The Calling of Saint Matthew was painted by Caravaggio between 1599 and 1600. Rome's Church of San Luigi dei Francesi houses Contarelli Chapel, where the artwork is displayed. (Hass 245). The Italian Baroque art is the stylistic subcategory of the painting. It alludes to the Italian Painting and Sculpture during a time when an artistic style of exaggerated motion and details that were obvious and simple to understand was applied. This gave the artists the ability to add drama, tension, and vitality to their work. The Calling of Saint Matthew fits this style since it applies clear and easy to interpret detail to produce the happenings of the scene depicted in the painting. Caravaggio is in fact considered a leading figure in the development of the style.
The calling of St Matthew is a brilliant work of art, which blends light and darkness to capture the moments in Saint Luke’s Gospel (Hass 246). It presents the story of a sinner; a tax collector being called by Jesus. Therefore, the blend of light and darkness allows the audience to better understand and interpret the work of art. The light that penetrates the painting travels from right to left and seems to be emerging just above Jesus in the painting (Hass 246). The light also seems to be a compelling extension of Jesus. The light, therefore, seems to represent the Christian belief based on the Bible as the light of the world. The darkness is also in the room where the tax collectors are. The room has a table, with coins, quills, and a ledger with the tax collectors sited around. The people find themselves illuminated by the light. Jesus and Peter are depicted while standing on the right side of the painting (Hass 247). Caravaggio manages to show the interplay of emotions and possible patterns of human behavior in the same situation. He manages to capture the split-second scene when Jesus called Levi by showing the surprise on the people in the room and the indecisiveness of Matthew on whether to leave the room and follow Christ or to find his salvation in his life as a tax collector.
The Lute Player
The lute player is the work of Orazio Gentileschi, which was painted in the period between 1612 and 1620 (National Gallery of Art n.p). The medium used in the creation of the piece of art is oil on canvas. The painting is currently located in the Nation Gallery of Art in Washington DC. The stylistic subcategory of the painting is the Italian Baroque art just like The Calling of Saint Matthew. The Lute player applies clear and precise details, which are easy to interpret thus it perfectly, fits the artistic style of Italian Baroque art.
This painting is one among the most famous artworks that were produced by Gentileschi. The painting has a young girl wearing a yellow-golden dress, a white blouse, and a braided hair. The young girl exposes her back to the audience, and her face turned towards the observer (National Gallery of Art n.p). She intensely concentrates on the instrument in her hand and listens intensely to the quality of a note. She seems to be completely absorbed by her work. It can be depicted that she seems to be tuning her instrument just before a performance. There is a table, which seems to be covered by a velvet cloth, a violin, a shawn and a songbook. The interpretation of the image that is represented in the painting is not very clear since the painting was produced at a time when art reproduced everyday life scenes. Therefore, the painting could be interpreted as a scene that was taken from everyday life. Also, the painting could represent an allegory of music and harmony.
Comparision
Caravaggio applies true-life naturalism in his artwork, thus making the figures appear real. This style involves the representation of nature with as little distortion or interpretation as possible. This representation of nature includes people and other things found within the environment. In the painting, true-life naturalism is depicted by the people who appear in the painting and other real life forms such as coins and the table.
Similarly, Gentileschi applies true-life naturalism in his artwork, making the figures in the painting appears real. The girl in the painting is a representation of the nature of this style. The artist manages to bring out the girl as real as possible. Judging from the contours on her dress and the face of the girl, the artist ensures that the distortion is as little as possible, making the interpretation easier.
Further, Caravaggio used anachronism to make the scene more accessible. He utilized the contemporary fashion of the 16th century to communicate the scene to the audience rather than using the clothes that were in existence at the time of the happenings of the scene. He then manages to display the apparent wickedness of the tax collectors. He uses the dark room and the way they hover around the coins to display this fact. This make the audience to relate with the scene by making it more dramatic.
Similarly, Gentileschi applied the use of anachronism to make the scene more accessible. He managed to fuse drama and naturalism with a more serene temper. He manages to display the emotions of the player by showing she concentrates on playing the lute. The other instruments on the table make the audience believe that the girl is preparing for a performance.
The calling of Saint Matthew has a religious theme since it is based on a biblical scene in the Gospel of Matthew (Hass 245). The painting was done to provide the audience with a visual image of the scene. The Lute Player, on the other hand, focuses on sensual pleasures rather than spiritual issues. From the way in which the woman holds the body of the lute, the seductive charms of music can be depicted (Ashock and Berrie 162).
Caravaggio uses stark contrast between the dark backgrounds and partially lit figures to create a dramatic effect. In the painting, the author uses a dark background to depict the dark lives and the sins of the tax collectors (Hass 248). This was the life of Matthew before he was called to follow Jesus Christ. He then uses light to bring out another concept in the painting. A single light illuminates the tax collectors and seems to come from where Jesus is. The light shows that Jesus is the light of the world and it illuminates the sins of the tax collectors and inspires them to change their lives. This light illuminates the life of Matthew, and he leaves to follows Jesus Christ.
On the other hand, Gentileschi uses the color technique to create a dramatic effect. The color effect in the lute player is perfect, with high color accuracy thus making the images in the artwork vivid and sharp (Ashock and Berrie 162). The luminous color palette attracts the attention of the audience and makes them focus on the girl in the painting. This allows the audience to focus on the girl and how she seems to be totally immersed in her work. The table seems dark while the girl is sited on a bright red cloth, which emphasizes the use of color to attract the attention of the audience to the girl. Gentileschi manages to develop his lyrical manner with the use of the soft, subdued tones. The emotions of the girl are calm, and the painting seems to have less noise and less emotions. This is contrary to the painting of The Calling of Saint Matthew, which has a lot going on with so many emotions being displayed in a single scene.
Conclusion
Therefore, the two works of art have many similarities owing to the fact that Caravaggio had many followers including Gentileschi. The styles seem to be very similar due to the use of light and color and true-life naturalism, which is a time that prevailed during the time when the paintings were made. They, however, have some differences especially in their context where one is religious while the other focuses on sensual pleasure.
Works Cited
Hass, Angela. "Caravaggio's Calling of St Matthew Reconsidered." Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes 51 (1988): 245-250.
National Gallery of Art "The Lute Player". National Gallery of Art. N.p., 2017. Web. 11 May 2017.
Roy, Ashock, and Barbara H. Berrie. A new lead-based Yellow in the Seventeenth Century. Studies in Conservation 43. Sup1 (1998): 160-165.
