Martyrdom of Four Saints 1520

‘Martyrdom of Four Saints’ was painted by Correggio in the early 16th century using oil on canvas. Here, the artist created the image by carefully layering different tones of oil paint on top of one another to create a luminous effect. Oil paint’s unique characteristic, that it takes a long time to dry, allowed Correggio to rework the image as he went along. You can see this most clearly in the soft transitions of light and shadow that give the figures a sense of volume, and their faces an emotional depth. This technique, known as sfumato, was particularly prized in the Renaissance, when painting was elevated to the status of high art. It took considerable investment in materials and studio labor to produce a painting like this. Ultimately, this artwork reminds us of the social context in which art is created, the cost of materials, the labor involved, and the way these factors contribute to its meaning.