Art and Reform

This article is a discussion of the interrelations and tension between art and reform in early cinquecento Italy with a focus on Correggio’s Mystic Marriage of St. Catherine with St. Sebastian. In particular, examination is made of the ways in which Correggio’s picture relates to notions of faith and docta pietas that were central to the world of its first viewer and potential patron, Francesco Grillenzoni from Modena. Special attention is dedicated to the representation of St. Sebastian, whose sensual figure is not distinguishable from that of an alluring Cupid. Consideration is given to how and why Correggio portrayed the saint as a nova creatura, that is, as the vehicle of human transformation and regeneration, thereby creating a new kind of devotional imagery

Art · Art history · Literature · Mysticism · Sociology · Historical and Religious Studies of Rome · Medieval Literature and History · Renaissance and Early Modern Studies