Martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew

Badalocchio developed a distinctive style that combined the soft modeling of northern Italian art with the classic forms and gritty naturalism of Roman painting. In the Martyrdom of St. Bartholomew, the muscular figures are dramatically lit against a neutral backdrop, thus heightening the immediacy of the sacrifice. The semi-nude apostle gazes heavenward before a soldier in a plumed helmet, while a young executioner cuts into his left arm to begin flaying him alive.