A moment of spiritual awakening: Caravaggio's Calling of Saint Matthew

Caravaggio, Calling of Saint Matthew, 1599-1600, oil on canvas (Contarelli Chapel, San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome). Speakers: Dr. Steven Zucker and Dr. Beth Harris

[@quigonjim8364]

That’s the thing with Caravaggio, he made the spiritual everyday, tangible even. The fact that it’s set in a contemporary setting adds to the gravitas of spirituality.

[@levimiller5686]

the shallow plane makes it like you can even reach out and touch it

[@romspryo]

Your videos really are a pleasure to listen to !

[@TheShahofBaltimore]

Simply AMAZING

[@Sasha0927]

I remember this one fondly. The Lord definitely has a way of creating "caught moments" - I was certainly not anticipating my own conversion. I love the detail ofJesus' hand mimicking Adam's. It's so subtle, one of those "if you know, you know" moments.

[@isavin1730]

A masterpiece

[@KorKhan89]

Who? Me? One minute, a bloke’s minding his own business; next minute, he’s a disciple!

[@NanaYawAforo]

lol

[@viz8746]

I’ve always doubted whether it’s the bearded person or the youth at the left extremity with his head down who is Matthew - something doesn’t add up. In Caravggio's Matthew paintings trilogy, of course, he is shown bearded in the other two - but this one is more complicated - he should be younger here and at first view, our glance instinctively shifts to the clean shaven youth at the left end (because Christ is at the right end) - Peter and the beared seated figure are the “weak” red herrings, and all three index fingers point to the youth completely oblivious to everything except the money that he is absorbed in (escpaing from Christ in) and unaware - it is BEFORE the instant he looks up and is mesmerized by the Power of the Son of Man and follows him.

[@smarthistory-art-history]

Not impossible but then nearly every artist from the Baroque forward who was influenced or copied the painting got it wrong, which seems very unlikely. See for example this 17th c copy in ink, harvardartmuseums.org/collections/object/299731 where Matthew's finger is more clearly pointing inward than the photos allow. When seen in person, the fact that both Christ and the bearded Matthew are on the same more recessed plane makes clear their direct interaction. The young man at the left is too forward, too close to us.

[@marc18hro]

I have have been in the Contarelli Chapel a couple of years ago and I had to admire the three paintings for over an hour. Thanks for the profound explaination and I hope you will comment on the other two paintings as well.

[@mariajacinta1715]

Thank you,for your clear-cut explanation.

[@Blissbb]

Amazing.

[@junyima5574]

Please do videos on Caravaggio’s late works, when he was in Sicily and Malta, the ones with immense blacks! And as always, thanks for your videos!!

[@smarthistory-art-history]

We'd like to someday, when we can get down there.

[@marcoviti7817]

Bravi

[@joemunoz1476]

Who bout to get that A in art history 102

[@jonathan2012alvarado]

I’ll acknowledge how low 🔑 accurate this is.

[@gorpsicle]

✋

[@HenryCasillas]

💜

[@ejames9319]

I've read that the figure of st Matthew is a self portrait

[@lucaschiantodipepe2015]

I'm from Rome, not far from the church. This church is that of the French community of Rome, they keep the French library of Rome, and Mass and signals in the building are in French. No idea why the masterpieces of an Italian artist are in that French church.

[@darklingeraeld-ridge7946]

The detail that has always seemed the most extraordinary to me is that of the two hands on the left of the table , belonging to the nearer left figure who is utterly absorbed in filthy lucre, and that of Matthew, thumbing coins towards us. The two hands come together in a strangely fumbling dumb show of the past he is leaving behind.

[@darthchrislord2167]

You should do videos about Daniel Chester French, James earl Fraser, the piccirili brothers, John Trumbull and other American artists.

[@michaelaustin3852]

Did you record this in a library? Just curious.

[@smarthistory-art-history]

No, not a library, a church. As we note in the video, we recorded this in front of the painting in Rome.

[@drcommondrate12]

Imagine Caravaggio, Velasquez, Rembrandt, and Vermeer doing one painting. Caravaggio painting the lighting of the painting Velasquez painting the flow of the figures of the painting Rembrandt painting the clothes and texture of the objects on the painting Vermeer painting the story behind the painting

[@painterhead]

that is one of the dumbest things i’ve ever read

[@CarterMowat]

rip caravaggio, he would have loved halo reach

[@анатолийновиков-ж8д]

Сиюминутность совокупности явлений без прикрас - В контрастах свой изысканный контраст.

[@cutefacelex]

eve bit the apple not adam

[@VidWatcha2330]

Dr. Beth Harris sounds like Bonnie from Family Guy here.

[@KingGarnica]

Wasn’t Matthew younger lol

[@juenes1087]

за кво бе шпчу?

[@smarthistory-art-history]

Рисуван е за параклиса „Контарели“ в църквата „Сан Луиджи дей Франси“ в Рим.

[@marcoviti7817]

Mersa

[@very__vanessa]

That's not Matthew, Matthew has his head down

[@smarthistory-art-history]

On what basis do you think that the very young man counting money is Matthew?

[@wyattpaul1254]

@@smarthistory-art-history I know it is a minority view but I entirely agree with Vanessa. I immediately thought it was the young man counting the money when I first saw this painting ( and I have also had the privilege of being in that chapel). The young man is at the end of the diagonal. He knows he is being pointed at but he can't look up - it is at first too much, too emotional for him and like Peter when first confronted with the presence of Jesus ( in Luke's gospel) says " Go away from me - I am a sinful man". ( And Jesus's attention on him makes him immediately feel like that as it did for Isaiah " Woe is me I am undone".) So he tries to 'hide'' himself by continuing to play with the money. And the older man is saying to Jesus 'You mean this young chap ?!" - with maybe the thought ' if he didn't think he would do rather well for himself by being with us, he would be something of a braggart out on the street ?' ( Shades of Caravaggio himself here perhaps). And all this to my mind hugely adds to the power of this extraordinary painting. And if you have been pointed at and your stunned reaction is an intensely emotional 'Why me ?' what we have depicted here makes total sense to you. And I believe John Paul ll also thought that Matthew was the young man.

[@somerandomname3124]

I gotta say the title isn't as nice as just vaguely placing the title of the painting.