Mary in Glory 1526

Albrecht Altdorfer painted *Mary in Glory* with oil on wood. A golden aura envelopes Mary and the infant Christ, setting them apart from the verdant landscape below. The painting is structured around contrasts. Note how the earthy greens and browns of the landscape sharply juxtapose with the ethereal gold of the divine realm above. This division isn't merely aesthetic. It suggests a separation between the earthly and the celestial, yet the composition unites them. Altdorfer employs a circular composition, drawing our eyes from the landscape up to the angels and back down, implying an interconnectedness between the divine and human worlds. This arrangement invites us to consider how the artwork blurs the boundaries between these realms, challenging fixed notions of space and existence. How does this painting function as a site where these contrasting elements converge and communicate?