Enthroned Madonna with Angels and Saints, St. Joseph and St. Bernard on the left, St. John the Baptist and St. Anthony the Abbot on the right 1521

Lorenzo Lotto painted this large altarpiece of the Enthroned Madonna with Angels and Saints sometime in the first half of the 16th century. Although Lotto was a contemporary of High Renaissance artists like Raphael, his art deliberately departs from their emphasis on harmony and ideal beauty. Instead, Lotto often introduces jarring elements, like the wildly gesticulating angels overhead, or St. John the Baptist, who looks as though he is about to step right out of the painting. It's this sense of dynamism that I find so compelling. Lotto was active in the Veneto region of Northern Italy, at a time when Venice's mainland territories were in crisis, partly as a result of endemic corruption. Perhaps Lotto's startling compositions are a subtle commentary on the upheavals of his day? For a deeper understanding, scholars consult local archives, histories of the church, and, of course, Lotto's surviving letters. These sources help us understand the cultural and institutional contexts that shaped both the creation and reception of Lotto’s powerful art.