Maternal Caress by Mary Cassatt

Mary Cassatt, Maternal Caress, 1890-189, Aquatint and Drypoint Print, Art Institute of Chicago

The month of May is joyous on many levels… threshold of summer, cornucopia of colors… warm showers, sunny skies… personalities brighten… more smiles… more laughter…

For me, the most joyous day in May is Mother’s Day. With it brings joyous and sad moments…my mom left this world far too soon, but she continues with me…and she continues with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I am so very grateful the Lord blessed me with a daughter and son and four grandsons. So Mother’s Day is a day that continues to remind me of my sweet family, a day to joyfully celebrate

Mary Cassatt’s Maternal Caress speaks so beautifully of unconditional love between a mom and her child…

Can you feel the love between mother and child in this expertly crafted print? Both subjects hold each other tightly, embracing in a way that conveys unconditional love, complete trust, and deep affection between the two. Golden warmth emanates from Maternal Caress, certainly because of the feelings reflected in this treasured moment captured by a masterful artist, but also from the sunny hues chosen and the overall brightness of the composition. The glow accentuates the love shared by two people who mean the world to each other.

The child, smiling and content, wraps his arms around his mother as he playfully presses his face against her cheek. The mother, with eyes closed to feel the full effect of this sacred moment, holds her baby confidently, feeling the child’s soft skin against her own and endless maternal love in her heart. The scene conveys cuddling at its best — what young children need to grow up feeling loved, nurtured, protected, and self-assured.

My wish is for everyone to be loved this way as a young child. It would make us feel secure and safe, loved and wanted. It’s what every child deserves, although sadly, not everyone starts life with this protective secu-rity blanket.

Has someone in your life provided you with the priceless gift of feeling wholly protected in the embrace of a nurturer? Who played this role in your life? Whether from a mother, father, stepparent, nanny, guardian, aunt, grandparent, sibling, or other caring individual, the gift of feeling safe in someone’s loving arms can bring us a sense of security as we grow and journey through life’s ups and downs.

Pieta by Michelangelo

Michelangelo, Pieta, 1499, marble, St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City

In the Christian faith, Easter represents Christ’s Resurrection, cleansing all mankind of our sins. Michelangelo’s Pieta is the first work of art I ever saw in person. I was sixteen years old. Experiencing it up close and personal had a profound effect on me and my faith that has lasted a lifetime.

My eyes were fixed on the powerful image just a few feet away from me. The body of Christ lies limp across the lap of His mother, Mary, immediately following His crucifixion. Christ lies spiritless, completely spent, yet surrendered and peaceful. Mary, so strong and beautiful, holds Jesus, but her pain and anguish are startlingly evident as she gazes downward at her lifeless son. She props him gently, lovingly, her fingers gripping his flesh to support the weight of His body as she holds him one final time.

Michelangelo carved this divine image from a single slab of marble, transforming the stone into a realistic, yet idealistic, image that elicits both pain and gratitude. The piece is pyramidal in shape, with the vertex placed at the head of Mary. The smoothness of the marble enhances her purity, her sadness. Michelangelo balances the Renaissance ideals of classical beauty with naturalism, accentuating the importance of the story being told, as well as the humanity of the individuals involved.

How does this piece move you? What do you feel when you gaze upon it? Regardless of how much you know about the artist or the individuals depicted, what do the expressions, scene, composition, and artistic interpretation invoke within you?

Pieta inspires a swirl of emotions, including pain, anguish, beauty, abandonment, love, joy, and sadness. Mankind spends a lifetime struggling with fears and anxieties while trying to find peace. Our complex, fragile humanity is reflected in this moving sculpture masterfully created during the Italian Renaissance.