The Penitent Saint Mary Magdalene 1638 - 1694

Filippo Lauri painted The Penitent Saint Mary Magdalene in the 17th century using oil on canvas. Oil paint is a wonderfully versatile material. Colors can be built up slowly in layers to create a luminous depth, or applied rapidly and thickly to create texture. Here, Lauri uses delicate glazes to depict the Saint’s skin, in contrast to the heavier application of paint in the landscape. This technique of layering paint created a smooth surface, which allowed the artist to create a sense of realism and idealized form. Consider the labor involved in the production of this painting. Not only did Lauri require time and skill to master his technique; the materials themselves – canvas, pigment, oil – had to be produced and made available to him. In a painting like this, we can appreciate the transformation of raw materials through human ingenuity, and we can see art history in a new light, as a history of making.