Why did Caravaggio paint the Calling of St Matthew?
The Calling of Saint Matthew in the church of San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome was Caravaggio’s first public commission. The painting depicts the biblical story of Jesus asking Matthew, a tax collector, to become one of his disciples.
What is going on in the Calling of St Matthew?
“The Calling of Saint Matthew” is an oil painting on canvas completed by Caravaggio around 1599. The painting depicts an episode of the Gospels in which Matthew, a greedy tax collector, abandons his job to follow Jesus. The scene takes place in a small and dark room. Feeble light filters in through a small window.
What made Caravaggio famous?
Caravaggio (byname of Michelangelo Merisi) was a leading Italian painter of the late 16th and early 17th centuries who became famous for the intense and unsettling realism of his large-scale religious works as well as for his violent exploits—he committed murder—and volatile character.
What is noteworthy about the way Caravaggio depicts the calling of St Matthew?
After his death, his signature style of painting – based on his use of tenebrism and chiaroscuro – would become known as Caravaggism and influence painters throughout Europe. The Calling of Saint Matthew depicts the moment when Jesus Christ inspires Matthew to follow him and become an apostle.
Who commissioned Caravaggio?
In 1599, Cardinal del Monte used his influence to get Caravaggio his first major commission: the decoration of the Contarelli Chapel. These three paintings showing scenes from the life of St. Matthew constituted Caravaggio’s triumphant (and controversial) bursting onto the Roman art scene.
Where is the calling of St Matthew by Caravaggio?
Contarelli Chapel (since 1600)
The Calling of St Matthew/Locations
What type of art did Caravaggio do?
Baroque
RenaissanceBaroque painting
Caravaggio/Periods
How was The Calling of Saint Matthew created?
1599–1600
The Calling of St Matthew/Created
What kind of art did Caravaggio do?
Who is Saint Matthew for Caravaggio?
Analysis of The Calling of Saint Matthew Caravaggio, one of the best artists of all time , is best known for his highly realistic style of Baroque painting which – together with the classicism of Annibale Carracci (1560-1609) – effectively buried the artificial idiom of Mannerism and revitalized large scale religious art in Rome and Naples.
Who painted the calling of Saint Matthew?
Formal Analysis of Calling of St. Matthew. The Calling of St. Matthew was painted from 1597 to 1601 by Michelangelo Merisi (Caravaggio) with oil on canvas and is just over eleven feet by just under eleven and a half feet.
What is the calling of Saint Matthew?
The Calling of Saint Matthew is a masterpiece by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, depicting the moment at which Jesus Christ inspires Matthew to follow him. It was completed in 1599–1600 for the Contarelli Chapel in the church of the French congregation, San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome, where it remains today.