‘Saint John the Baptist / Saint John the Baptist’ is a religious painting from the High Renaissance period by Leonardo da Vinci. It is an oil painting on walnut wood and originally measured 69 x 57 cm. Completed between 1513 and 1516, it is believed to be Leonardo’s last work. The well-known painting depicts the figure of Saint John the Baptist with an enigmatic smile, emerging from a dark background.

At the time of Leonardo da Vinci’s death in 1519, he owned only three paintings, including ‘Saint John the Baptist’. The artist continually worked on them, perfecting the effects of sfumato and chiaroscuro. The painting is considered the pinnacle of his skill in this technique. Comparable to his famous ‘Mona Lisa’, it remains one of his most mysterious and enigmatic works. The painting is in the Louvre Museum in Paris.

The story of Saint John the Baptist by Leonardo da Vinci.

In 1517 Antonio de Beatis saw the painting in Leonardo’s studio in France and wrote about it in his diary. The painting appears to have been part of the collection of the French King Francis I. In 1625, King Charles I of England received the painting in exchange for Titian’s Holy Family and the Portrait of Erasmus by Hans Holbein. After the death of Charles I, the painting was bought by the German banker and art collector Eberhard Jabach. Saint John the Baptist was sold again to the French King Louis XIV. After the French Revolution, the painting became part of the collection at the Louvre, where it remains today.

Other interesting facts about Leonardo da Vinci’s painting Saint John the Baptist.

The model for the figure of John the Baptist was Gian Giacomo Caprotti da Oreno, also known as Salaì. He was also an artist and pupil of Leonardo’s from 1490 to 1518 and served as a model for many paintings and drawings.

What is depicted in the painting ‘Saint John the Baptist’ by Leonardo da Vinci?

The painting depicts the figure of Saint John the Baptist in solitude, emerging from a dark background. He holds a reeded cross in his left hand and the index finger of his right hand points towards the sky. He is dressed in a fur coat and has long, curly hair. He smiles in a puzzled manner, reminiscent of the Mona Lisa’s mysterious smile.

The figure of the saint is shown in complete isolation in a dark, abstract space. There is a lack of landscape in the background and a source of light other than that which falls on him.

What is the significance of the painting Saint John the Baptist by Leonardo da Vinci?

Saint John the Baptist is a biblical figure from the New Testament. He was an ascetic prophet, forerunner and contemporary of Jesus Christ. He lived a very humble life, wore a camel skin cloak and ate locusts and honey.

In the Gospel of John in the New Testament, he is described as a man sent from God, ‘not being a light, but to testify to the light, that through him all may believe’ (John 1:7). He was therefore a divine messenger who preached and prepared people for the coming of Christ. He was also the one who baptised Jesus Christ.

Saint John the Baptist is also the patron saint of Florence.

Why does Saint John the Baptist point upwards?

Scholars suggest that Saint John’s pointing gesture echoes his words ‘He who is before me is coming after me’ (John 1:27). The figure of Saint John the Baptist thus acts as a biblical prophet, announcing the arrival of Christ to the viewer of the artwork. Thus, the viewer, confronted directly with the divine messenger, is compelled to accept the message and its symbolic meaning.

Analysis of Saint John the Baptist by Leonardo da Vinci.

The painting of Saint John the Baptist by Leonardo da Vinci is highly unusual and puzzling. Instead of a large, iconically complex religious work, it is a highly simplified painting. Leonardo does not focus on details from the saint’s life, beyond what is necessary to identify him. Instead, he uses only nuances of colour tones and contrasts of light and shadow against a dark background to tell a narrative. The theme of the painting is the atmosphere of divine mystery that emanates from Saint John as a witness to the light of God. The focus on the mood and ambivalent spirit of the work suggests that the painting was meant to be contemplated in silent prayer. The mysterious atmospheric effects of the scene are enhanced by the use of chiaroscuro and sfumato painting techniques.

Chiaroscuro.

