The Miracle of the Slave
Dublin Core
Title
Description
Miracle of the Slave depicts St Mark’s rescue of a slave suffering from the torment of his master. The slave came to worship the relics of St. Mark because of his faith. After being caught, his master condemned to make him blind and break his legs. The miraculous intervention of St. Mark, the guardian of the city, broke the tormenting tools, and protected his devotees. [1]
Tintoretto learned and drew inspiration from the craftsmanship of Michelangelo and the coloring of Titian. He owned innumerable casts of Michelangelo’s sculptures to study the muscular wonderfulness and plasticity of the sculptures. [2] In Tintoretto's early work, Miracle of the Slave, he especially absorbed some of Michelangelo’s composition and posture of the figure, emphasizing the rendering of a vibrant male body with wonderful and rippling muscles. The two sitting figures in the lower right corner of the painting draw on the distinctive form of sculpture by Michelangelo. One of them was sitting on a stone stool, his body and neck twisted in opposite directions. His right arm bends slightly to support the weight of his body, apparent by his bent wrist. The texture of the muscles on the back is very obvious due to the torsion of the body. This is very similar to Michelangelo's work in the tomb of Guiliano de Medici, the resting figure Day, dependent on the curved marble next to him. [3] In terms of color, Tintoretto also absorbed Titian’s style and paid great attention to use the color relationship to structure and organize the composition. The bright red of St. Mark’s robe also appeared on the slave master giving the order, the resting man with a helmet in the lower right. and the one holding the column on the left side. These three figures are distributed at the edges of the painting and unified to frame and reinforce the image of St.Mark. Tintoretto consciously used the color relationship to create a kind of pattern and rhythm.
Miracle of the Slave was commissioned for use of the Scuola Grande di San Marco. Initially, the work caused controversy and received some criticisms, such as complaining that the brushwork of the painting was too rough and anxious, and was initially returned to the artist because of its inappropriateness. However, the work marked Tintoretto’s beginning on large-scale works and of a long-term relationship with Scuola, as Tintoretto was promoted to the predominant league of Venetian artists.[1]
[1] “How Tintoretto flourished by giving a painting away,” The Eclectic Light Company, accessed October 27, 2020, https://eclecticlight.co/2020/06/03/how-tintoretto-flourished-by-giving-a-painting-away/
[2] Claus Virch. “A Study by Tintoretto after Michelangelo.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin 15, no. 4 (December 1956): 111. https://doi.org/10.2307/3257711.
[3] Thackara Tess. “Tintoretto Was the Unsung Hero of the Venetian Renaissance.” Artsy, last modified February 19, 2019. https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-tintoretto-unsung-hero-venetian-renaissance.
Creator
Source
https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-tintoretto-unsung-hero-venetian-renaissance.
The Eclectic Light Company, “How Tintoretto flourished by giving a painting away,” Accessed October 27, 2020, https://eclecticlight.co/2020/06/03/how-tintoretto-flourished-by-giving-a-painting-away/
Virch, Claus. “A Study by Tintoretto after Michelangelo.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin 15, no. 4 (December 1956): 111. https://doi.org/10.2307/3257711.
Image Source:
Tintoretto, Jacopo. The Miracle of the Slave. Gallerie Accademia di Venezia. Accessed October 13, 2020. http://www.gallerieaccademia.it/en/miracle-slave-also-known-miracle-saint-mark.
Publisher
Gallerie Dell’Accademia Di Venezia