ISSN 2411-0795
ISSN 2411-0795
Keywords: Mary Magdalene, liturgical drama, medieval theatre, mystery play, scene of the three Marys, altar painting, Passion Cycle, Northern Renaissance, Golden Legend (Legenda Aurea), Passion Mystery, Noli mi tangere, Netherlandish painting.
Bogomolova Y.Y. The Image of Mary Magdalene in the Medieval Theater and Its Reflection in the Altar Art of the Northern Renaissance. // Theory and History of Art. 2023. N 3/4, p.117–133
Research on the history of the medieval theater has been quite intensive in recent years, as evidenced by a number of recent monographs. Spectacle culture, both ecclesiastical and secular, is of interest in relation to the origins of European professional theater and the study of the social life of that time.
The active participation in such productions of the character of Mary Magdalene, the interest in which also does not decrease, especially in European studies, makes it possible to understand many of the processes characteristic of the areal spectacle by the example of the embodiment of her stage image. The surviving comments on the scenarios of urban mysteries and liturgical dramas, as well as the features of such actions reflected in the works of fine art, shed light on the specifics of the medieval worldview.
The article establishes the relationship and mutual influence of the staging of a religious drama and the compositional organization of the altar image on the example of the character of Mary Magdalene.