These days, the relationship between the arts and organized religion is pretty tenuous. Prior to the Modernist era, though, many artists from daVinci and Michelangelo to Raphael and Caravaggio did work that was commissioned by churches or wealthy patrons that had a religious theme.
Among the most popular motifs, in both the Catholic and Orthodox realms anyway, was the Madonna & Child which depicts Mary and the infant Jesus (that’s a sculpture in marble by Michelangelo [c. 1504] at left).
Thursday at 7 p.m. the MacKenzie Art Gallery is hosting a discussion on this familiar art subject with art historian Francesco Freddolini and Jungian scholar Mae Stolte. Through their joint participation the history of the image in visual art and its broader psychological significance to Western culture will presumably be examined. For information call 306-584-4250.