St Mennas 1560

Curator: Paolo Veronese painted "St. Mennas" around 1560. It's an oil on canvas that presents the saint within a faux-architectural niche. Editor: Whoa, he looks pretty intense! All that gleaming armor and the red cloak really give him a strong, heroic vibe. It's almost like he's stepping out of a theatrical performance. Curator: Absolutely. We can examine this image through the lens of power, gender, and religion in Renaissance Venice. Mennas, a Christian martyr, is staged in this very performative way. Consider, also, the male gaze that positions this saint as an object of veneration and masculine ideals. Editor: Right! It’s funny, he’s so stoic but that casual hand on his hip, gives the impression he doesn’t take himself too seriously. Also I really get a kick out of how his halberd has this weird floating, cartoon shadow behind it. Curator: The halberd, as you point out, is quite intentional. As a signifier, it would certainly have been recognizable at the time as symbolising authority and martyrdom. By placing him in the sculptural niche, and employing these rich colours Veronese cleverly blurs the line between living and representation, questioning assumptions around masculine religious ideals. Editor: It does give it this almost cinematic feeling! I almost think Veronese might have imagined him in his mind when he watched one of those sword and sandal epics they filmed in Cinecitta, with muscled extras strutting about with toy swords! Curator: And yet, even if Veronese wanted to stage him as masculine and triumphant, can’t escape the complexities of representing hagiography within broader frameworks around piety. In whose interests was it to have men pray for Saint Mennas's courage, loyalty, obedience, strength…? Editor: Okay, that's interesting and helps frame him in time, rather than just a pretty portrait on the wall...I kind of like it even more. Curator: Yes, reflecting on art this way challenges simple interpretation, doesn’t it? Editor: Indeed. Every work seems to open up when you really start digging.