The Penitent Magdalen

The Penitent Magdalen is one of several versions of Mary Magdalene that Georges de La Tour painted, a religious subject that enjoyed great popularity in European art of the seventeenth century. As a former sinner who became a disciple of Christ, Magdalene embodies the possibility of forgiveness and change, a message especially relevant during the Counter-Reformation. The scene is stripped down to a seated figure, turned toward an empty space beyond the room, her hands clasped over a skull resting in her lap. Jewels lie scattered around her, while a candle whose flame is echoed in a mirror draws the viewer's eye. The strong contrast between this light and the shadowed areas recalls Caravaggio, although it is not known whether De la Tour had seen his work. The geometric composition, restrained palette and careful attention to detail create a meditative stillness, less dramatic than the Italian painter's. The exact date is approximate, and the scene is usually read as the moment when the protagonist resolves to leave her former life behind. The painting is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and belongs to a group of variations on the same subject that the artist produced.

Painter

Georges de La Tour

Date

1625

Medium

oil paint, canvas

Dimensions

133 × 102 cm

Museum

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City

Genre

religious art

Depicts

specular reflection, sitting, light source, décolletage, candle, skull, mortification of the flesh, waist-length hair

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