St Mark the Evangelist c. 1448 - 1451

Andrea Mantegna painted this “St Mark the Evangelist” using tempera on canvas, sometime in the second half of the 15th century. Mantegna embraced the Renaissance revival of classical antiquity, with his meticulous approach to painting, building up layer after layer, to create the illusion of sculptural form. Notice the way he depicts St Mark's robes and his intense gaze, which together create a sense of depth and presence. This wasn't just a case of pictorial illusion, but a reflection of the values of the time, a culture of seeing and knowing. It’s fascinating to see how Mantegna played with surface and depth. By mimicking stone, in paint, he deliberately blurred the line between the real and the represented, between the physical and the spiritual. His understanding of the material and mastery of painting techniques allowed him to create an object that continues to intrigue and inspire.