The Betrayal of Christ, with a soldier in pursuit of Mark the Evangelist

Correggio's Betrayal of Christ with a Soldier in Pursuit of Mark the Evangelist (c. 1522) depicts the arrest of Christ in Gethsemane, with the specific detail of the young man who fled naked — generally identified as Mark — when soldiers seized him. The unusual iconographic element of the fleeing figure, mentioned only in Mark's Gospel, gives the work a documentary specificity unusual in treatments of the Betrayal. Correggio's nocturnal lighting — the scene illuminated by torches and the supernatural brightness of Christ's figure — creates a dramatic chiaroscuro effect anticipating the nocturnal treatments of the Baroque and demonstrating his mastery of artificial light sources.

The torchlit night scene creates dramatic chiaroscuro, with warm firelight illuminating the chaotic scene of Christ's arrest against deep shadows, anticipating the nocturnal techniques of later Baroque painters.