Maddelena Peniterte by Donatello
At the Museo dell' Opera del Duomo in Florence, Italy
white poplar wood, 1454-55
If you want to be emotionally shocked by a work of art, have your conscience analyzed and cut short of breath you must visit the Duomo Gallery in Italy to see Donatello’s wooded sculpture of Mary Magdalene.
Donatello’s carving captures the result of sin upon an individual so well that it commands viewers to look at sins obvious suffering. Sculpted from a piece of wood with a feeling that it was brutally carved it can easily evoke feelings of revulsion in the viewer. Mary Magdalene a prostitute and follower of Jesus is depicted here as a shell of a human, destroyed by life itself. Although she appears weak and emaciated she clearly possesses a unique strength of mind and body. Her right knee is bent as if she is about to take a step forward. Her hands, almost prayer fashion, are close together in front of her, the fingertips barely touching, in a gesture of piety and repentance. Her facial expression with its shallow eyes, parted parched lips and broken teeth evoke a sense of determination. I can’t help but see her stepping forward to stand before her Lord and Savior, fearless of her day of judgement, as a woman who has bore the result of her sins with strength and hope. She knows through her faith she will be exonerated.
The wood material Donatello chose to capture this emotional piece of art is a perfect fit for the feeling he was after. Wood once alive and now dead and is resurrected. The wood color retains its warmth unlike the coldness of stone. The absorption properties of wood reminds me we absorb the pleasures of this world never taking the time to realize what the outcome can be upon ourselves and our eternal destiny.
