Martyrdom of Saint Catherine of Alexandria 1512 - 1583

Bernardino Lanino made this drawing titled "Martyrdom of Saint Catherine of Alexandria". The monochrome medium imparts a sense of austere drama to the scene. Lanino masterfully orchestrates the composition around a central vanishing point, drawing our eyes through the architectural constructs that loom in the background. The lines of the buildings and the implied perspective converge to frame the figures in the foreground, lending a theatrical quality to the martyrdom. The texture created by the hatching and cross-hatching, combined with the intricate details of the classical architectural elements, speaks to the artist’s engagement with Renaissance ideals, yet there’s a break from this tradition. We observe the saint’s poised serenity amidst the chaos of her execution. Note how the lines become not just descriptive but expressive, embodying the tension between the saint’s spiritual transcendence and the brutality of her physical ordeal. This visual paradox invites us to consider the interplay between faith, power, and representation.