Chiaroscuro is one of the canonical painting styles of the Renaissance in which Leonardo da Vinci was a master. The technique involves the use of strong contrasts between light and dark. This effect is most apparent when it affects the entire composition – for example, when we see a strongly lit figure against a dark, shaded background, as is the case here. The strong use of contrasts also creates a sense of volume and helps to give a three-dimensional appearance to the figures and objects in the painting.

The chiaroscuro also has a symbolic effect on the painting. In this case, it enhances the atmospheric effect of Saint John the Baptist emerging from a darkness that seems infinite and completely surrounds him. Thanks to the ambiguous source of light, which comes from somewhere above, and the harmonious fall of light on the figure of the saint, we get the impression that he emanates an inner glow of golden (divine) light.

Sfumato

Sfumato is another important artistic technique of the Renaissance. It involves the application of numerous layers of thin, transparent varnish, which helps to soften the transitions between colours. It allows the artist to create a wide range of shadows, blurring contours into soft transitions between light and shadow and increasing the plasticity of the figure.

The sfumato technique adds an interesting semantic dimension to the painting: the figure of Saint John, emerging from the black background, appears to be made of light, even though the scene must be illuminated by a light source outside the pictorial space. This is entirely consistent with the content of the depiction, since John the Baptist is not the source but the witness of the divine light that falls on him. In this way, the painting gives visual form to the first verses of the Gospel according to John, describing him as the one sent to bear witness to the light that shines in the darkness.

Leonardo uses sfumato not only as a visual effect, but also to convey the religious content of the painting. This technique gives the painting a certain atmospheric intensity that has been widely interpreted, particularly through the lens of psychoanalysis. The soft shadows give the skin tones a very soft, delicate appearance, giving the saint an almost androgynous effect. This is why the figure of Saint John the Baptist is often attributed to erotic energy and interpreted as an expression of Leonardo’s homoerotic tendencies.

The body and its possessor.

The painting is considered an excellent example of the representation of a dynamic body in harmony with the composition. Leonardo da Vinci was deeply preoccupied with human anatomy and how to accurately depict the movement of the body in art. In Saint John the Baptist, he achieves a perfect representation of the twisting body. The rendering of light and shadow supports the dynamics of movement and adds volume to the figure, which gives it vitality.

The painting of Saint John the Baptist also reflects Leonardo’s interest in involving the viewer in art. Saint John not only looks directly out of the painting, but also communicates with the viewer through a hand gesture. In this way, the painter establishes a line of communication between the painted figure and the actual person standing in front of the work.

Why is the painting of Saint John the Baptist by Leonardo da Vinci important?

The painting of Saint John the Baptist is important because it is the artist’s last work and shows the excellence he achieved in chiaroscuro and sfumato techniques. It also reflects Leonardo’s interest in the art of painting and in conveying a narrative through stylistic techniques rather than iconography. This had a major influence on the developing school of Baroque art and Mannerism.

Although the work was not immediately understood and the public was rather shocked by the depiction of the saint, the painting had a great influence on later depictions of John the Baptist. Prior to Leonardo’s work, John the Baptist was traditionally portrayed as an emaciated ascetic, with long hair and a dark beard, living in the desert. In Leonardo’s painting, the saint is depicted with a youthful, androgynous face and long curly hair. Leonardo’s work started a new tradition, and artists began to depict John beardless, half-naked and full of youthful energy. This particularly influenced the ambiguity of bodies in Mannerism.

Who commissioned Leonardo da Vinci’s rendering of Saint John the Baptist?

It is not known who commissioned the painting. Due to Leonardo da Vinci’s close relationship with the Medici family in Florence and the fact that John the Baptist is the patron saint of Florence, it has been suggested that it may have been commissioned by the Medici.

However, as the painting was one of three works the artist owned at the time of his death, it is possible that he painted it purely for his own enjoyment and experimentation with technique.

How old was Leonardo da Vinci when he painted Saint John the Baptist?

Saint John the Baptist is considered to be Leonardo da Vinci’s last painting. He painted it between 1513 and 1516, when he was around 60 years old.