Maria Magdalena 1660

Editor: Here we have Jan van Troyen’s "Maria Magdalena", an engraving from 1660, housed in the Rijksmuseum. It has a really intense and dramatic quality. What do you see in this piece that helps give it such emotional weight? Curator: I see a layered representation of gender, piety, and repentance characteristic of Baroque art. Van Troyen presents Mary Magdalene not simply as a repentant sinner, but as an active participant in her own redemption. Editor: Could you expand on that a bit? The idea of “active participation”? Curator: Absolutely. Observe her upward gaze, the way her hands are clasped in prayer. She's not merely receiving forgiveness, but actively seeking it. Think about how women were often portrayed in the art of this period and consider how this representation subverts or reinforces those norms. Does this image challenge the passive roles generally assigned to women, or does it ultimately confine her within the expected framework of religious devotion? Editor: It’s a complicated picture then… the devotion could still be seen as serving the existing power structures? Curator: Precisely. Also consider the symbolic significance of the ointment jar, carried by a cherubic figure. In Baroque art, light and shadow, the chiaroscuro effect, contribute to the drama. Where does the light fall, and what does it illuminate? Editor: The light emphasizes her face, and draws the eye upwards towards what she is looking at, suggesting maybe divine intervention? I never really thought of it that way before. I thought this was just a biblical image. Curator: It's important to engage with the layers of meaning within historical works and the role they have played in shaping our understanding of womanhood. I always learn something new when I spend some time with artworks. Editor: Me too, that's a very insightful interpretation! Thanks!