1506
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
The Ecstasy of St. Mary Magdalene is a 1506 by Lucas Cranach the Elder, a Renaissance work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
You see a woman raised by angels, surrounded by a heavenly glow. She's dressed in simple clothes, but her body is portrayed like a classical goddess. The artist gave her this form to show her divine beauty, which is an interesting choice. This painting is from a time when artists were looking back to classical ideals for inspiration. They often used these ideals to depict religious figures in a new way. You can learn more about this style by looking at the work of artist: Lucas Cranach (German, 1472–1553).
According to medieval legend, Mary Magdalene was a fallen woman until she devoted herself to Christ. During her ascetic life in the wilderness, angels raised her aloft seven times a day to hear the music of the heavenly host while her visions of paradise enhanced her radiance. Interested in reviving classical ideals, Renaissance artists such as Lucas Cranach the Elder gave Mary Magdalene a Venus-like body to personify her divine beauty
Read the full account in the museum source.
Lucas Cranach the Elder was a German Renaissance painter and printmaker in woodcut and engraving.
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