Man of Sorrow 1508

Il Sodoma, born Giovanni Antonio Bazzi, painted this “Man of Sorrow”. During the Renaissance, the Catholic Church was a major patron of the arts, and artists were often commissioned to create works that reinforced religious doctrine. Sodoma developed an alternative narrative through his life as an openly homosexual man. His nickname, "Il Sodoma," was not a name he was ashamed of. This painting is a product of the artist's way of life. We find Jesus in this painting as a figure of endurance, as the artist endured what society thought of him, so too did Jesus. Sodoma’s personal experiences, and unique identity, find expression in the emotional intensity of this devotional image, offering a glimpse into the complexities of faith, identity, and artistic expression during the Italian Renaissance.