Behold an Earthquake! : The resonating Resurrection by Andrea Mantegna

What is Christian faith without an empty tomb? The Resurrection, the foundation of the creed, has featured popularly in Art.  One such resonating depiction is that by the Italian painter, Andrea Mantegna.  An art revolutionary, he was born in the Republic of Venice in 1431 to a carpenter. However this art prodigy was recognized by Francesco Squarcione, a Paduan painter who adopted him. He worked in Padua, Verona and Venice before moving to Mantua in 1460, where he spent the rest of his life.

‘The Resurrection’ is a part of a triptych executed in oil paint for the monastery of San Zeno in Verona. It gained the admiration of Napoleon the Great. Following his victory over Verona in 1797, Mantegna’s masterpiece was taken as booty to France. Following his defeat in 1815, the three main panels were returned back. Nevertheless, ‘The Resurrect ion’ which forms a part of the lower predella continues to reside at the Musee des Beaux-Arts in France.