Martyrdom of St. Vitale

Federico Barocci, once again, created a spectacular altarpiece, The Martyrdom of St. Vitale. Unlike the pervious altarpieces I have presented, this one is unknown. Very little is known about it, other than art historians place in around 1580 to 1583.

   Barocci, Martyrdom of St. Vitale

 

However, I found this altarpiece extremely interesting because Rubens would eventually use it for inspiration for his Martyrdom of St. Livinus. It is believed that Rubens was particularly interested in the undulating body of St. Vitale.

 

 Rubens, Martyrdom of St. Livinus

 

Like in Barocci’s Entombment, Barocci was able to pull the audience into the altarpiece by establishing this clear twisting motion in his composition. The viewer’s eyes go to the angel-like figure at the top who is bathed in golden light, then following the downward motion of the arm, the viewer sees St. Vitale. Following the pointed figure of St. Vitale, we look at the surrounding figures and our eyes finally land on the mother with her children, who reminds us of the Virgin Mary. It is believed he used the same model for this figure as he did for his Madonna images. So, our eyes twist and move throughout the painting, but each figure as a twisting motion as well. This device is one that sets Barocci apart from his fellow painters because only he uses this twisting motion to draw people into the paintings.