In order to understand why the predominance of Mary declined
following the Renaissance period, one must assess what factors
contributed to her rise in composition, and how these elements affected
her fall. Mary's role as the ideal Renaissance woman made her a palpable
choice when creating artwork, a role undoubtedly influenced by society's
strict and unquestioned devotion to the Roman Catholic Church. It was
not until the introduction of the Protestant Reformation that the
Catholic Church started to lose popularity, which ultimately led to the
decline in the use of Mary's image. Furthermore, the loss of faith is
ubiquitous in today's secular society, causing a recession in the
religions that still honor the Virgin. Mary has lost the reverence and
veneration displayed during the Italian Renaissance due to the changes
in the cultural expectations of women, as well as from the emergence of
several different Christian denominations as opposed to the unified
Catholicism that existed during the 14th and 15th century.
Full Paper: Mary's Compositional Rise and Fall