Но чёткая форма медальона нарушена очертаниями раскрытых рук юного Христа, слегка подавшегося вперед; более свободный жест заменил каноническое благословение.
Колорит иконы построен на контрасте столь любимых ярославцами тонов: темно-зеленого, пурпурно-коричневого и золотого.
The composition is extremely balanced, almost symmetrical.
Christ is shown in a roundel around the Virgin's chest to indicate symbolically that He is in Her womb: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel" (KJV, Isaiah 7:14).
Notice how the hands of Christ Emmanuel, stretched out in blessing, connect to the hands of the Virgin.
The roundels with the archangels, the halo of the Virgin, and the roundel containing the image of Christ form a triangle,
and this triangular shape, "framed" by the position of the Virgin's hands and a particularly deep crease in the folds of her garment, pushes the Virgin's body down and anchors it firmly to the decorative red ground.
The mantle falls down at an angle which counteracts the downward push of the triangle and balances the composition. The folds of the drapery define Her body, but they seem to disconnect Her from Her feet.
The gold background helps to accentuate the red of the ground and the browns and blues of the cloak. [K.T. and A.B.]
