Tommaso Gismondi - The Black Madonna

The iconography of motherhood is closely linked to the subject of the Madonna and Child. It is probably one of the most popular iconographies in the history of both Western and Eastern art. The Madonna and Child appears since the dawn of medieval painting and remained a constant subject as long as religious themes dominated artistic production (that is, until the 19th century, when themes inspired by everyday life began to be introduced).

Artist Tommaso Gismondi's research focuses on the human body. His personal interpretation emphasizes the expansion of volumes, as seen in this bas-relief. The figures almost swell in the exaltation of plasticity, in a forced expression that overwhelms the figures in the foreground. The compositional harmony of the subjects is further enhanced by the background, characterized by a highly textured finish. In the case of this sacred sculpture, however, the expressive distortion is directly linked to the tradition of ancient Byzantine icons and early medieval art in general. The figures acquire a pronounced two-dimensionality and a hieratic appearance, yet in a synthesis imbued with a contemporary sensibility.

Tommaso Gismondi was an artist originally from Anagni, the city where he was born in 1906 and passed away in 2003. He is known as "the Pope's sculptor" for the many works commissioned by Paul VI and John Paul II. Among his most famous works are the doors of the Vatican Library and the Vatican Secret Archives. He also created several bronzes for St. Peter's Basilica, the chair of John Paul II, and the Stations of the Cross. He also designed several coins for the Vatican and the Italian Mint.

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