Madonna in the Meadow
Bellini's Madonna in the Meadow also shows that Bellini is an ideal Renaissance man. The painting portrays Jesus lying in Mary's lap in a field. Bellini wanted to make Mary one with the Earth, so her dress is connected to the ground. Two other features of the painting are a crow in a tree, which may symbolize death, and a crane and a snake fighting. This may represent good (the crane) fighting evil (the snake). This painting shows the Renaissance ideal of realism because Mary and Jesus look like real people. Medieval Madonnas were painted with either crowns or halos and were accompanied by angels. Also there are every-day things happening in the picture, like a cow eating grass and another cow resting. The painting also shows realism because Bellini used perspective, texture, proportion, shading, and color in both the center figures and the background landscape. Madonna in the Meadow also shows the Renaissance ideal of individualism because it is a unique presentation of the Madonna and child that is very different from other medieval and Renaissance interpretations of the subject.