Saint Mary Magdalene Renouncing the Worldly Life (Primary Title)
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, Spanish, 1618 - 1682 (Artist)
Mary Magdalene was an important saint of the Counter Reformation, the Catholic reaction to Protestantism that reached its high-point in the 17th century. Here, Murillo’s treatment of the sacrament of penance is consistent with Catholic doctrine, which upheld the Magdalene as a model of conversion and love. Murillo spent most of his career in Seville, where he was influenced by the Italian master Michelangelo Merisi de Caravaggio through the example of the Spanish painter Francisco de Zurbarán. All three artists emphasized monumental single figures against plain backgrounds with sharp contrasts of light and dark. The overt emotion expressed by the figure is typical of Counter-Reformation artists who wished the messages of their works to be easily understood by a wide audience.
"Murillo in America," Kimbell Art Museum, March 10 - June 16, 2002; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, July 14 - October 6, 2002.
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