1522
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Dominant colour
Christ, the Virgin, and St. John the Baptist with Saints Paul and Catherine is a 1522 by Marcantonio Raimondi, a Renaissance work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This engraving shows five figures in a dramatic scene. At the center, a bearded man with outstretched arms floats above the ground, surrounded by glowing rays. To his left, a robed man holds a staff and looks upward. On the right, another figure kneels, gesturing toward the floating man. Two more figures sit on clouds behind them, one with a halo and a book, the other with a crown and a cross. The floating figure’s pose and the halos suggest a heavenly theme. The use of light and shadow here is sharp, creating strong contrasts between dark and light areas. Look up chiaroscuro next to see how this technique works.
Marcantonio Raimondi, often called simply Marcantonio (c. 1470/82 – c. 1534), was an Italian engraver, known for being the first important printmaker whose body of work consists largely of prints copying paintings. He…
See the richer artist page
