Virgin of the Immaculate Conception Standing on Clouds 1695 - 1705

Pedro Duque Cornejo rendered this pen and wash drawing of the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception in the 18th century. During this time, the Catholic Church exercised considerable influence over cultural and artistic expression. Cornejo, living in Seville, was deeply embedded in this religious milieu. The Virgin stands on a cloud, gazing upward. Her hands are clasped in prayer. Representations like these, while meant to evoke reverence, also served to reinforce the Church’s doctrines about female purity and submissiveness, setting forth the ideal of womanhood. What is particularly striking, however, is the vulnerability in her upward gaze. It transcends the traditional, dogmatic representation. The drawing offers us a window into the complex interplay between religious expectation, artistic expression, and personal emotion during the Baroque period. While seemingly traditional, it subtly questions the emotional and spiritual life of women within these prescribed roles.