1600_Martyrdom_of_St_Matthew_Caravaggio.txt

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Caravaggio 1573 – 1610
The Martyrdom of St Matthew

oil on canvas (323 × 343 cm) — 1599 - 1600
San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome

Caravaggio biography

This work is linked to Matthew 10:3

A legend has is that the apostle Matthew was murdered in a church in Ethiopia because he had obstructed the local king. Caravaggio shows the moment just before Matthew is stabbed to death. The men on the foreground were probably waiting to be baptised. On the left is a group of bystanders dressed in late 16th century fashion. The man in the back, who turns his head to see what is going on, is probably the master himself.

The attitude of the figures, the play with light and darkness, the threat from the man with the sword and the overall circular composition make this a truly amazingly dynamic painting.