December 10, 2013: Caravaggio

Refelction #4: 

Today we did a tour of different paintings by Michelangelo Merisi Caravaggio, or simply, Caravaggio. In class we talked about how Caravaggio  lived a very simple life the first few years he was in Rome. This was because he had a difficult time finding a patron to support his work. Starting in 1599, Caravaggio quickly became an artists of high regards. Some of his completed works include Martyrdom of Saint Matthew, Madonna di Loreto,  The Crucifixion of Saint Peter, and finally, the one I would like to spend some time on, The Calling of Saint Matthew. The Calling of Saint Matthew was created in 1599 as decoration for the San Luigi dei Francesi. This chapel was purchased by the Cardinal Contarelli; unfortunately, Cardinal Contrailli died before the church was able to be decorated. In his will, he left specific instructions as to what he wanted the various frescos to be in the church. As inspiration for The Calling of Saint Matthew, Cardinal Contarelli used Matthew 9:9 which states, “As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. ‘Follow with me.’ he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.”  

While painting, Caravaggio faced two issues. The first was trying to portray two different physical environments. These environments are the room in which Matthew is sitting with friends, and the street where Jesus is supposed to be passing. The second problem was trying to create a narrative composition where several characters are in motion at once. To solve these problems, Caravaggio constructing the scene around Christ’s gesture which is pointing at Matthew. This gesture is then echoed by Matthews hands. It is important to consider if Caravaggio was painting the exact moment when Matthew decided to follow Christ or a second before because then the interpretation could be slightly different. I believe he was painting the exact moment rather than a second before. 

The scene above shows a room full of soldiers and tax collectors seated at a table across from Peter and Jesus.You can tell Matthew and his friends are tax collectors because of the money and books on the table. On the other hand, it is clear that the standing figure is Jesus because he has a halo around his head. What is interesting is that St. Peter was added after the original piece was finished, and his presence represents the church. There are a few aspects of this painting that are particularly important. The first is the lighting. If you look closely, you realize that the light is coming from behind Jesus even though there is an open window on the back wall. This light signifies the grace of God available to those who decide to follow him. Another important feature of this painting is the way Jesus is pointing at Matthew. It is obvious that Caravaggio was inspired by Michelangelo’s work in the Sistine Chapel because Jesus’ finger is the same as God’s in the creation of man. One final aspect I would like to point out is that it is not entirely clear who Matthew is. The most common argument is that Matthew is the bearded man, and that he is pointing to himself as if to say “me?”. It was really amazing to have the opportunity to study this painting prior to seeing it. It made the experience much more meaningful.