St. Sebastian 1531

Lorenzo Lotto painted Saint Sebastian in oil on canvas sometime in the early sixteenth century. At that time, the dominant visual style was the High Renaissance. But here, Lotto deliberately rejects the classicizing aesthetics of masters like Raphael. Instead, he develops an emotionally charged composition full of dissonances and asymmetries. It is almost as if he is experimenting with ways of breaking the classical style. Saint Sebastian was a popular subject in Renaissance Italy, and his image served to ward off plague. The prevalence of plague, as well as the rise of religious reform movements at that time, might have influenced the artist to portray the scene of martyrdom with a dose of realism. To better understand an artwork such as this, we might consult Church records for evidence of plague outbreaks or look at the writings of contemporary religious figures to learn more about the spiritual climate of the time.