The Conversion of Saint Paul
ca. 1600
Caravaggio decided that a divine revelation shouldn't look like a peaceful Sunday school lesson. Instead, he painted a chaotic scene where a massive white horse basically steals the show, presenting its rear end to the viewer while Saint Paul writhes in the dirt below. Critics at the time were scandalized that the artist focused so much on the horse's anatomy instead of the holy moment, but that gritty realism is pure Baroque drama. It captures the exact second Saul is blinded by heaven on the road to Damascus, turning a persecutor into a saint in the most dramatic way possible.
- Technique
- Oil on canvas
- Material
- Canvas
- Dimensions
- 230 cm × 175 cm
Location: Basilica di Santa Maria del Popolo, Rome (Cerasi Chapel)
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