artporn

4033 readers

104 users here now

Wander the gallery. Look at the art. Be polite. If you feel able please post some great art :)

founded 2 years ago

MODERATORS

[email protected]

Mary Magdalene in the Cave - Hugues Merle (1868) (mdl.artvee.com)

submitted 3 weeks ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

15 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Hugues Merle was a French painter who mostly depicted sentimental or moral subjects. He has often been compared with William-Adolphe Bouguereau.

Merle was born in 1822 in La Sône. He studied painting with Léon Cogniet. Hugues Merle became a friend of Paul Durand-Ruel in the early 1860s. Durand-Ruel had started buying paintings by Merle in 1862 and introduced the artist to painter William-Adolphe Bouguereau. Merle was later often compared to Bouguereau and “became a considerable rival of Bouguereau in subject and treatment”.

More art: https://artvee.com/artist/hugues-merle/

all 16 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[–] AnUnusualRelic 5 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

What's going on in that cave exactly?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I think it is Jesus’ tomb.

[–] AnUnusualRelic 3 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Most people don't have orgasms in tombs.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 weeks ago

Not with that attitude.

[–] AnUnusualRelic 1 points 3 weeks ago

OK, it looks like someone did.

[–] moistclump 3 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Question, maybe off topic. But Mary’s clutching a cross here. Was a cross already a symbol by the time Jesus died on one? It’s a tool of torture and death. If someone I loved died by stabbing, I wouldn’t lie around like that with a knife.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 weeks ago

I assume she picked it up at the gift shop on the way in.

j/k

I actually assume the artist is using that symbol to communicate with his 19th century audience. He wanted to focus on her in this work, but also needed to communicate who she is and why she's swooning. Just my guess to be clear.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago

The cross became the symbol of Jesus' martyrdom as soon as he took it up

[–] TheFonz 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I'm always impressed by how well some artists can blend oils like this

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Her hair is amazing in this, yes.

[–] TheFonz 1 points 3 weeks ago

Hair is easy (relatively speaking). I was was looking at the skin tones. Just gorgeous!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

Strange how a Middle Eastern child bride who was likely a brown-skinned brunette with Semitic features and also was likely raped by a Roman soldier and had to lie to her husband that she was immaculately pregnant to avoid being beheaded is portrayed across the world as a white blonde haired blue eyed Anglo-European.

[–] WillBalls 7 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Mary Magdalene was a different person from Mary the mother of Jesus

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

Right...

Let's try again.

Strange how a Middle Eastern ~~child bride~~ woman who was born in the Jewish city of Magdala, and likely a brown-skinned brunette with Semitic features ~~and also was likely raped by a Roman soldier and had to lie to her husband that she was immaculately pregnant to avoid being beheaded~~ is portrayed across the world as a white blonde haired blue eyed Anglo-European.

[–] WillBalls 3 points 3 weeks ago

Better!