Georges de La Tour (c.1640). Mary Magdalen with the Smoking Flame [oil on canvas]. Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

The figure of Mary Magdalen is one of devotion, to me (the interpretations are endless). This preconceived notion and my ignorance of this particular work dictate my understanding and judgement of it. She is clearly contemplative, in a state of doubtful tension. The over-enlarged candle and flame warm her, provide her with some comfort and a form of insight. This is because her mind, while in conflict, is open. I believe the objects next to the flame are the Bible, Gospels and a crucifix. The noose references the rope used to aid in supporting Christ’s weight during his execution. This item is repeated around her slightly bulky midriff. I have no idea whose skull she is cradling, but I get the impression that it demonstrates her comfort with death. |

Rich value development creates naturalism and formal drama, which is strengthened by conceptual tension. La Tour exhibits defining characteristic of Baroque visual expression: Exhaustive effort on the process and a graceful and multilayered blending of themes are slightly outshined by the masterful, illusionistic recreation of optical reality.

The rich development of value creates a circular high-key scene canvas-center and defines the pictorial depth masterfully. La Tour’s amazing skill creates illusionistically-realistic subjects that contain unmistakable mass, and his deliberate arrangement of those items tie the spatial order together. The color scheme is a monochromatic warm red with purity adjustments, suggesting latent greens are present. This choice along with the pictorial warmth aid in containing the subjects in the space defined by a single room and draw the observer into the composition.

The placement of subjects and pictorial energy of this work are radial, centered in the space between Mary’s arm and the candle. Terminal values are sharp where edges are defined; they are blended where surfaces and volumes are implied. While interest is masterfully built on content and value, La Tour has bound the canvas together using color, relatability in shape size and muddied colors.

The brooding mood, global density and warm formatting give the impression that even the space in this painting has a thick air of anxiety in it. It exhibits a masterful equivalence in even and unbalanced proportions that combine to create a gorgeous and stable scene. I appreciate the abbreviated use of symbols and artistic strategies. Unlike van Eyck’s Double Portrait, the message and mood are as unambiguous as the scene is realistic.