The Madonna of the Rocks
by Staff WriterMadonna of the Rocks Painting
The Virgin of the Rocks, also referred to as Madonna of the Rocks, is one of the paintings that made Leonardo da Vinci one of the most important artists in the world. At first glance, there was nothing strange about it but with a closer look, its mysteries unfold. Understanding the da Vinci painting, Madonna of the Rocks involves the dissecting of the work piece by piece in order appreciate of all of its components.
In the painting, Madonna of the Rocks, da Vinci sets the scene during the time when Joseph and Mary are fleeing to Egypt with Jesus to escape Herod, who has given the order to kill all new born boys under three years old. The painting includes the Virgin Mary, the baby Jesus, John the Baptist, also as a baby and the angel Uriel. A very young looking Mary in a dark blue dress is seated at the center of the composition. The Virgin Mary, Saint John the Baptist and Jesus are all painted as small children and an angel is portrayed in a cave; for this reason, the name The Virgin of the Rocks was the title chosen by Leonardo da Vinci.
Madonna of the Rocks may not seem remarkable in terms of the choice of characters and settings. However, the mystery begins when trying to depict which one of the two children is Jesus. The figures relate through gazes, gestures, symbolic hand language and body posture. Each of these elements has a different meaning that varies depending on their position. Following these codes it is possible to determine which of the two children is Jesus in the Madonna of the Rocks painting.
The index and middle finger of the hand of the child on the right is extended in a gesture that indicates that he is blessing the other. The child on the right is Jesus, given the attitude of the other child whose hands are joined in an expression of adoration and acceptance. Therefore the child on the left is John the Baptist.
According to the language of the hands, Jesus is blessing John the Baptist who is receiving the blessing respectfully. The scene would not be particularly striking if it were not for the way that the characters are related and depicted by Leonardo da Vinci.
Strangely enough, John the Baptist is protected by Mary who looks at him lovingly. The other female figure is Uriel. According to Catholic liturgy, she is John the Baptists guardian angel and Uriel is positioned behind Jesus. In the Madonna of the Rocks painting, da Vinci places John the Baptist in Jesus natural place and Jesus where most people expect John the Baptist to be positioned. Further more, Marys hand seems to be threatening Jesus, when she should be protecting. In trying to understanding the painting, this particular positioning of subjects, causes confusion between names, roles and the question of the chosen one.
All of the details of da Vincis painting center around the protagonist; the baby Saint John the Baptist. John is above Jesus and the angel Uriel points at John as a chosen one. Mary protects John and not the Jesus, whom she seems to be holding back with a gesture of her left hand. John the Baptist plays the central role in The Virgin of the Rocks. His is a position that challenges the strict religious population of the day. This was not a minor detail but in the eyes of the Catholic Church, true blasphemy. Its message would be then that John the Baptist is above Jesus, making John the chosen one; while Jesus is naked and fragile, coldly placed on the ground, whereas John appears clothed.
There is only one other way to analyze this piece, that being that the child next to Mary is in fact Jesus and the child next to Archangel Uriel is John the Baptist. This interpretation is in keeping with classic literature. However, if this were the case, Jesus would be kneeling adoringly before John the Baptist who would be blessing him.
The convent of Immaculate Conception, the order of the commission of the altarpiece was they had reservations towards the Madonna of the Rocks painting. They refused to pay for da Vincis work claiming that it was too confusing. Da Vinci in turn, painted an identical one for other clients.
Da Vinci painted the new version of The Virgin of the Rocks, 20 years after the first. He supposedly painted with the purpose of clarifying the confusion around the children and to position them more in agreement with the conventions of the day. However, the new version of the painting did not settle the problem and once again da Vinci swapped the characters. The Madonna of the Rocks is certainly full of intentional, deliberate and specific choices made by da Vinci. He left nothing to chance. It is often believed that his primary intention was to generate confusion.
