The Penitent Magdalen

I will be critiquing "The Penitent Magdalen" by La Tour, on Imitational, Emotional and Formal aspects, this picture shows a of a young woman looking in the mirror with some sort in eager desire or want, a flame shadow casting the whole picture.



Imitationalism
This picture is tremendously lifelike, the colors are mainly whites and reds, but with the shading added in makes it seem lifelike, and almost touchable, though the fac there in no reflection in the mirror of the woman makes it seem off, the flame adding into the shading and the reflection of the candle makes it seem like its a photograph or staring at the person themself.


Emotionalism
The feel of this is very surreal, the light colors and how they work with each also though you barely see the woman's face, it seems almost surreal in that sense, but then because of the dark shading and the way it effects the painting it completely changes the surrealism of the painting almost turning it to seem as if it there is something to fear, and since we cannot see the subject's the description of the painting is left very open ended.


Formalism
The picture shows unity in a sense that the darkness of the picture is greatly balanced out by the light coming from the candle, and the tint it gives to the rest of the picture.