Polyptych in Santo Spirito (Bergamo) 1507

Ambrogio Bergognone painted this polyptych for the church of Santo Spirito in Bergamo. Polyptychs like this were a popular format for altarpieces during the Renaissance. This piece creates meaning through its arrangement of figures within a gilded architectural framework. At the top we see God surrounded by angels. Below, the Virgin Mary is depicted in a mandorla of light. These were conventional ways to depict religious figures in 16th-century Italy, associating them with power and divinity. The composition reinforces a social hierarchy, with God at the top looking down on the Virgin Mary and the saints. Wealthy patrons often had themselves painted into these scenes. The composition could be read as a conservative statement that reinforces the social order. To understand the painting better, you might research the patronage of the church and the artist's career. Art history is always contingent on social and institutional contexts.