From the Gospels to the penitent tradition · Fidelity, conversion and Resurrection

Disciple of Christ, present at the Crucifixion and first witness to the Resurrection, Mary Magdalene becomes in art a bearer of ointment, penitent, contemplative and figure of the Noli me tangere.

Mary Magdalene occupies a major place in the Gospels. Healed by Christ, she follows him, attends the Crucifixion and comes to the tomb on Easter morning. She is the first to meet the resurrected Jesus, whom she recognizes when he calls her by name. Western tradition has long brought her closer to Mary of Bethany and the sinful woman who anoints Christ's feet. This fusion has created an extremely rich iconography. The perfume vase recalls the anointing and the visit to the tomb. The long hair, the book, the cross and the skull accompany the penitent Magdalene withdrawn into the desert. In the Noli me tangere, she kneels before Christ who asks her to do not hold it back. Painters oscillate between beauty, repentance, ecstasy and authority of testimony. Caravaggio shows a young woman sitting after the jewelry was abandoned, making the conversion almost silent. Titian gives the penitent an open emotion, carried by the hair, the gaze and the landscape. Artemisia Gentileschi builds a more autonomous and physical presence. El Greco lengthens the figure, cools the color and transforms the desert into a spiritual space. These choices make it possible to distinguish portrait, penance, ecstasy and story of the Resurrection. El Greco lengthens the figure, cools the color and transforms the desert into a spiritual space. These choices make it possible to distinguish portrait, penance, ecstasy and story of the Resurrection. El Greco lengthens the figure, cools the color and transforms the desert into a spiritual space. El Greco lengthens the figure, cools the color and transforms the desert into a spiritual space. These choices make it possible to distinguish portrait, penance, ecstasy and story of the Resurrection. The "Mary Magdalene" selection notably compares the repentant Madeleine - Caravaggio and the penit Its reading favors light.

Mary Magdalene connects the Passion and Easter: she remains near the cross, seeks the absent body and becomes the first voice of the resurrected Christ.