Dr.
Kyra Belán
Author, Artist, Mythologist
The author: Dr. Kyra Belán
200 full-color illustrations,
256 pages 9.45" x 12.6"
Hardcover with dustjacket
ISBN 1-85995-793-5
US $55.00 CAN $69.90 £34.95
During the Renaissance,
Italian painters would traditionally depict the wives of their
patrons as Madonnas. The Artists would often overstate the beauty
of their models, rendering them more beautiful than they actually
were.
The contemporary representation of the Mother of Christ, however,
tended to remain unchanged. Images expressive of joy at her son's
birth and the pain of grieving for her son do not differ greatly
from artist to artist. With the passing of time, Mary gradually
lost some of her spiritual characteristics and became more humane,
more accessible to human sentiments.
The path, Which led artists from portraying the sacred to the
profane, is discussed by the author: a study of women through
the changing image of the Virgin Mary, over the past two thousand
years, and which is still very evident today.
Great painters as well as lesser-known artists have all been inspired
by the image of the Madonna, whose look and attitude attract much
respect and adoration. This book, with 200 images, explores an
exciting new way of understanding representations of the most
frequently painted Christian female.
The image of the Madonna
has been embedded in the arts of the Western World for nearly
two thousand years. In all these Euro-centric cultures, she embodies
the purest form of unconditional love and is perceived as the
compassionate and forgiving nurturer of all Christian people.
The Madonna is also seen as the loving mother, and the protector
of all humanity. Her followers believe that only she can fully
understand human grief, passions and happiness; she forgives,
mediates, and consoles, and she is the connection between human
beings and their God. She has been venerated as the Queen of Heaven,
the Mother of All, and as the embodiment of compassion. She is
seen as selfless, humble, and caring, and represents the feminine
spirituality within Christianity. She is also known as the Virgin
Mary, Our Lady, the Queen of Heaven, and the Blessed Mother of
God.
For many centuries the Madonna has inspired thousands of artists
who labored innumerable hours creating her images using different
styles, materials, and techniques. This huge body of artwork,
a cultural legacy of major proportions, represents a social system
that still dominates the world. Art museums, galleries, palaces
and private collections are filled with her icons. Through the
centuries, images of the Virgin were created according to the
religious interpretations of beliefs, myths, iconography and symbolism
prevalent at the time. Today, Mary represents different things
to different people, yet her universal message of unconditional
love is accessible to all. The proof for contemporary Marian devotion
may lie in the frequent sightings of apparitions of the Madonna
all over the globe, and in her prominent presence on the internet.
The images of Mary are familiar to most people on this planet.
As centuries unfolded, and as the roles of women within society
were modified, diminished, or expanded, the role of the Madonna
was understood and interpreted in a new way. The dialogue about
Mary's divine nature, her dogma, her conventional and occult symbols,
and her origins continues among the theologians, the philosophers,
and the sociologists of the new millennium. Although modern artists
are no longer obligated to produce religious images, many, particularly
women, are often inspired by her traditional or expanding role.
To create their art, they often choose new forms of artistic expression.
Parkstone Press
Art Books 2001