Artwork
Sf. Evanghelist Marcu
Sf. Evanghelist Marcu is an unspecified painting by the Byzantine icon painting artist Gheorghe Tattarescu. It is held in the collection of the Bucharest Municipality Museum. The work depicts a bearded figure clothed in a blue robe, holding an open book and gesturing toward its pages with his right hand.
About this work
Overview
The work depicts a bearded figure clothed in a blue robe, holding an open book and gesturing toward its pages with his right hand. Light falls gently on his cheek, while the area around his eyes is in shadow, giving the face a calm yet serious expression.
Subject & Meaning
The individual is identified as Saint Evangelist Mark, one of the four evangelists traditionally portrayed together. The open volume is a Bible, emphasizing his role as a transmitter of the Gospel and underscoring the act of teaching.
Technique & Style
Rendered in a flat, image‑based medium, the composition relies on contrast between illuminated skin and surrounding darkness to model the figure. The blue robe and the precise line of the pointing hand are highlighted against a muted background, focusing attention on the text.
Context
The painting belongs to a series of four portraits of the evangelists that are displayed together in the Museum of Ethnography. Their grouping reflects the customary iconographic practice of presenting the four Gospel writers as a unified theological set.
History & Provenance
The work is part of the museum’s collection of ethnographic images. It has been exhibited alongside the companion pieces of the other three evangelists, forming a cohesive display of the quartet.
Artist & collection
Artist
