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THESIS UPDATED 2 4-26.pdf (5.28 MB)

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Mother Mary Comes to Me: The Stylistic Shift in Portrayals of Mary and her Adoration in Medieval Italy

Kuhn, Maria Diane
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4403-3782
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1619455685665479

Abstract Details

2021, MA, Kent State University, College of the Arts / School of Art.
In 14th century Italy, there was a gradual, but consistent rise in devotion to the Virgin Mother (Mary) throughout many of the smaller city-states within the peninsula of Italy, as evidenced by an explosion of artwork, architectural monuments, and festivals in her honor. Medieval Siena had a strong dedication to the Virgin Mary because of her intercession during the Battle of Montaperti. This devotion manifested itself both physically and artistically during the Duecento and Trecento in Italy. Siena was not unique in these practices, as festivals and rituals that venerated the Virgin were held throughout all the city-states. Using Siena and the art of Duccio di Buoninsegna as a pinnacle, this thesis traces the development in humanization and naturalism in Mary from the Middle Byzantine period and culminating with Duccio’s Maesta of 1311. It is important to trace this timeline starting with the Byzantines because their own devotional cult to Mary heavily inspired Italian art in the Duecento. Within this timeline, it is apparent that artists, patrons, and parishioners alike began to want Mary to be depicted in a more naturalistic way. They wanted this feature in their art so she could be more relatable. This helped to sculpt and shape an entirely new appreciation of Mary in devotional circles and in the public sphere. This interplay between the stylistic choices made by artists and the devotional relevance of their subject matter is unique and worth further investigation. Within these works (typically frescoes and panel paintings), painters were able to convey the relevance of not only Mary’s divinity but her human life as well. Panels, especially more naturalistic panels, were paraded through cities, festivals were constructed around newly painted frescoes; parishioners had more access to the Virgin than any time previously due to the human-like stylistic shift in imagery. These progressive steps taken by artists like Duccio gave a physical manifestation of a relatable figure of the Virgin to an already predominant cult within Italian city-states.
Gustav Medicus (Advisor)
Kristin Stasiowski (Committee Chair)
107 p.
Art History
Mary; Virgin Mary; Madonna; Religious Devotion; devotional practice; mariology; medieval art; medieval italian art; duccio; cimabue; art history

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Kuhn, M. D. (2021). Mother Mary Comes to Me: The Stylistic Shift in Portrayals of Mary and her Adoration in Medieval Italy [Master's thesis, Kent State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1619455685665479

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Kuhn, Maria. Mother Mary Comes to Me: The Stylistic Shift in Portrayals of Mary and her Adoration in Medieval Italy. 2021. Kent State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1619455685665479.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Kuhn, Maria. " Mother Mary Comes to Me: The Stylistic Shift in Portrayals of Mary and her Adoration in Medieval Italy." Master's thesis, Kent State University, 2021. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1619455685665479

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

kent1619455685665479
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This open access ETD is published by Kent State University and OhioLINK.