areas of the figure.
The austerity of the compostion helps focus attention on
the essentials. The artist draws attention to significant
details, emphasizing the curtain and floor against the dark
areas to balance the pictorial structure. The major effects are
created by the strong contrasts of light and shade, and the
whole work is based on this type of dialogue of opposites - not
only in pictorial terms. Dazzled by the violent red and yellow
light in the obscurity of her room, the Magdalen holds the
skull, a symbol of the vanity of worldly wealth, and gazes at
the source of illumination. In a typically Baroque image, she
contemplates both the true light of the candle and its reflected
light in the mirror.
Warm tones suffuse the seated woman's head, shoulders, and
face. The ivory hues of her open Mouse and skin contrast
with the bright red of the undergarment. A skilful and
meticulous application of tone on tone conjures up the
shadows that fall between the fabric and the skin, and in
the folds and pleats of the fabric. The variety of shades
within an apparent uniformity of colours reveals tremendous virtuosity. The handling of the
long, glossy hair with its smooth and sinuous line, shows the
same mastery and intensity, and illustrates the quality of the
painting.
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The Penitent Magdalen
1638-43
Oil on canvas, 133,4 x 102,2 cm
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
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Light barely penetrates the lower part of
this scene, in contrast to the more dramatic lighting of the
upper half. 'The dully gleaming jewels are barely
discernible on the floor. La Tour's subtlety and delicacy
shine through the darkness, typifying an artistic culture
that did not hesitate to express itself in a complex and
ambiguous manner. His skilful lighting effects reveal a debt
to C.'aravaggio, whose style La Tour may
have learned from artists such as Honthorst.
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 The Penitent Magdalen (detail) |
Without seeing the Magdalen's eyes, it is not clear if she is
looking at the flame or its reflection. The candle is burning
down and the flame will soon go out. It is a real flame with
light and warmth, whereas the reflection is an illusion in the
blackness of the rectangle. Nothing else is reflected as the
candle burns away, suggesting the passage of time.
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_____________________
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Magdalen with the Smoking Flame
1640
Oil on canvas, 117 x 91,8 cm
County Museum of Art, Los Angeles
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Light and darkness
Georges de la Tour (1593-1652) did not exactly choose "mean
subjects," but he painted with a light-and-shade duality that
relates to the Caravaggesque tradition, and he did so in a manner
that verges on the simplistic. His forms are sparse, his design
bare. He was a provincial painter, and his unusual freedom from
accustomed conventions might well have seemed inadequate or "mean"
to a classicist. The Repentant Magdalen concentrates
with semibrutal fierceness on the legendary period that the Magdalen,
who had been a sinner, spent in lamenting her past. But it seems
rather to be the picture of abstract thought. The Magdalen is shown
as lost in profound musing, her hand caressing the skull, a "vanitas"
motif, which is repeated in its mirrored reflection. The candle -
the only source of light - is masked by the dome of bare bone, and
the Magdalen does not so much repent as muse. With great daring, the
major part of the picture is more darkness, with the young woman
looming up out of the shadow like a second Lazarus. It is a work
hard to forget, yet its power is difficult to explain.
Vulgar? Or
spiritually intense?
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 The Repentant Magdalen
1635
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 The Repentant Magdalen
(detail)
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LA TOUR'S CANDLELIT INTERIORS
Working in Lorraine, Georges de La Tour developed his own very
distinctive interpretation of Caravaggism. He was influenced by the
work of the Dutch painters Gerrit Honthorst (1590-1656) and
Hendrick
Terbrugghen (1588-1629), and it is possible that he spent time in
Rome in about 1616. His strict sense of composition and effective
handling of indirect light combine to create a reflective atmosphere
that is imbued with a sense of inner life. Candlelit scenes are
particularly associated with the artist - his first known work. The
Payment of Dues (c.1615) shows a candlelit interior with figures
crowded around a ledger. In The Flea Catcher, he portrays a
solitary figure, creating a powerful sense of intimacy and
demonstrating his trademark mastery of light and shade.
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Woman Catching Fleas
1630s
Oil on canvas
Musee Historique, Nancy
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 Woman Catching Fleas (detail)
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 Woman Catching Fleas
(detail) |
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