Mary Magdalene c. 1530

Editor: So, this is Jan van Scorel's "Mary Magdalene," painted around 1530, in oil. The details in her dress and the jar she's holding are amazing, but I feel a sense of sadness or quiet contemplation emanating from the painting. What strikes you most about this work? Curator: The gaze, definitely the gaze. She's looking just past us, isn’t she? Almost as if she sees something we can’t, a world colored by remorse and redemption. I love how Scorel balances the intimacy of a portrait with the grandeur of the Italianate landscape. Do you see how it echoes her internal state – the jagged rocks hinting at turmoil, but the distant water reflecting a sense of peace? Editor: That's beautiful! I hadn’t really noticed the connection between her emotions and the landscape. I was just focusing on her stillness. Curator: Precisely. It's the stillness before or after the storm, perhaps? What does the jar signify to you? The one she's clasping so dearly. Editor: I guess it would have to be the perfume she used to anoint Jesus? Curator: A tangible reminder of her past. And Scorel places it center stage, doesn't he? A beautiful, costly thing that she holds onto even in her transformed state. I wonder if the landscape is actually "real" in a topographical sense... or is Scorel painting something entirely of the soul, would you say? Editor: I see what you mean, something entirely of the soul... Thank you, I have never looked at it like that before. I have learnt so much. Curator: The joy of looking, isn't it?