This art work was created in 1893-1894, and it is titled Madonna of the Lilies. It is a magnificent piece of Italian Symbolism. The picture shows a highly spiritual vision of Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus Christ in her hands. Instead of putting them into an ordinary architectural setting, Gaetano Previati places the figures of the saints in a luxuriant jungle of lilies which have traditionally been associated with purity and innocence.This composition is built upon intentional geometric tensions that draw attention to the spiritual quality of the scene. Previati has given the elongated lilies tall, bended stalks, which create a solid wall of flora around the characters. However, Mary is depicted in flowing white, and her clothing has been created with the use of thin brushstrokes in a horizontal manner while lilies are painted with broad, vertical strokes. It should be noted that this will provide a visual base for the arrangement of the mother and child against the increasingly growing pattern of the floral background field.Executionally, the artwork is a prime manifestation of the Divisionist technique. Previati refrained from mixing colors and pigments directly on the canvas, preferring instead to superimpose separate filaments and bright strands of pure color on top of each other. This method results from the influence of French Symbolism and Pre-Raphaelism and makes the light refract over the surface of the canvas. The technique can be observed in the flow of colors around the head of the Virgin, where an interplay of golden strands and bright lights create a shining halo.
Gaetano Previati’s Madonna of the Lilies superbly employs divisionist techniques of using thin strands of pure color to create an almost ethereal glow around the Virgin and child. Highlighting the figures are groups of tall, bent lilies rather than the traditional architectural elements found in many religious paintings. This choice of flowers over structures helps focus on the themes of chastity and the holiness of the Virgin as well as reinforce the harmony between the divine and the earthly. The use of the horizontal movement of the Virgin’s robes and the vertical arrangement of the flowers also creates a pleasing contrast that draws attention to the figures.
