The Martyrdom of Saint Serapion by Francisco de Zurbarán (Interpretation and Analysis)

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The Martyrdom of Saint Serapion by Francisco de Zurbarán
The Martyrdom of Saint Serapion
Source: Wikipedia
Yesterday, we looked at Francisco de Zurbarán’s astonishing painting The Apparition of Saint Peter to Saint Peter Nolasco. Today, I want to continue our conversation about Zurbarán’s work with one of his masterpieces The Martyrdom of Saint Serapion.

As the title suggests, the painting depicts the death of Serapion, a thirteenth century saint. Like Zurbarán’s other paintings, The Martyrdom of Saint Serapion is baroque in style. The piece is visually dramatic, making use of light and shadow to emphasis the lifelessness of the saint’s body. Compositionally, the piece offers a very narrow view of the scene—focusing on the saint’s face and torso—adding a degree of intensity to the painting.

Despite this, it is clear that Zurbarán utilized elements of the Renaissance style in this painting. Instead of depicting the trauma of a violent death, Zurbarán’s Serapion is calm and dignified, borrowing an aura of Renaissance serenity. The tilt of his head and the elaborate folds of his robe are almost classical in composition. The result is a painting that is quite beautiful, regardless of its gory subject matter. Rather than inspire devotion through contemplation of the saint’s pain, Zurbarán chose to present to his viewers the image of a man at peace with God—inspiring piety and contemplation through the martyr’s tranquility.

Disclaimer: I’m not an art historian or an expert on this topic. The above is my opinion, based on my interpretation of my foreknowledge of art and history. If I’ve done any additional research, I’ll note it above.

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