Masterpiece a Minute: Parmigianino

In this painting, the artist is demonstrating his unique ability to portray a variety of different textures with exceptional skill, from skin and hair to cloth, metal and jewelry. Reducing the depth of painting creates an intimate experience for the viewer. The artist relishes the material properties of paint, skillfully applying it to fit the difference between the rougher skin on a subject's hand and the skin on her face, which receives a softer or delicate treatment. The hair, so finely painted, perfectly conveys what it would feel like to touch, soft light locks trickling around the subject's neck, like water from a spring. The refraction of light in the gems on the breastplate highlights their brilliance, showing the artist's incomparable skill at being able to translate light onto paint and canvas. From the imagery on her brooch, we know this to be the warrior goddess Athena, who would usually be painted with her breasts open to war. The artist shows us a unique, more intimate interpretation of the subject, which allows a viewer to delight in the beauty.