Art Analysis: The Entombment Of Saint Catherine Of Alexandria

There are many paintings that display religious meaning, but none do it quite as well as The Entombment of Saint Catherine of Alexandria while also portraying a woman who spoke out for her beliefs despite the time. This painting was created by Francisco de Zurbaran in 1636-1637 during the High Renaissance and is oil on canvas with a total size of 78 ¾ by 52 9/16 inches (Nelson-Atkins Museum). It portrays a meaningful part of the story of Saint Catherine, and today can be found in the Nelson-Atkins Museum in downtown Kansas City, Missouri (Nelson-Atkins Museum). After she was baptized, Christ appeared before Saint Catherine and offered her a ring, so she tried to convert the Roman Emperor Maximillian II to Christianity (Kirikov). He proposed

An important aspect of this painting is its use of light. The top portion of the painting is very bright, with small angels and clouds. It implies a type of heaven watching over what is happening. Larger angels are carrying Saint Catherine upwards, and below her is cast in shadow. This represents her reward for her faith, which is kind treatment in the afterlife by the angels and God who she worships. In other words, the light displays that her faith is lifting her from darkness after her death; in other words, her action of defiance in faith was light in the dark, and she will be lifted into the light where she belongs. Color is also important here. Saint Catherine is dressed in a soft pink and has pastel flowers around her head. This allows her to fit in with the angels above her, who are all wearing light colors. One of them even wears a matching strip of cloth in the same color as her dress. This portrays her as akin to the angel despite being human, which is because of her faith. She is not an angel, but has proven herself to be faithful so much so that she might share the dress of one. The use of line is especially prevalent in the stretch of the wings of the angel at the middle of the painting. It acts like a sort of shelter over the fellow angels and Saint Catherine while they carry her, which shows the protection of God as a result of her faith. She showed her faith, of course, by reasserting her beliefs in the face of threats, which also shows a feminist spirit despite the heavy influence of religion in the