Repentance and Salvation: The Penitent Magdalen

Georges de La Tour’s The Penitent Magdalen depicts a female biblical figure, Mary Magdalen, holding a skull and sitting meditatively in front of a table on which a burning candle and a gilded mirror are placed. She is gazing in the direction of the mirror, either into the reflection or the darkness. By utilizing chiaroscuro, the high contrast of light and dark, La Tour manifested a realistic but untraditional still-life portrait of a woman and created a tranquil effect of emptiness. With the active use of this technique and symbolic objects, the painting illustrates the theological notion of repentance and salvation of sinners.

When one approaches the painting, one’s eyes are usually first set on the illuminated objects around the artwork’s focal point, which is the single light source, the burning candle flame and its reflection in the gilded mirror. The rosy white skin of Magdalen’s chest and face, as well as the red and white fabrics of her clothing, are in the foreground and stand out from the other areas of the painting filled with darkness. The visual path follows the light beams along the outline of her body, whereas the shady spots in brown and black, especially the top right and bottom left corners, serve as negative spaces. Meanwhile, the mirror image of the candle is an extension of space, intensifying the mysterious atmosphere brought by the large area of darkness. La Tour’s use of chiaroscuro creates a natural and soft contrast between light and shadow on the canvas, so its effect would not be too dramatic. It not only immersively creates a sense of serenity and stillness but also provides a realistic representation of light dispersion in a three-dimensional room-like space. Viewers’ sensory projections could be extended in the meditative atmosphere by the following: the warmth due to the heat from the candle; and a quiet environment with the sound of the candle’s soft cracking. The existence of the flame in the painting is salient, for it has brought light, warmth, hope, and vitality into darkness, cold, void, and emptiness. La Tour imitated the concept in Christianity of Christ or God as the light that shines in the dark, leading people out of the darkness and to spiritual enlightenment.

Different objects and features in the painting are included to signify the representation of repentance and salvation. Some reveal traces of Magdalen’s past life as an immoral sinner. The connotation of her promiscuity and materialism could be discovered from her cleavage shown by a V-neck shirt, the bright red skirt edged with golden threads, the gilded mirror, the pieces of jewelry scattered on the floor, a pearl necklace and a pearl earring on the table. To demonstrate her penitence, she placed her praying hands on a skull, which is a representation of mortality and death. It indicates her meditation, pondering, and self-reflection on the past. Judging by her posture, she might be gazing in the direction of the mirror. However, it remains a blind spot for the viewers at which Magdalen is looking. Her face is not fully revealed. It could be deduced that she is staring at her reflection in the mirror, the candle’s reflection, or something further away in the darkness. The color of Magdalen’s skirt, red, could contain more than one connotation, other than her past materialistic life. As the color of blood, it might imply the notion of salvation, for the blood of Jesus cleanses us from sin. Because of this sacrifice by Christ, she is no longer a sinner but a reborn woman with purity and cleanliness, as portrayed in her white skin and shirt. The components in the painting actively convey the main theological message of the spiritual transformation of a person.

The painting of Magdalen functions as a religious representation for viewers in that period. It is typical to utilize visual art to convey theological or emotional themes due to the high illiteracy rate and the potential of art to engage and empathize. The portrait of Magdalen here is a complex of her sinful past, pensive present, and hopeful, uplifting future. Time extends beyond the moment depicted in the painting, as it also hints at the past and the future. Objects indicating the past, such as the skull and jewelry, and objects pointing to the future, like the candlelight, are placed simultaneously, creating an intricacy in the coexistence of temporalities. It nevertheless serves some of the probable intended audience who self-identified as sinners. The figure of Magdalen in this painting is not solely depicted as a negative image of promiscuity. The peaceful and undramatic nature of it would not result in disturbance or uneasiness in viewing. It constructs a serene, reflective, and faithful representation of her, which could carry hope to the audience and further the message of faith and piety in God. The painting attempts to eliminate former negative impressions or even prejudice against Magdalen, as well as other sinners.

The Penitent Magdalen provides an allegorical and contemporary view of a stigmatized and lowlife biblical figure. By using the technique of chiaroscuro, symbolic colors and objects, and the interplay of time and space, La Tour constructed a representation of repentance, religious enlightenment, and salvation. It demonstrates the importance of destigmatization, inclusiveness, and piety in the religious context.

Works Cited

de La Tour, Georges. The Penitent Magdalen. Ca. 1640, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City.