GUERCINO
(b. 1591, Cento, d. 1666, Bologna)

Magdalen and Two Angels

1622
Oil on canvas, 222 x 200 cm
Pinacoteca, Vatican

When Alessandro Ludovisi, formerly the cardinal archbishop of Bologna, became Pope Gregory XV (1621—25), artists who had worked for his family in his native city were called to Rome, among them Domenichino, Guido Rent, Albani, and Guercino, the latter responding to the pope's invitation in 1621.

The Penitent Magdalen was painted for the church of Santa Maria Maddalena delle Convertite in Rome's Via del Corso. The church was damaged by fire in January 1617 and rebuilt during the pontificate of Paul V (1605—21) under the patronage of Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini (who may have also commissioned the painting). The artist depicted the meeting between Mary Magdalene and the angels in front of Christ's empty sepulcher as narrated in the Gospel of John (20:11-15). The painting is striking for its classical, almost statuesque figures, its dense tonal values, and the clever chiaroscuro play of the splendid landscape and sky. The monumental figure's almost heroic aspect is underlined by the skillfully painted drapery and commanding pose which dominate the picture plane. Guercino emphasizes the clasped hands of the kneeling saint, whose face is contorted in sorrow as she leans against the closed tomb - empty now that Christ has risen. The Magdalen's gaze is directed towards the large nail held by an angel at the right.

Guercino's presence in the Eternal City, although brief in time since he had already returned to Cento by 1625, deeply affected local culture, dominated and divided as it was in those days by the endless conflict between classicism and realism. Its location in the center of the city made the painting very accessible and much admired by numerous artists, clearly influencing Pier Francesco Mola and inspiring a drawing by Van Dyck.




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