Lecture 18: Andrea Mantegna and Giovanni Bellini
even unemotional (like those of Piero della Francesca), while at other times,
they are anguished in their emotional fervor. Mantegna painted altarpieces
and narrative frescoes for churches and chapels, and he was one of the most
innovative decorators of palace interiors, developing both perspective and
other illusionistic devices. His inÀ uence in this area continued for centuries.Our ¿ rst example shows Mantegna’s St. Sebastian (c. 1460). St. Sebastian
almost appears carved rather than modeled, showing a comprehension of
anatomy that seems learned from ancient sculpture rather than the living
body. Note the complex architectural ruin. Given that St. Sebastian was a
Roman soldier, the Roman architecture is historically appropriate. Mantegna
immersed himself in the study of antiquity, and he took this opportunity to
show fragments of Roman architecture. The saint is bound to a Corinthian
column attached to a square pier from which an arch rises until it is cut off
by the frame. A marble terrace is behind him, and fragments of sculpture are
scattered about. A mountain landscape at left leads the eye to a blue sky with
brilliant white clouds that look three-dimensional and tangible.St. Sebastian was a popular subject in Renaissance times because painting him
gave the artist an opportunity to study and reproduce the nude ¿ gure. The saint,
a Roman soldier, had converted to Christianity and sought to convert others. He
was arrested and sentenced to death. In the countless paintings and sculptures of
St. Sebastian’s intended execution by an archery squad, artists treated the
subject in many ways, and the number of arrows in his body varies from
one to a quiver-full. Mantegna multiplies the arrows so that contemplation
of the saint is painful, especially the arrow piercing his skull from the neck
through his head. In this overemphasis on physical torment and in placing the
tortured body at the front of the picture, Mantegna commands our attention
and empathy. St. Sebastian survived the archery squad, was nursed back
to health by St. Irene, and returned to preaching Christianity. He was later
beaten to death with clubs, and his body was thrown into a Roman sewer.In 1460, Mantegna was invited by Ludovico Gonzaga, ruler of Mantua, to
move to that city, not far from Padua. Inland and south of Verona, Mantua
was situated in a swampy, unappealing locale. It was also the capital of the
Gonzaga family, a rich and powerful dynasty whose taste for culture was
highly developed and who invited artists, writers, and musicians from other