Calling of Saint Matthew
All Titles
- Calling of Saint Matthew
- View: Overall view without frame
Dublin Core
Title
Calling of Saint Matthew
View: Overall view without frame
Subject
New Testament; saints; Jesus Christ; Matthew, the Apostle, Saint; tenebrist; tennebrism
Description
Between 23 July 1599 and 4 July 1600 Caravaggio painted two large canvases, the Calling of St. Matthew and the Martyrdom of St. Matthew for the side walls of the Contarelli Chapel in S Luigi dei Francesi, Rome--his first public commission. In the two St Matthew histories Caravaggio created a new and emotive combination that remained fundamental to his art: realistic figure types allied to bold chiaroscuro. The fact that Caravaggio always lit his models from above indicates that he was well aware that such lighting enhances three-dimensionality.The Contarelli narratives are great pieces of theatre. Their consummate illusion is to make it appear as if sacred events are taking place in the space of the chapel. It is an impression that is heightened, here as elsewhere, by Caravaggio’s eloquent deployment of both modern and biblical costume.
Creator
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (Italian painter, 1571-1610)
Source
Description: Grove Art Online; http://www.oxfordartonline.com/
Date
1599-1600 (creation)
Contributor
Fredlund, William
Rights
publicDomain
Relation
part of Contarelli Chapel
Format
oil on canvas
322 cm (height) x 340 cm (width)
Type
painting (visual work)
Identifier
cara033x.jpg
Coverage
San Luigi dei Francesi: Contarelli Chapel (Rome, Lazio, Italy); near the Palazzo Crescenzi at 23 Via della Rotonda
Baroque
Citation
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (Italian painter, 1571-1610), “Calling of Saint Matthew,” Institute Images Online, accessed February 18, 2019, http://westerncivart.com/items/show/2805.
Geolocation
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