Donatello s Mary Magdalene

Right now I'm standing in front of my personal favorite work of art in the world. This is Donatello's Mary Magdalene, carved in 1455. It is made completely out of wood, stands at a height of 6'2". Uncharacteristically, Donatello moved to extreme expressiveness and individualism near the end of his life, and it shows in this piece. Mary is wretched. She's ravaged by sin. Her hands are up, begging for repentance to God. It shows her in her sinful state, and it reminds us all that we are sinful. It's an extremely emotionally moving piece.