The Madonna of Humility c. 1430

Editor: This is Fra Angelico's "The Madonna of Humility" from around 1430, painted in tempera. What strikes me most is the quiet intimacy, almost a world apart, despite the grand religious theme. What do you see when you look at this work? Curator: That's beautifully put. The intimacy breathes, doesn't it? I see a conscious effort to make the divine accessible, human. It is more grounded and earthy than the usual stiff iconic depictions of the Madonna at the time, don't you think? I mean, Mary is sitting on a simple cushion, almost on the ground. Editor: Yes, definitely! It’s way more relatable. But those golden halos and that elaborate cloth behind her feet do kind of scream "important religious figure", right? It is so visually appealing though, what I like, besides her blue dress, is that it resembles the sort of 'landscape painting', as suggested by the 'hills and valleys' effect that can be sensed along the dress curves? Curator: Ah, precisely. I suspect Angelico wants to have his cake and eat it! Humble setting, divine figures – he's threading a needle, so to speak. Are the angels her celestial ladies-in-waiting? Do you get that sense, of the sacred being almost cosseted, sheltered? Editor: That’s a fresh way to think of them, really makes sense. The work has so many levels, and the idea of "humility" gains weight looking at the golden halo hovering just above. I will remember all of this. Curator: As will I! It's a work that quietly, stubbornly, sticks with you, isn’t it? Something profoundly simple about it.