Iconographical Comparison: Madonna vs Venus
Often what iconography allows for is identifying figures in religious stories as a modality of connecting narratives through art and visual expression. Iconography is the identification via secondary analysis through dissecting the primary features of a work where iconology is the deeper, intrinsic analysis that delves past secondary identification (Panofsky, 221-2).
Often discussed as counter points in analysis of female icons in art in both the Italian Renaissance and later in the Baroque period is the differences in Madonna and Venus. Madonna iconography act as these statements of piety and modesty where Venus is the counterpoint of sexualized femininity to communicate desire and beauty. Both women are attributed to fair features and youthful facial structures yet they are opposite sides of ideal femininity. Madonna is characterized by her head often tilted down or tilted up in prayer, a halo subtly drawn above her head, golden hair pulled back, and a blue cloak on her lap or around her shoulders. This blue emphasizes her modesty and highlights the golden halo that surrounds her face. Differently, Venus is characterized by her hair blowing freely behind her, her eyes staring intimately at the viewer, and her body exposed for viewing. The semiotics surrounding Venus secure her as a symbol of sensuality and beauty.
Although similar in their fair hair and youthful countenance, both women mark the tension in female representation and idealization of female beauty. Not only is there a tension between the pagan mythology and Catholic mythology innately present in these iconographical examples, but both women represent the idealization of piety combined for the desire of sensual beauty desired in women at this time.
This iconographical comparison reveals the semiotic details that relay an intrinsically complex relationship on the female figure during the Italian Renaissance and Baroque period.
Readings Referenced:
Focillon, Henri. “The Life of Forms in Art.” College Art Journal 2, no. 3 (1943): 88. https://doi.org/10.2307/773391.
Panofsky, Erwin. “Studies in Iconology: Humanistic Themes in the Art of the Renaissance.” Modern Philology 38, no. 1 (1940): 103–4. https://doi.org/10.1086/388464.
Featured Image:
Raphael, The Small Cowper Madonna. c. 1505, Oil on panel, 59.5 x 44 cm (23 7/16 x 17 5/16 in.). National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC. Widener Collection.
I think you did a great job providing an example for why iconology is still important today, especially with religious art. The average person may not be able to fully decipher all of the symbolism in a medieval Russian icon, but there are still important iconographical connotations today. Most people will be able to know the difference between an image of Mary and Venus even if they look similar because they have relevant iconology.
Thank you for the insightful read! The dual nature of objectifying feminine figures- be it sexualization or purification- seems to be a prevailing iconographical theme in the Western arts, which is definitely thought-provoking. I think it’s even more interesting to see how this idealization of women has evolved over time, transitioning from the Baroque to the later 19th+ century; quote Focillon, “old meanings are broken down and obliterated, new meanings attach themselves to form”; like how in the times of L’art Nouveau, the key trait of female iconography had retained its ideals of sexuality and purity, yet taken on the double meaning of ‘bad/lecherous/untamed nature (bestial) ‘ versus ‘good/androgynous/moral’.