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Mary Magdaline in Ecstasy

Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy is a painting done by Baroque painter and follower of Caravaggio, Artemisia Gentileschi in 1620-1625. It is 32x41 inches and consists of oil paint put onto a canvas. The painting depicts Mary Magdalene, a follower of Jesus Christ, during an intimate and solitary moment while she is alone in a cave. The painting was discovered in 2014 at an art auction in France and sold for over a $1 million dollars.

Artemisia Gentileschi

Artemisia Gentileschi self portrait

Gentileschi was born in Rome in 1593. She was the daughter of a painter and during her adolescence Gentileschi studied and worked in her fathers workshop. She expressed great talent very quickly and was soon recognized for her work as early as 17 after completing Susana and the Elders. Gentileschi was a follower of one of the most recognized painters of the Baroque era, Caravaggio and drew much inspiration from him and his work.

Women's voices and abilities did not receive much praise at this time in history. It is Gentileschi's rare take on common scenes such as women's appearances and representation that sets her apart from her male colleagues. Gentileschi was also a victim of sexual abuse as a young woman at the hand of her fathers colleague. After her attack she was faces with a long and painful court case to give her assaulter the rightful punishment. This traumatic experience looms in Gentileschi's life moving forward and materializes, at times, in her art work.

After the assault and trial took place Gentileschi was married to Pierantonio Stiattesi, an Italian painter. After they wed the couple moved to Florence, Italy and lived there from 1612-1620. While living in Florence Gentileschi became the first woman accepted into The Academy of the Arts and Drawing. During her studies and commission work she had six children. After time in Florence the family returns to Rome and eventually they travel around Europe. While she was living in Rome she painted Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy.

Mary Magdalene

Saint Mary Magdalene by Guido Reni

The woman in the painting of Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy is a follower of Jesus Christ. She is seen in the Bible as one of Jesus' most loyal followers and after his death Mary Magdalene was the one who discovered He had risen from the tomb. Today, there is much controversy among historians as to her life's story. Some believe she was the daughter of a wealthy merchant, Jesus' wife or a daughter of Lazarus. At the time Gentileschi would have created her rendition of Mary Magdalene it would've been widely believed that she was a sex worker who abandoned her life of sin to follow Jesus. This theory has since been believed to be untrue but this is the story of Mary Magdalene that Gentileschi would have sought to portray.

Today, Mary Magdalene is considered a Saint by the Catholic Church. She is the patron saint of women, converts, resentful sinners and more.

Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy

Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy by Artemisia Gentileschi

The painting of Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy shows Mary in a different way than many painters before. Many renditions of Mary Magdalene show her as pious and focus on her relationship to the divine and to Jesus. Many images also focus on Mary's repentance and her life of sin. Gentileschi, however, takes a different approach to portraying Mary.

In the painting Mary Magdalene is seated with her head leaned back against a stone and her eyes closed. She is surrounded by darkness and she appears to be in a cave. We can see this by the shading of the stone and the flowerage behind her. She is clothed in a white garment that has slipped off of her shoulder revealing more of her chest and arm. The falling of her clothing creates a sensual and provocative mood to the work of art. She is draped in a purple cloak and strands of her hair fall over the cloak which highlights the shape of her chest.

One of the most notable things about this painting is that there is no way of telling that this is a depiction of Mary Magdalene without looking at the title. She does not have a halo or anything representative of the Christian faith. The one thing that depicts a holy or divine connection is the emotion Mary Magdalene is portraying.

To be in ecstasyin the eyes of the Christian Church is to be receiving a divine experience. This is what is being portrayed in the painting of Mary Magdalene. She is experiencing something supernaturally spiritual and emotional. The painting is so personal and physically close to Mary that the viewer can feel as though they are seeing something that is not meant to be seen by them.

The Painting Today

photo of Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy

Until 2011 no one had heard of Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy. In 2011 a black and white photo surfaced of the painting in a French auction. In 2014 the physical painting surfaced in an art auction in Paris. It was sold to a private European collection for $1.15 million.