The Madonna in art . omposition—the inventor indeed ac-cording to many — was Palma is curious that of a painter whoseworks are so widely admired, almost 108 THE MADONNA IN ART. nothing is known. Even the traditionswhich once lent color to his life havebeen shattered by the ruthless hand ofthe modern investigator. The span ofhis life extended from 1480 to he came at the beginning of thecentury made glorious by Titian, andcontributed not a little in his own wayto its glory. It is supposed that he studied underGiovanni Bellini, and at one time wasa friend and colleague of Lor
The Madonna in art . omposition—the inventor indeed ac-cording to many — was Palma is curious that of a painter whoseworks are so widely admired, almost 108 THE MADONNA IN ART. nothing is known. Even the traditionswhich once lent color to his life havebeen shattered by the ruthless hand ofthe modern investigator. The span ofhis life extended from 1480 to he came at the beginning of thecentury made glorious by Titian, andcontributed not a little in his own wayto its glory. It is supposed that he studied underGiovanni Bellini, and at one time wasa friend and colleague of Lorenzo child of the mountains — for he wasborn in Serinalta — he never entirely lostthe influence of his early surroundings. To the last his figures are grave, vigor-ous, sometimes almost rude, partaking ofthe characteristics of the everlasting haps it was these traits which made theSanta Conversazione a favorite composi-tion with him. He has an intense loveof Nature in her most luxuriant THE PASTORAL MADONNA. Ill For a collection of Palmas pictures, weshould choose at least four to representhis treatment of the Santa Conversazione :those at Naples, Dresden, Munich, andVienna. The Naples picture is consideredthe most successful of Palmas large pic-tures of this kind, but it is not easy forthe less critical observer to choose a favor-ite among the four. One general formuladescribes them all: a sunny landscapewith hills clad in their greenest garb; atree in the foreground, beneath which sitsthe Virgin, a comely, country-bred matron,who seems to have drawn her splendidvigor from the clear, bright air. On herlap she supports a sprightly little boy, whois the centre of attention. In the simpler compositions the Ma-donna is at the left, and at the right kneelor sit two saints. One is a handsomeyoung rustic, unkempt and roughly clad,sometimes figuring as St. John the Bap- 112 THE MADONNA IN ART. tist, and sometimes as St. Roch. Withhim is contrasted a bea
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade18, booksubjectmaryblessedvirginsaint
