Die büßende heilige Maria Magdalena

About this artwork

Diese bewegende Darstellung, die sich ursprünglich "In Grafen Zimmer" des Palais Attems in Graz befand, zeigt die büßende Maria Magdalena. Insbesondere das Detail der über die linke Wange rinnenden Tränen trägt dazu bei, das Mitgefühl des Betrachters zu erregen. Interessant ist dabei, dass wir hier viel mehr den Eindruck eines konkreten Bildnisses und nicht jenen einer idealisierten Heiligen vor uns haben. Wenn auch nicht zu dessen Magdalenendarstellungen, so besteht doch eine Ähnlichkeit dieser...

Art Historical Context

Franz Carl Remp's *Die büßende heilige Maria Magdalena* (ca. 1710), an oil on canvas measuring 100 x 68 cm, captures the penitent saint in a deeply emotive Baroque portrait from the Belvedere Collection in Vienna. Originally housed in the "Grafen Zimmer" of Palais Attems in Graz, this painting exemplifies the dramatic religious art of early 18th-century Austria, where artists drew on Counter-Reformation ideals to evoke spiritual devotion and human empathy. The work's power lies in its poignant details, such as the tear tracing down Mary Magdalene's left cheek, which stirs the viewer's compassion. Unlike idealized saints, she appears as a strikingly realistic figure—almost a concrete portrait—infused with raw emotion and individuality. Remp's meticulous oil technique renders her features with lifelike depth, highlighting the medium's ability to convey texture and light in Baroque tenebrism. Influences abound: the figure echoes the Christ in Guido Reni's *Taufe Christi* at the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, while evoking the dramatic styles of Johann Carl Loth and his pupil Hans Adam Weissenkircher. Though Remp forgoes their rapid brushwork for a more deliberate precision, the result is a compelling blend of tradition and personal expression, inviting reflection on repentance and humanity.