Leo
...landscape in the painting also looked very fluid and real due to the use of the oil paint. Three figures come from the Bible; however, the artist has taken some liberties. The pictur contains the Virgin Mary, the baby Jesus and his second cousin St. John the Baptist. The picture foreshadows the death of Christ on the cross. This point is displayed in the action of the painting where St. John is handing Jesus a small cross and Mary is looking upon it knowing what is to come. There is a feeling of connection betwen the three of them by the way they are all looking at each other and the cross. The flowers are very prevalent and are connected to the figures in the painting by having the same color that is in the Virgin's shirt. It is also speculated that the water in the background symbolizes the baptism of Christ by John the Baptist. The fact that Mary is barefoot in the painting indicates that she is walking on holy ground. This painting is among a series that has been called Madonna of the Lands because the Florentine countryside in the background is said to be under the protection of the Virgen, the Child and the infant Baptist. The Virgin Mary is also joined to the landscape by her sloping shoulders which make a continuation of the mountainous peaks of Florence in the background. The positioning and placement of the thre...