Saint Jean-Baptiste

Saint Jean-Baptiste by Pontormo, painted around 1515, is an early work showing the young artist's engagement with the Baptist saint who was of particular importance to Florence. Pontormo's early treatment of sacred subjects still reflects the influence of his teacher Andrea del Sarto while beginning to develop the expressive intensity that would define his mature style. Characteristic of Pontormo's approach, the work displays intense psychological expressiveness, acidic colors, compressed spatial drama, anti-classical tension.

The figure of the young Baptist shows Pontormo's developing command of anatomy and his early approach to the warm, Florentine palette he inherited from Andrea del Sarto. The handling of the figure already hints at the emotional intensity of his later works.