One of the themes in these past few posts has been the challenge to look critically at much admired paintings by much admired artists.
Giovanni Bellini is one of the celebrated Venetian painters of the 16th century. At first glance, his Madonna of the Trees seems harmonious, pleasing and perfect.
But look again. First, the woman has no right shoulder. Her right arm would have to be attached to that (missing) shoulder. Therefore, quite a bit of anatomy would have to be visible behind the baby. Second, the drapery over the right forearm abruptly stops behind the baby’s ankles. You would expect it to circle around, but no, it mysteriously breaks off behind the baby’s crossed ankles. This abruptness would be more obvious if the legs were separated, so he makes this plump newborn stand up straight and cross his ankles. If you consent to the missing shoulder, why not also accept absurd drapery and a posturing newborn!
As I’m writing this, I keep looking at the reproduction of this painting in a book. Even after my analysis and my full realization of Bellini’s trickery, I 
find this painting totally appealing.
Once that happens, I have to figure out why that happens, of course. The appeal of this painting, I think, comes from the rational organization of the composition. It’s as if your brain said, how can something so carefully laid out not make sense? As for the interrupted drapery around the arm, notice how the curve of that cloth is echoed in the left elbow’s drapery, forming a perfect ellipse. There you are, your brain says, I rest my case.
For more on how your brain accepts trickery like this, including optical illusions, see Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking Fast and Slow. Readable, relevant, highly recommended.
All contents copyright (C) 2010 Katherine Hilden. All rights reserved.
artamaze by Katherine Hilden 
The drapery on both sides of the Virgin falls behind the shelf the Infant stands on. It seems to me the Virgin’s right shoulder is turned away from the viewer, hence the foreshortening. Her head is turned slightly in the opposite direction so we see more of the right side of her face than the left, while her eyes turn back to the right to gaze at the Infant. The vertical centre line of the green screen aligns through her right eye.
A hi-res version is available at this link:
If her right shoulder were turned away from the viewer, as you suggest, the right forearm would be impossible as it is drawn. As for the blue cloth over the right arm simply dropping off behind the shelf, fabric does not behave that way.
[…] « Bellini’s Pleasing Tricks […]
Not at all, the right arm is extended at the elbow to support the balance of the Child. Try the pose in front of a mirror and the see the right shoulder recede. As for the fabric, analyse the folds elsewhere. They are not soft and subtle, but rather stiff and rigid which suggests the nature of the fabric does not hang well. But the way it is draped to fit behind the Child’s leg does look rather contrived.
The right shoulder cannot be pulled back because the right upper arm has to lead from the shoulder to the elbow. Notice how low the right elbow is. Even if the shoulders are aligned, the upper arm is impossible. Besides, the woman is holding the child and to do that she has to lean forward, certainly not back.