奧地利畫家菲德利希‧馮‧艾梅林（Friedrich von Amerling, 1803-1887）是1830-1850年代維也納與歐陸最為炙手可熱的肖像畫畫家，直至畫家去世為止，都是維也納藝術圈所公認的代表性人物。艾梅林結合了維也納資產階級肖像畫的寫實傳統與英國自雷諾茲爵士（Sir Joshua Reynolds, 1723-1792）與勞倫斯爵士（Sir Thomas Lawrence, 1769-1830）以來的肖像畫形式，賦予肖像畫歷史畫或風俗畫的特質。

這幅1854年完成的作品是以畫家自家廚娘凱瑟琳娜（Katharina）為模特兒，並參考文藝復興與巴洛克以來「慈愛」（Caritas）主題的圖像傳統而來。象徵「慈愛」的母親正面端坐在木椅上，她微展雙臂的姿勢與紅色外袍形成一個穩固的三角構圖，將三位小孩框圈其中。女子身後的幼童雙手抓摟她的頸肩趴靠著，在玩耍長袍罩蓋自己的同時探頭狡黠地看向母親。女子微笑左偏的臉幾乎與其面頰相貼，她沉靜垂目前望，似乎正等待著小孩的下步動作。與此同時，女子彎起左臂扶攬著斜靠懷中、並抓扯自己內衫的嬰孩；她優雅下垂的右手拉持著外袍，將另一位緊抱自己手臂、仰頭磨蹭的孩童遮護住其中，小兒們的依賴親近之情表露無遺。女子任由著小孩玩鬧騷動，無視拉扯下凌亂滑落的衣衫，那淡然安靜的神情流露出沉穩可靠的氣勢，詮釋出母親般的慈愛與包容。

大片孔雀綠、橘紅、暖白，與點綴其中的摻白赭黃（ochre）營造出溫潤之感；右後方背景中的紫紅布幔向左逐漸轉為藍中帶黃的色塊，除去細節景深的色塊背景使前方人物成為唯一焦點。右上方的光源烘托出母子位處對角線區域中的關鍵身姿表情，細膩的顏色漸層與筆觸展現出肌膚的光滑水亮、白皙透紅，而孩童們的臉龐在明暗交替映照下尤其顯得活潑靈動。相對之下，陰影處的長裙與背景布幔在深色調中彼此呼應，簡單大片縐褶的示意性直率筆觸讓畫面在細膩之餘不失簡樸，寫實之餘兼具寫意。

自艾梅林1854年創作【慈愛】後，許多收藏家都相當喜愛，並常有人模仿創作，奇美博物館另藏有由奧匈學派所作的【慈愛】，即後人於1858年的仿製之作。(于禮本)

Friedrich von Amerling (1803-1887) was one of the most popular Austrian portrait painters in Vienna as well as in Europe during the period 1830 to 1850. Until the day of his death, he was recognized as the representative artist in the Vienna art circle. Combining the Vienna realism of the capitalist portrait tradition and a heritage from British artists as Joshua Reynolds and Thomas Lawrence, Amerling enriched portraits with features commonly found in historical and genre paintings.

This painting, completed in 1854, is one for which Amerling adopted his cook, Katharina, as a model and which referenced the pictorial convention of Charity arising in the Renaissance and Baroque. The mother symbolizes charity sits on a wooden chair in the center and, covered by a red cloak, she slightly stretches her arms to wrap three children around her, forming a stable triangle in the sketch. The child on her back clings close with both hands grabbing her shoulders, while pulling playfully the long cloak and casting a cunning look at his mother. With her face turning sideways, the woman nearly touches the child’s face with her smiling cheek, and her eyes look calmly forward, as if anticipating the child’s next move. Meanwhile, she bends her left arm, holding close to herself the baby that is pulling at her top. Her right arm hanging down elegantly, she holds a corner of the cloak in her hand and shelters another child who holds her arm and lifts his/her head upward under her wing. The painting presents the children’s dependency and lingering intimacy with the mother. Meanwhile, the mother remains calm in her expression and reveals firmness and reliability despite the mischief of the children intent on distracting her, fully interpreting motherly love and tolerance.

The use of large patches of peacock green, orange-red, and warm white decorated with ochre creates a sense of warmth. In the background, the stretching draperies turn gradually from purple red on the right to blue with dots of yellow on the left, removing detail for a depth in the perspective and creating sole focus on the figure in the foreground. The light from the upper right enhances the critical postures and expressions at the center where the mother and children are placed in crisscrossing positions. Colors fade subtly with skillful brushwork to show the smoothness and luster of their pearlescent complexion, while the children’s faces are particularly lively in their interaction of light and dark. In contrast, the long skirt in the shade echoes the darkness of the draperies in the background. The clothes in large folds have been completed in plain and daring strokes, thus contributing to the imagery an effect of simplicity in the treatment of details as well as some room for fancy amid realism. (Li Pen YU)