Saint Andrew 1740

Pompeo Batoni's Saint Andrew is a painting on canvas, a traditional support for artmaking since the Renaissance. The way Batoni builds up the paint surface is critical to the work’s effect. Notice the rough texture of the wood of the cross, achieved by layering and stippling the oil paint. The artist is clearly skilled at rendering flesh, seen in the smooth transitions of light and shadow on the saint's skin. Then there are the draped textiles, where the artist captures the fall of light and shade with great economy. Batoni's painting is about the translation of labor, but in two senses. The labor of the artist, evident in his virtuoso handling of the oil paint, and the labor of Saint Andrew, who devoted his life to the service of God. The art is the product of highly specialized and rewarded work, whilst commemorating a life of very different labor.