Mathew is the figure with the beard He sits among a group of men in a tavern coun<ng tax money he was a Roman tax collector As Jesus enters

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5 Mathew is the figure with the beard He sits among a group of men in a tavern coun<ng tax money he was a Roman tax collector As Jesus enters (iden<fied by a very subtle halo) an illumina<ng shaf of light forms a strong diagonal line across the canvas and spotlights each figure to a different degree The light comes from off stage giving the impression that it comes from our space This light reveals each character s individual reac<on and thus inner self Mathew points at himself in astonishment as Christ signals him out. The posi<on of Christ s hand is likened to Adam on the Sis<ne ceiling. Christ is the new Adam whereas Adam caused the fall of humankind, Christ will save mankind The harsh play of dark and light creates a murky atmosphere, revealing a room where one does not expect to find God but rather the corrup<on of humanity. He has brought a spiritual scene down to earth While the church ini5ally rejected this pain5ng due to it s controversial se:ng, the Catholic Church would ul5mately be drawn to this subject ma>er as they are promo5ng themselves as the path to salva5on during the Counter Reforma5on Here, in this everyday se:ng, Christ is bringing Mathew to his Salva5on 5

6 The aim is to compel worshipper s interest and direct involvement in Paul s conversion Caravaggio uses formal devices and pictorial construc<on to achieve this goal (Chiaroscuro and Perspec<ve): Paul s arms are flung out at the moment of Conversi<on Divine light coming from the Chapel s window illuminates the scene as he experiences God and converts to Chris<anity. In contrast the background is a drama<c black, as if this moment is being revealed for our eyes only Yet we might not read it as a religious conversion, but rather the moment before a man is trampled by a horse in the stables Thus the moment is heightened by this everyday common danger Lying on his back at a diagonal angle, Paul s head moves out into our space, making us physical par<cipants not just witnesses. The low horizon line enforces this effect The pain<ng is also hung at eye level, so that it s effect are immediate upon the viewer. The space of the pain<ng merges with our space Like in the Renaissance the figures are s<ll heroic, with powerful bodies, but it is the light and posi<oning of the figures that captures our azen<on on a visual and emo<onal level 6

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9 About Artemisia Was trained in her Father s studio As a teenage girl she was repeatedly raped by another painter, her father s partner and friend Her father insisited she press charges because his friend and he had a falling out At the trial Artemisia was tortured and physically examined in front of a public audience She won the trial but her reputa<on was tarnished She was married off to a painter in Florence In Florence she impressed the Medici and became friends with Galileo, who wrote her many lezers before his execu<on She followed Caravaggio s style he was also friends with her father. And like Caravaggio her pain<ngs favored dark subject mazer Subject Ma>er: Old testament story where the heroic Judith saves the Israelites from the Assyrians by seducing Holofernes, an Assyrian general, and cucng off his head. Many interpret this image as a sort of empowered revenge fantasy afer her rape. Artemisia would paint empowered women throughout her career This was also a popular subject ma>er during the counter reforma5on as it jus5fied/supported the religious killings of the Inquisi5on like judith the church must go to extreme measure to protect their faith and people from here5cs/barbarians Analysis Intense tenebrism sets the tone and stage of the scene The 3 figures emerge out of the darkness. The main focus is on the women. The dominate the scene above him The two women grimace in concentra<on as the saw at his head. We can feel how hard this task was by looking at the tense grip on the sword and their s<ff muscles These are powerful female bodies nothing delicate here, as his head is about to fall into our space Blood spurts upwards towards the women, adding more dynamic movement to the scene 9