El cántico de la profetisa María
Luca Giordano·1687
Historical Context
The Song of the Prophetess Miriam at the Prado depicts Moses' sister leading the Israelite women in celebration after crossing the Red Sea. This triumphant subject from the Exodus narrative was painted in 1687 during Giordano's Spanish period. Oil on canvas suited Giordano's rapid working method: he typically laid in compositions with fluid, transparent washes then built form with loaded brushwork, completing large canvases in days. His stylistic eclecticism — absorbing Ribera, Titian, Rubens...
Technical Analysis
The celebratory dance creates a dynamic, rhythmic composition of joyful movement. Giordano's energetic brushwork and warm palette capture the spirit of musical celebration and divine thanksgiving.
Look Closer
- ◆Notice the dynamic, rhythmic composition of joyful movement — Miriam and the women's dance creates the same kind of energetic horizontal procession Giordano uses for his triumphal subjects.
- ◆Look at Giordano's energetic brushwork capturing the spirit of musical celebration: tambourines and movement are rendered with the same fluid confidence he brings to battle scenes.
- ◆Find the Exodus context implicit in the subject: the Red Sea's waters have just closed on the Egyptian army, and the women's song celebrates both military victory and divine deliverance.
- ◆Observe that this 1687 Prado work was painted five years before Giordano himself crossed from Naples to Spain — a journey across water that must have resonated with the Exodus theme he was simultaneously painting.
