Picture in Focus: On the Terrace by Maurice Denis

July 23, 2011

Picture in Focus: On the Terrace by Maurice Denis

This week's new entry from France is an image of the Madonna and Child (with angels) by French Artist Maurice Denis, just uploaded onto his profile page in the Sacred Artists section. The lithograph, titled On the Terrace, shows a woman with babe in arms being serenaded by three cherubic children, holding a large book. Set on the terrace of the house, where the Denis family stayed in Fiesole, Italy, the artist infuses a scene from daily family life with a sense of the sacred. The trio of singing children are familiar from Denis Annunciation scenes; the woman with infant recalls multiple images the artist made of the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus. The models for this charming scene are Denis' first wife, Martha, and four of their children. (John Kohan)