"The Penitent Magdalen"

La Tour used heightened chiaroscuro - or tenebrism - to underscore the mood and/or motivation of his subject. The darkened interior enabled him to play on the theme of light and reflected light in contrast with the surrounding obscurity. It set a mood conducive to contemplation and meditation, both for the  in his pictures and for the spectator. Light and darkness had symbolic values on several levels: most obviously in the contrast between the spiritual darkness of our mortal world, illuminated by the light of the divine". Indeed, Mary Magdalene is a fitting subject for La Tour's Baroque treatment. The candle, which was widely interpreted as a symbol of Christ's presence, features here to connote an act of meditation and Magdalen's new faith (in Jesus) that will lead her away from a life of sin.