CARAVAGGIO TECHNIQUES Free Essay Example, 1250 words

The innkeeper also adds a new element to the composition, since three of the heads – the innkeeper, Christ, and the disciple on the right – form a bold diagonal line across the painting. This diagonal of heads echoes the direction of the light, which falls diagonally from an unseen window on the left. The strong contrasts of light and shadow add their own touch of drama to the painting, and they also help to vary the composition by distributing areas of light and dark throughout the painting. The naturalistic arrangement of the figures, with three seated and one standing, and the bold use of lighting are examples of Caravaggio’s â€Å"illusionism†, his attempt to make us believe that the scene is really taking place before our eyes. Scholars like Roberta Lampucci have shown that Caravaggio probably had a hole in the ceiling of his studio from which light filtered, and he may have posed groups of people to act as models for his paintings (â€Å"Caravaggio’s Painting Secrets†). Light falling onto figures creates shadows, making the figures look more solid and three-dimensional. We will write a custom essay sample on CARAVAGGIO TECHNIQUES or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now In The Supper at Emmaus, Caravaggio adds to the three-dimensional quality of the image by his use of perspective, seen for example in the converging line created by the right hand side of the table. Some of the objects are presented to us in such an â€Å"in your face† manner that they are almost falling out of the painting. The basket of fruit is balanced precariously on the edge of the table and the elbow of the disciple on the left is almost jutting out of the picture. All four of the figures are life-size, which suggests the painting may have been intended to hang at a low level, at the same height as us, the viewers. Caravaggio also includes lots of realistic details, such as the hole in the elbow of the left disciple and the blemishes on the fruit, to help create the illusion that this is a real scene taking place before our eyes. All this illusionism advertises the incredible skill of the painter but also serves to present the supper a t Emmaus as a real event which can be contemplated by Christian worshippers. The Supper at Emmaus shows us not a static event but a single moment of great drama – the moment when the two disciples realize that Christ is with them. As Lionello Venturi says, Caravaggio is a master at seizing â€Å"a moment of arrested motion† (Venturi 12), seen here in the exclamatory gestures of the figures. Christ is raising his hand in blessing, the left-hand disciple is leaning forward in amazement, and the right-hand disciple is throwing out his arms.