In this piece Madonna is seen sitting on a rock with a book in her hand against a hilly, grassy background with a lake and some trees. In front of her is St. John to the left holding out a goldfinch bird to baby Jesus, who is stroking it’s head. The depiction of the Homunculus inspired Jesus fell out of fashion in the 15th century and babies began look more life like and idealistic. As seen in this painting and the Mona Lisa, naturalism became increasingly more favoured in the Renaissance era. This is when objects and people were depicted more realistically and placed in natural settings. Unnatural settings such as that of “Madonna Enthroned” became less increasingly less popular in this era and landscape or outdoor backgrounds became more favored. The figures are placed in a pyramid composition with Mary at the top and the two infants on either side. This creates stability and balance in the piece.…show more content… The light source is coming from the left as we can see from the highlights on the left sides of the figures’ face and body. Similarly to the Mona Lisa, the sfumato technique is used in the gradual blending of tones and transition from light to shade. However, Raphael uses a much lighter and more vibrant colour palette than Da Vinci in the Mona Lisa. The light green and brown earthy tones in the background of “Madonna of the Goldfinch” are contrasted by the rich red and blue colour of Mary’s robes. The tones in Mary and the babies’ flesh are very warm and create a sun kissed
