Form in Painting
A Madonna by Raphael Sanzio (1483–1520), built out of two skillfully nested triangles. To balance the boys at the left, the Virgin faces slightly to the right, her extended foot “echoing” their bare flesh. On a larger scale, the activity at the left is matched by a steeper landscape. Mondadori Portfolio/Electa/Sergio Anelli/The Bridgeman Art Library.