Lecture Notes: Caravaggio's 'Conversion of Saul' at Santa Maria del Popolo

Location and Context

• Church: Santa Maria del Popolo, Rome
• Artwork: 'Conversion of Saul' by Caravaggio
• Chapel: Cerasi Chapel, named for the Cerasi family
  • Tiberio Cerasi is buried in this chapel

Subject of the Painting

• Story: Saul, who persecuted Christians, is on the road to Damascus
• Event: Blinded by light and hears the voice of Christ
  • Christ asks Saul: "Why do you persecute me?"
  • Saul is blinded for three days, a significant biblical number
• Transformation: Saul becomes Paul
• Biblical Tradition: Three days in darkness before divine salvation (Old Testament parallels)

Artistic Features

• Divine Representation: Shown as light flooding down on Saul
• Composition:
  • Monumental Figures: Fill the canvas
  • Dark Background: Illuminated elements stand out
  • Focus on Saul: Only his face is illuminated
  • Tenebroso Style: Dark, influenced by Leonardo da Vinci
  • Naturalism: Rear end of horse, dirt, realistic figures modeled by people Caravaggio knew

Historical and Artistic Context

• Time Period: Turn of the 17th century
• Counter-Reformation: Art as didactic, addressing Protestant concerns over religious imagery
• Council of Trent: Affirmed the educational value of religious paintings

Comparison and Style

• First Version: Rejected by patron
• Baroque Style:
  • Personal moments of conversion
  • Private rather than public view
  • Confining space, figures fill the frame
  • Saul almost falls out towards the viewer
• Renaissance vs. Baroque:
  • Renaissance: Harmony, balance, rational space
  • Baroque: Precarious, fleeting, high center of gravity

Detailed Observations

• Composition:
  • Horse's body is at the top, Saul vulnerable below
  • Saul's fallen helmet signifies vulnerability
  • Triangular Composition: Upended triangle of Saul's body
• Foreshortening:
  • Saul's body, sword, and horse
• Proximity:
  • Saul appears real and present in viewer's world
  • No distance between human and divine realms

Conclusion

• Caravaggio's work is characterized by its dramatic use of light and dark, personal engagement of the viewer, and innovative approach to religious narratives within the Baroque style.