Caravaggio (1571-1610)
Cattura di Cristo (The Taking of Christ)
1602
Oil on canvas, 133.5 x 169.5 cm
National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin
Throughout history, few artists have caused as radical a change in pictorial perceptions as Caravaggio. From the moment his talent was discovered, he swiftly became the most famous painter of his time in Italy, as well as the source of inspiration for hundreds of followers throughout Europe.
The Taking of Christ was painted for the Roman Marquis Ciriaco Mattei at the end of 1602, when the artist was at the height of his fame. Breaking with the past, Caravaggio offered a new visual rendering of the narrative of the Gospels, reducing the space around the three-quarter-length figures and avoiding any description of the setting, with the exception of a single olive branch. Judas has identified Jesus with a kiss and the temple guards move in to seize him; the expression of disturbed acceptance on his face one of the most moving details. The fleeing disciple in disarray on the left is Saint John the Evangelist. Only the moon lights the scene: although the man at the far side is holding a lantern, it is in reality an ineffective source. In that man’s features Caravaggio portrayed himself, aged 31, as an observer of events, a device he frequently used in his paintings. Numerous pentimenti (changes made to the composition during painting), now visible due to the increasing transparency of the paint layer over time, are a reminder of the artist’s unconventional way of posing live models and altering details as he worked.
Thought to be lost for many decades, the painting was rediscovered hanging in the dining room of the Jesuit House on Leeson Street in 1990, having been mistakenly attributed to Gerrit Van Honthorst, a follower of Caravaggio. (NGI)
Compare:
Caravaggio (1571-1610)
Cattura di Cristo
c.1602
Odessa Museum, Odessa