This post will compare the two paintings “Supper at Emmaus” and “The Conversion of St. Paul on the way to Damascus”. Both were painted by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. They were both painted in the same year and have many of the same stylistic characteristics to them. One main painting style shown in both of these painting is the concept of tenebrism. Tenebrism is when there is essentially no background to the painting. There are the people in front and the background is just black. The purpose of tenebrism is to bring the focus more on the subjects in front and leave no distractions behind them. This is a very baroque technique.
In the Supper at Emmaus, the scene depicted is after Jesus has resurrected and has come back to meet a few of his disciples and at this moment in time is when the disciples realize just who Jesus is. There is definite excitement and awe that involved the viewer as well. The hands spread out are meant to bring the viewer into the painting as the viewer is sitting at the table. Another way that the viewer is involved in the painting is shown by the fruit basket. It is hanging off of the edge trying to be as close to us as possible and inviting us to come join the table and be part of this scene. This is also happening to a lesser extent in The Conversion. Paul is seen as having fallen off of his horse after being struck by God’s glory which then rendered him blind. After his fall he is seen almost jutting out to the viewer giving us a feeling of closeness to this scene. This theme of involving the viewer in these means was also a very baroque technique that showed a sense of moving forward from the renaissance.
Another way that these paintings are shown as baroque is the simplicity and humanness of the characters. Jesus himself after the resurrection is depicted in The Supper yet he has no halo or outward signs of divinity associated with him. One other interesting fact is shown in The Conversion which has a sense of irony associated with it. Before being struck by God’s glory, Saul was riding a horse and then got knocked down by God. Saul was a very prideful man who embodied the saying “riding his high horse” which is depicted in the painting so one could say that Saul got knocked off his high horse when the glory of God shone on him.
