The painting "Adoration of the Magi" by di Nardo portrays the three Magi approaching the baby Jesus and the Virgin Mary. However, there is much more to it than just thisfamiliar scene from Judeo-Christian lore. When approaching this painting in order toanalyze it iconographically, it is necessary to first look at all aspects of the form. If thisaspect is ignored, it provides for an incomplete analysis of the painting. Once this islooked at, the iconography of the painting becomes much clearer, and it is easier tocompare the painting to the actual biblical text from which it was derived (Gospel of St.Matthew 2:1 - 2:12). When approaching the painting the first thing I noticed was the odd perspective. Thereare several vanishing points. Also, all of the figures seem to be placed on one plane.Because of this, the two figures that represent Jesus and Mary seem to be hoveringweirdly above the ground. This, I believe, draws the viewer's attention to these twofigures, since they are the main focus of the painting. Due to the influence of my culture, I recognized the figures as Jesus and Maryimmediately. However, despite this, there are a few indicators as to who the peoplerepresented in the painting are. When viewing the painting, it is obvious that the figuresof mother and child are the main point because the gazes of all of the people in therepresented center on the child, including the mother's. Also, the weird hovering effectalso directs the viewer's attention to these two figures. Both Mary and Jesus have halos,but this is not necessarily a distinguishing factor seeing as how there are also four otherfigures in the painting that have halos. However, the halo that surrounds the head of thebaby Jesus has a slightly different pattern than those that the other figures possess. Thislets you know that for whatever reason, this child is set apart from all other figures in thepainting. So, even if the viewer is of another culture or religion and...
