Painting Interpretation Saint Catherine of Alexandria Saint

Painting Interpretation

Saint Catherine of Alexandria

Saint Catherine of Alexandria was a favorite subject of art during the late Renaissance. The painting of Saint Catherine to which this analysis will refer is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was painted by an unknown painter who is believed to have been from the Netherlands and painted the piece in the last quarter of the 15th century.

When examining a piece that portrays a famous person, it helps to know something about their story to aid in understanding the piece. Saint Catherine was a Christian saint virgin, who was martyred in the 4th century by Empower Maxentius. Saint Catherine opposed the pagan Emperor for executing Christians who refused to worship idols. She beat the Emperor in a debate about the matter and won. This enraged the Emperor who put her in prison. She was visited by hundreds, including the Emperors wife who converted to Christianity. Saint Catherine was sentenced to death on a spiked breaking wheel, which miraculously broke. The Emperor had to settle for beheading her (Lewis, 2000). Narrative painting was a shift from iconic imagery and is a common structure of Renaissance painting (Stokstad & Cateforis, 2004).

On first impression, a feeling or darkness and tragedy grips the viewer. The artist's use of grey scale adds to the somber tone. Catherine stands on Emperor Maxentius in triumph, but she is not smiling. We know that this is the Emperor because he holds a scepter and is richly dressed, by Renaissance standards. She has a solemn expression. This painting retells the story of Saint Catherine, with the broken spiked wheel beside her. There are actually two Catherines in the painting. One in the foreground, who is reading a book, we can assume is a Bible, representing the Christian faith that she defended. The other Catherine is in the background in prayer position about to be beheaded. The two Catherines are wearing different clothing, indicating two different time periods. This supports that this is a narrative, rather than an iconic painting.

The painting is devoid of iconography. There are few unnecessary objects in the painting. The only objects depicted are those that are necessary to the story. This is another trait of renaissance art found by Stokstad and Cateforis. Saint Catherine carries a sword as a symbol of her role as a defender of the Christian faith. Saint Catherine and all other figures in the painting are in the correct proportions, without any particular figure dominating the painting. The main image is centered in relation to the canvas, with the other elements arranged around her. You are able to determine who is the central character in this story as soon as you look at the painting. You know that she is a Saint by her halo. It is also apparent that this painting tells a story, a very sad one at that.