1485
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Saint Sebastian is a 1485 ink by Martin Schongauer, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This print shows a man tied to a tree, arrows stuck in his body. His head is turned slightly, eyes closed, and his muscles look tight. The tree behind him has bare branches, and the ground around his feet is rocky. Notice how the artist used tiny parallel lines to build up dark shadows—this makes the skin and cloth look textured. The lines also create a sense of weight in the arrows and the man’s suffering. Look up engraving to see how artists like this one carved lines into metal to make prints.
Martin Schongauer, also known as Martin Schön or Hübsch Martin by his contemporaries, was an Alsatian engraver and painter.
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