madonna with the long neck & peacock (after Parmigianino)

76x101cm / 30×40” acrylic on canvas, 2026

Parmigianino‘s Madonna with the Long Neck’ is a pinnacle of Mannerist art, delightful in its attenuated & slightly illogical proportions (hence the long neck), & intentional shift away from the idealism of high Renaissance art. However, Parmigianino never finished this painting, so that felt like a bit of an invitation to reinterpret it.

Parmigianino’s painting is an oft repeated image in biblical art of Mary (typically identified by her blue robe & red undershirt) holding baby jesus. The rendering of the baby jesus in this painting is somewhat strange though as he appears to have the proportions of a little man. This is foreshadowing for jesus’ death, as the pose is similar to that of the pietà, a scene where mary holds & mourns her dead son on her lap.

the madonna w the long neck & peacock’, is foreshadowing too, but for something ominously less apparent. Peacocks have long been a symbol of the monarchy. In this story, they are mysteriously worshipped, taking a subtle albeit equal place alongside religious idols.

pmd 2026