Denva Gallant at Aeon Magazine:
Mark’s composure is only one element in a larger visual system. Around him, other bodies strain, bind and strike. At the centre of the martyrdom scene stands a Black would-be executioner, his arm raised to deliver a blow. He is visually arresting – the only Black figure in the composition – but he is not unprecedented. By the 13th century, the Black executioner had become a recognisable type in Western art. Often shown carrying out the violent commands of rulers, his body performed the act that others authorised. In such scenes, violence is routed through him.
In the mosaic at the Basilica in Piazza San Marco, that flow is made visible. The executioner’s chain is wrapped around Mark’s neck. He lifts a stick, his hand positioned in suspended animation. Will he hit Mark? That moment has been delayed because, as the written narrative of the saint’s life narrates, the air had suddenly gone turbulent: a manifestation of God. Although the storm halts the blow, it does not undo the violence the image has already lodged in his figure. The upward glance registers exposure to the sacred.
more here.
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