Saint Sebastian

Story

The Bergamo Saint Sebastian panel is an early work, completed by Raphael before he was twenty. The structure of the painting is a series of graceful arches and curves, interrupted only by the strong diagonal of the arrow. The saint’s sloping shoulders echo, in reverse, the hills of the distant landscape. The fall of the gold chain mirrors the shape of his face, while his chin, eyes and brows form another series of arches. The lines of the halo are repeated in the embroidery on his tunic and gorgeous red robe. The soft waves of his hair are picked up by the undulating foliage of the tree beyond.

The landscape itself is indistinct, atmospheric, even hazy, but also rather generic—there is nothing to suggest a particular place. Instead it acts as a beautiful backdrop for the figure and a counterpoint to the red of Sebastian’s robe