‘The Martyrdom of St. Sebastian’ is a monumental piece; the essence of the work being figural movement, a relatively modern concept for Florentine art of the 1470’s. This massive painting, in both stature and importance, is housed in the National Gallery’s exquisite exhibition, modestly entitled ‘Renaissance Florence’. This exhibition is definitely a ‘must see’, if only to marvel at this painting, which, besides being the largest in size in the show, is also magnificent in its simplicity.

At first sight, ‘the Martyrdom’ appears to be a straightforward piece. What catches the observer’s eye is the prevalent triangular collection of figures that dominate the frame, with the condemned St. Sebastian at the apex, his eager pursuers forming the base of the prism. This is twinned with a circular movement that leads the eye all around the figures, and finally to the depths of the painting, which, although are greatly diminished in size, remain delicately poised and are necessary points of ‘action’ on the canvas. On the far left hand side stands what appears to be a decrepit battle monument, two horsemen in front, holding a quietly majestic red flag, perhaps suggesting the capture of the doomed saint above them. In the distance stands an endless expanse of hills and mountains, and little bushy conifer trees dotted across the plane of vision. The artists have helped us search into the horizon, with a river meandering swiftly into the distance.

It was the Florentine artist’s passion for geometry to pervade their work, and in this piece, the aim was to convey the male figure in movement. St. Sebastian stands erect in the centre, already pierced by some preliminary arrows, and although the focus was in his sad, contemplative eyes, he is aware of the weight he takes with him in death - a failed martyrdom, due to his imposed sentence by the emperor Diocletian, for Sebastian’s deep profession of Christianity. Although his facial expression looks vividly alive, the same cannot be said for his body, which appears rigid, emphasised by the pasty coloration of his skin. However, there is something pure about the image of this persecuted saint, who waits so patiently for the darkness to envelop his eyes once and for all; an angel among the swarming beasts.

As for the archers below, this is where the Pollaiulo brothers executed their mastery at geometry. The six men from a circle at the base of St. Sebastian’s feet, their arms poised and ready to strike. It is with these figures that the most detail can be traced, firstly through colour and treatment of their robes, but more importantly, through muscular detail. It is at this point that various colours saturate the canvas - blues, reds, beige and limes - in stark contrast to the predominant ochres of the foreground and background. The attention to bodily detail here is remarkable for a work of this time (Italian art in general had not yet moved into immense detail, imbuing as much reality in the work as possible). One can clearly see the joints in the legs, through the various postures of the archers, and this is magnified in their arm movements - the bends and curves suggest tension as the strings of the bows and being slowly pulled back… But what is most astounding is the clever use of a mirror image; on close inspection, the six archers are actually three pairs that mirror each other by reflecting the image that they represent. The two bending figures show a front and back view, as do the other two archers on the side. The remaining archers at the back show different angles, not as prominent as the other four figures, but are important, in order to complete the geometric pattern of the circle.

‘The Martyrdom of St. Sebastian’ is a masterpiece, combining not only artistic talents, but also the general laws of geometrical mathematics. The fusion of science and art, so cleverly constructed, not only, and by no means the first, by the Pollaiulo brothers was the foundation on which Italian art was to continue to flourish in the following centuries. These artists showed the insight to comprehend that the way forward was to adopt a realistic state, to depict nature and the human form as they saw it, in a true state. So began the long voyage into reality.