Madonna in the Clouds c. 1581

Editor: This is Federico Barocci's "Madonna in the Clouds," currently residing at the Harvard Art Museums. I'm really struck by the tenderness of the scene, despite the medium's starkness. How do you interpret the symbolism at play here? Curator: Consider how the clouds are functioning here, literally elevating the Madonna and Child, but also alluding to a spiritual realm. How does Barocci use light and shadow to create a sense of both the divine and the intimate? Editor: I hadn't thought about the interplay of light and shadow creating that intimacy. Thanks for pointing that out! Curator: Indeed. Visual cues create emotional impact and cultural memories that reinforce the divinity of this image, for example, through the halo around her head.