Sacred Art at National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

My church sponsored a tour of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. First, we traveled to Mary Mother of God Church (only a few blocks from the NGA) where the pastor gave us an overview of art creation and appreciation. Then we walked down to the gallery to view some works. The pastor gave us handouts with general principles for prayerfully experiencing art works. The handouts also provided write-ups about eight of the works.

Gallery exterior

The first work is the The Calling of the Apostles Peter and Andrew by Duccio di Buoninsegna, circa 1308. 

The Calling of the Apostles Peter and Andrew (Click to enlarge, hereafter CTE)

This famous scene has some nice little details. Peter represents the Western church with a latin-style beard. Andrew's long beard imitates the Greek style of eastern monks. They both hold onto the net full of fish, symbolic of the entire Christian church.

Next (and not on the pastor's sheet) is Madonna and Child with Two Angels, 14th century by a Veronese sculptor (there's a lot of anonymous works to go along with the vague dates that things were painted or sculpted). 

Madonna and Child with Two Angels, CTE

I was struck by how piercing all the eyes are on this sculpture. The adult-faced baby Jesus is very common in art works, especially in earlier, less naturalistic renditions like eastern icons.

Next up is Madonna and Child with God the Father Blessing and Angels, circa1370 by Jacopo di Cione.

Madonna and Child with God the Father Blessing and Angels, CTE

A more humble setting for the most popular duo in art, Mary is seated on the ground holding the baby Jesus. Jesus obviously wants to nurse from His mom which rich women often did not do, leaving the task to wet nurses. This reinforces her humility and her affection for her Son. The prayer book on the bottom right shows she's not uneducated. God the Father looks like an adult Jesus which makes a lot of sense theologically.

Madonna and Child with Saints Andrew, Benedict, Bernard, and Catherine of Alexandria with Angels  was created around 1387 by Agnolo Gaddi.

Madonna and Child with Other Saints, CTE

This work is a triptych, a three-part image. In the center is Mary and the infant Jesus with some angels at their feet. On the left is Saint Andrew (holding his cross, the tool of his martyrdom) and Saint Benedict (holding his rules for monasticism, since he is the father of western monasticism). On the far right is Saint Catherine of Alexandria, a very popular saint in the Middle Ages. Saint Bernard is the founder of the Cistercians; he also holds his book of monastic rules. I like the parallelism of the books and the pink garments from Andrew and Catherine, along with angels and Jesus. Also, there's the Annunciation depicted on top with the angel on the left and Mary on the right.

Saint Catherine of Alexandria, circa 1335 by Bartolomeo Bulgarini, gives the saint a solo presentation. 

Saint Catherine of Alexandria, CTE

Saint Catherine was an Egyptian martyr whose death involved a spiked wheel, often shown in depictions of her. She was from a royal family and was supposed to marry Emperor Maxentius but she converted to Christianity after a dream where Jesus gave her a ring. Philosophers were sent to try to talk her out of it; she argued them down easily. She was supposed to be martyred between two spiked wheels but they burst into flames. She was beheaded. The icon shows her regality and a bit of humor, with her using the spiked wheel as a holder for her book. 

A popular juxtaposition is shown in The Annunciation and Expulsion from Paradise, circa 1435 by  Giovanni di Paolo.

The Annunciation and Expulsion from Paradise, CTE

Mary and the Archangel Gabriel have their famous scene in the center where Mary says yes to the will of God. On the left, Adam and Eve have said no to the will of God and are cast out of Eden by an angel. Tucked away on the right is Joseph, foster father of Jesus, warming himself by a fire--maybe he's getting ready for the Nativity in a winter cave? I am not sure why he was added, though the diagonal from God the Father to the foster-father of Jesus is interesting.

An especially famous image is Adoration of the Magi, circa 1492 by Fra Angelico and Fra Filippo Lippi. 

Adoration of the Magi, CTE

Fra Angelico did not finish it before dying, so Fra Filippo Lippi finished it. The Magi lead a procession that winds its way back through an arch, around the hill, and extends to the top right part of the image. Everyone honors Jesus! Florence, the town where the artists worked, had a massive procession every five years in honor of the Magi, so this reflects that tradition.

