St. John the Baptist was an oil painting on walnut wood by Leonardo Da Vinci somewhere from 1513 to 1516. Painted during the High Renaissance this is believed to be Da Vinci's last painting. It shows St.John the Baptist pointing upwards to heaven representing the importance of salvation through baptism which is what he usually symbolizes. The pointing gesture seen in the painting has been used by Da Vinci before to represent the coming of Christ. Alongside the pointing to the heavens St. John the Baptist was painted with a dark background with just enough light to illuminate the cross in his hands. This further emphasizes the importance of God which was key in the spiritual awakening of the time. In this painting Da Vinci tried to capture the spirit of John the Baptist as he was described in the Bible. He lived in the desert preaching the Gospel to all those who would listen but ended up dying for his message. This story is one of suffering but can also represent hope for all those who listened to his message. The painting was criticized for portraying the saint with “womanlike” features. In Da Vinci's paintings he did not emphasize male or female which made the primary focus a more spiritual one.
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