Mother's Day Madonna and Child by Mario Skori

On this Mother's Day Sunday, we reflect on Mary, Mother of Jesus, the most widely portrayed mother in history. The above Madonna and child was painted by Mario Skori and comes from the private collection of renown portrait painter Marcus Blahove (b. 1928).  Blahove, originally from Ukraine via Argentina, lived in Greensboro for several years with his Spanish-teacher wife, Maria Raisa and their family.  

We like the intensity of the eyes painted in the above picture. The baby's eyes are blue and the mother's eyes are dark brown. Both are pensive; neither is looking directly at the painter. We wonder just what they are seeing, pondering... The baby appears to be incomplete, a work in progress-- perhaps a metaphor for motherhood in general. Our understanding of the word mother changes as we move from infant to toddler to adolescent to adult to parent. At this point in your life, what does the word "mother" mean to you?  How will you remember your mother on this Mother's Day?

(Note:  The above painting remains in a private collection in Greensboro. The owner would love to know more about the history of the painting and the artist. If you are in contact with the Blahove family, please direct them to this blog).

Comments

[Dina]

Yes, they are quite different from the usual portrayals.
Nice of you to feature/remember Mary today.

[Jane Mitchell]

Of course, the mother I imagine is the portrait in my living room painted by Marcus Blahove. When he began, she asked if he was going to make her old and fat. He replied that he could make her as young and as thin as she wanted to be. He painted her sitting next to her piano with a book on the table beside her--thus showing her two favorite pastimes. It is a treasure. JTM

[Greensboro Daily Photo]

Jane:

Thank you for sharing that wonderful MARCUS BLAHOVE story. It would be nice to have more written about this fabulous 20th century portrait artist!

Enjoy that portrait of your mother and all of the memories that come rushing back as you reflect on the past and dream of the future today. Happy Mother's Day!