Italian Baroque - Assignment Example

The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio is one among the trilogy of immortal exhibits of Baroque school of painting that is so often hailed as a completely new art movement that held sway for entire seventeenth century. This new art movement thrived on grandeur and opulence of color and superlative technique of intermingling bright light and dark brooding shadows by masters of the craft. Works during this period were conspicuous by the presence of numerous figures and an inherent dramatic appeal that evoked strong sentiments and emotion from the viewers.

The almost dispassionate rationality that was the hallmark of Renaissance was not at all present among the followers of this new school. A reinvigorated Catholic Church was instrumental in giving this new art movement a fillip. The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew along with the other two classics is housed in San Luigi dei Francesi Church in Rome. The painting depicts the killing of Saint Mathew by assassins sent by the debauch king of Ethiopia. Legend has it that Cardinal Contarelli had very explicitly described how the painting should be executed before he died several decades earlier, but Caravaggio after several attempts later approached the subject entirely in a manner that was completely his own.

He introduced tension and high drama through the technique of chiaroscuro that brought into sharp focus (almost like a spotlight that is used highlight action or an actor on stage) the main protagonists of the event and chose to immortalize the most poignant moment of the episode – the actual act of murder – by capturing the scene when the killer is about to thrust the blade in the torso of the fallen saint. The saint, it appears, recoils as he falls thus possibly signifying the ultimate victory of Christianity and the parallel placement of the killer’s arm and the angel’s outstretched hand perhaps implies instant martyrdom and sainthood of Saint Mathew.

The killer is unaware of the angel and only Saint Mathew can view it thus hinting at his divinity. The marvelous use of light and shadow depicts the bystanders and their sense of horror in one blinding flash as if lightning struck when the murder took place. The painting appears to capture that poignant moment of high drama and unbridled emotion as only a masterpiece can. Critics are of the opinion that Caravaggio was hugely influenced by the large scale grandeur that was so very common in creations during high renaissance period and some say that he was very heavily inspired by The Martyrdom of St Peter the Martyr by Titian while executing his The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew.

Bibliography Gash, John. Caravaggio. Chaucer Press, 2003. Harris, Ann Sutherland. Seventeenth-Century Art & Architecture. Laurence King Publishing, 2004.