Formal Art Analysis - Jean Fouquet's Virgin and Child
Jean Fouquet’s Virgin and Child, a 15th century oil painting which serves as the second half of what is known as the Melun Diptych, is an undeniably striking piece. The virgin in question seems, to me, ethereal and almost otherworldly. In conjunction with Fouquet’s use of contrast, saturation, abstracted form, and composition, the piece is able to marry the notion of divinity with human sensuality.
There is no question that the focal point of this piece, though she is in the act of offering her breast to the seated baby Jesus, is the virgin. It is immediately apparent that whomever she has been modeled after is a figure of both wealth and adoration, for she is pictured with highly flattering proportions and features. Fouquet has placed her in the direct center of the composition, her arms spread and her cape hanging behind her in a manner which gives a feeling of intimacy to the foreground portion of the image. The virgin’s complexion is pale and somewhat dull in its use of grey tones, the whisper of pink in her skin and lips just barely giving her the appearance of a living being. The artist utilizes the slow-drying oil medium to give her skin a well-blended look with very little contrast, making it appear unrealistically smooth and supple. She wears an Aegean blue dress which, while in high contrast with her nearly stark white skin, is equally as desaturated. Fouquet has rendered the folds of the dress and its cape with care. He has placed the baby Jesus atop what appears to be the decadently cascading folds of her cape, but not quite in a breastfeeding position. She is looking down at him, but his eyes and gesture show his focus is elsewhere. Fouquet’s choice to situate the two subjects in this detached manner calls into question his motivation for having the virgin expose herself somewhat immodestly in this painting. Coupled with the knowledge that this representation of the Virgin Mary was likely modeled after one of King Charles’ mistresses, the provocative portrayal makes more sense[1].
The way that the foreground (the virgin and child at the throne) both contrasts and marries with the background of the image seems quite intentional. While the virgin is somewhat idealized, the way Fouquet depicts her with the coloring and adornment of the living grounds her and the child in a reality much unlike the flatly colored red and blue angels that surround them. The same level of attention to darks and lights is paid to the angels as is the child, but the high intensity of the colors used sets them apart from the rest of the scene. Whereas the blue of the virgin’s dress is naturalistic, the angels are painted with nearly pure, primary colors. Despite this disconnect, they’re shown caressing or holding onto the throne depicted in the foreground, as if to show that while these two scenes take place on different planes, the cherubs have influence over reality. This could also have been to accentuate the still human yet divine functions of both Mary and Jesus.
It is clear that the foreground and background of the image are intended to provide contrast to one another. So too does this image contrast with the other half of the diptych, where Etienne Chevalier and St. Stephen are depicted very convincingly. The Virgin and Child is planar and centered, much like many traditional biblical illustrations. Etienne Chevalier and St. Stephen is a recessional image, with the two figures at a ¾ view. This adds a quality of realism to the image, despite it’s depicting a saint beside the king. Their differences succeed in setting the two images apart in respect to their purpose, with The Virgin and Child being a more spiritual and visually stimulating image. Fouquet has painted the child pointing in the direction of the first image, giving the seemingly unrelated images a connection beyond being two halves of a diptych.
Jean Fouquet has been able to create a painting which stands out from the sea of realistic, and often unflattering, portraits created by many artists in its day. His attention to composition and color help give The Virgin and Child a transcendent quality which immediately draws the eye. This reimagining of two time-honored biblical figures is able to leave a fresh yet lasting impression as a result.
Works Cited:
Stokstad, Marilyn, and Michael Watt Cothren. Art History. 5th ed. Vol. 4. Boston: Pearson Education, 2014.
[1]Stokstad, Marilyn, and Michael Watt Cothren. Art History. 5th ed. Vol. 4. Boston: Pearson Education, 2014.