The Penitent Magdalene

Identifiable by her jar of ointment, Mary Magdalene prays before a crucifix. Cano’s outstanding compositional skills allowed him to adapt himself to the dictates of the frame and make full use of the narrow format, locating the recumbent saint in a pictorial plane very close to the viewer. The artist creates a beautiful play of contrasts between the golden tone of the Magdalene’s hair, her ivory skin and the striking and gradated blue of her mantle. Together these elements create an extremely effective tension between beauty, penitence and devotion.