Saint John in the Desert, circa 1445 by Domenico Veneziano shows a stark image of John the Baptist.

Saint John in the Desert, CTE 

John sheds his fine clothes and puts on the rough skins that will identify him in his role as the Baptist. The path ahead, up the mountain, is strewn with rocks, symbolizing the hard road ahead. But the path also has a small stream next to it, so a source of life-giving water is at the top of that path too. 

The Annunciation, circa 1445 by Fra Carnevale, is another take on the meeting of Gabriel and Mary.

The Annunciation, CTE

The outdoor location is unusual as is the angel coming with a flower, which I suppose symbolizes the glad tidings. Viewers get a good sense of Mary's humility in acceptance.

Perhaps the most famous portrait in the National Gallery, Ginevra di Benci was painted by Leonardo da Vinci in 1474. The work is covered with protective glass and is difficult to photograph (click the link above to get a clearer look).

Ginevra di Benci

The outdoor setting and the more casual style (three-quarter facing, no jewelry or fancy clothing) marks off young Leonardo's shift into a more realistic style. Mona Lisa would be painted thirty years later and become the iconic female portrait. 

The portrait is unusual because it has been painted on the reverse or back side, including the motto "VIRTUTEM FORMA DECORAT," which means "Beauty Adorns Virtue." The center sprig is juniper, suggesting the subject's name since the tree is ginepro in Italian. The laurel and palm branches indicate moral and intellectual excellence.

Back of Ginevra di Benci (the painting's back, not hers)

Pieta (The Dead Christ Mourned by Nicodemus and Two Angels) was painted by Filippino Lippi (who is a different artist from Fra Filippo Lippi) around 1500. 

Pieta, CTE

Nicodemus, the member of the Sanhedrin who was secretly a follower of Christ, tenderly holds Jesus's body as the angels take away the instruments of torture. While no Scriptural basis for Nicodemus being at Christ's burial exists, it makes an interesting subject. His turban is the same color as the angels' robes, making a subtle connection between the creatures mourning their Creator.

Fillipino Lippi has another Biblical scene on display: Tobias and the Angel, painted around 1475.

Tobias and the Angel, CTE

Tobias is Tobit's son. He is instructed by the angel (recognized as Archangel Raphael in Christian tradition) to use a fish's organs to cure his father. Again, Lippi connects the angel and the man through their clothes, though the angel is much more at peace than the man. The fish is rather small, almost invisible. 

Sandro Botticelli's Adoration of the Magi, circa 1478, is another classic image. 

Adoration of the Magi, CTE

The cave of the Nativity becomes ancient Greek ruins, showing the end of pagan worship and a link between ancient and Christian thinking. The crowd is smaller than in Fra Angelico's work above. The people are more reverent too. Here is an act of worship more than a spectacle.

A more rare topic is the Visitation, where the Blessed Virgin meets her cousin Elizabeth, who is pregnant with John the Baptist. Piero di Cosimo painted The Visitation with Saint Nicholas and Saint Anthony around 1489. 

The Visitation with Saint Nicholas and Saint Anthony, CTE

When works were commissioned, often the artist was asked to add in some favorite saints. Thus Nicholas and Anthony are in the foreground with similar postures forming the base of a triangle with Mary and Elizabeth's heads at the top. The vibrant youth of Mary shows in her cloak, while Elizabeth is reminiscent of an elderly nun. 

Downstairs, in the sculpture gallery, two items caught my eye. First is Madonna and Sleeping Child by an unknown Italian artist around 1500. 

Madonna and Sleeping Child

The nonchalant Jesus has fallen asleep in Mary's lap in a charming pose. She strikes me as praying for her child to stay asleep. I've had this pose with my infant children many times, so I can identify with this work.

David Triumphant was sculpted by Thomas Crawford in 1848.

David Triumphant

Young David, before he was king of Israel, has slain and decapitated Goliath, champion of the Philistines. His casual pose includes leaning on a harp, a bit of bronze added to the marble statue emblematic of his future writing Psalms. A lot of detail is packed in one work (he's even standing on Goliath's shield!), making it fun to contemplate and admire.