In the context of this artwork, explore the Analysis of the Description.
The Martyrdom of Saint Erasmus, by its position, was intended to be viewed mainly from an angle, and Poussin took this into account in its composition. He structured it in obliques starting from the bottom left and the head of the saint to the top right, the statue, along the body of the saint and the arm of the priest. The representation does not insist on the horror of the scene, but on Erasmus's stoic resistance. The martyr (etymologically, the witness), testifies to the sacrifice of Christ and to the strength of his resisting faith. Poussin is marked here by the imprint of the large Venetian altarpieces and by the coloration of Pietro da Cortona.
martyr Martyr Pietro da Cortona