The Magdalen Reading 

This is a copy after Rogier van der Weyden's, 'The Magdalen Reading' displayed at the National Gallery. Van der Weyden painted this oil on panel during the early Renaissance. Mary Magdalene was often depicted as a prostitute who repented her sins after encountering Jesus, and is often associated with the color red. Here, she is draped in green, an unusual color choice, reading quietly. Van der Weyden depicts Magdalene as literate and contemplative. What does it mean that in order to become a saint she must first be constructed as a sinner? Consider what this artwork communicates about gender and redemption, and how it asks the viewer to reconcile the saintly with the sensual. Perhaps this was an attempt to revise understandings of women in the Bible and society. While remaining within traditional religious narratives, the intimate portrayal of Mary Magdalene in her private moment subtly challenges the status quo.