Return to Gallery
Calling of Saint MatthewCalling of Saint Matthew © Scala/Art Resource, NY

Calling of Saint Matthew

Caravaggio. c. 1597–1601 C.E. Oil on canvas.

Curator Note

"A revolutionary Baroque painting. Caravaggio sets a biblical miracle in a dingy, contemporary Roman tavern. Christ points at Matthew (a tax collector) with a beam of light, summoning him. The extreme chiaroscuro (Tenebrism) and the gritty realism (dirty feet, greed) make the divine enter the everyday world with shocking force."

Form

  • Tenebrism (violent contrast of light and dark).
  • Naturalism/Realism (contemporary clothes, unidealized faces).
  • Diagonal composition (light beam and Christ's arm).
  • Void in the center.
  • Oil on canvas.

Function

  • Decoration for the Contarelli Chapel in San Luigi dei Francesi.
  • To depict the life of St. Matthew.
  • To bring the biblical story into the viewer's reality.
  • Counter-Reformation: God calls sinners directly.
  • To establish Caravaggio's reputation.

Content

  • Christ: hidden in shadow, faint halo, hand gesture mirrors Adam (Michelangelo).
  • Matthew: pointing at himself ("Who, me?").
  • Tax collectors: focused on money (greed).
  • The Light: Divine grace.
  • Window: blocked (light comes from "outside" source).

Context

  • Caravaggio was a rebel and murderer.
  • Painted for the French church in Rome.
  • Critics hated his "vulgarity" but loved his technique.
  • Initiated the Baroque style.
  • Reflects the Catholic focus on conversion.