Caravaggio, Supper at Emmaus

Summary

In the National Gallery, Steven Zucker and Beth Harris discuss Caravaggio's 'Supper at Emmaus,' a 1601 painting depicting the moment disciples recognize the resurrected Christ during a meal. The life-sized figures and horizontal composition create an intimate setting, inviting viewers into the scene. Caravaggio's use of dramatic lighting, detailed still life, and the ordinariness of the figures emphasize the painting's emotional impact and its aim to bring the spiritual into the everyday world, reflecting the Counter-Reformation's goal of reaffirming faith.

Takeaways

• 🎨 The painting 'Supper at Emmaus' by Caravaggio is housed in the National Gallery in London and dates back to around 1601.
• 🖼️ It is a large, horizontal painting with life-sized figures, creating a sense of proximity and presence for the viewer.
• 👤 The disciples' recognition of the resurrected Christ during a meal is depicted, capturing a moment of high drama.
• 👀 The viewer's perspective is aligned with the disciple on the left, who looks towards Christ, mirroring our own gaze.
• 🤲 The painting uses a triangular composition, guiding the viewer's eyes towards Christ's face, with hands reaching out in a welcoming gesture.
• 🍇 Caravaggio's attention to detail extends to the still life elements, such as the basket of fruit, which invites the viewer into the scene.
• 🍞 The physicality and realism of the depicted objects, like the chicken and bread, are characteristic of Caravaggio's style.
• 🪑 The painting reveals the construction and joinery of the furniture, adding to the sense of realism and depth.
• 🕯️ The use of light, particularly the sharp, theatrical light on Christ's face, highlights the emotional intensity of the scene.
• 👥 The ordinariness of the figures, with their plain clothing and human imperfections, contrasts with the divine event they are experiencing.
• 🌟 The painting represents a key aspect of the Baroque period, where the divine enters the everyday world, making the spiritual immediate and relatable.

Q & A

Where is the 'Supper at Emmaus' painting located?

The 'Supper at Emmaus' painting is located in the National Gallery in London.

When was Caravaggio's 'Supper at Emmaus' created?

Caravaggio's 'Supper at Emmaus' was created around 1601.

What is the significance of the painting's horizontal orientation and life-size figures?

The horizontal orientation and life-size figures in the painting create a sense of proximity and presence for the viewer, as if they are seated at the table with the disciples.

What is the narrative depicted in the 'Supper at Emmaus'?

The narrative depicts the moment when the resurrected Christ is revealed to his disciples during a meal after his crucifixion, as he breaks the bread.

How does Caravaggio use the disciples' reactions to highlight the recognition of Christ?

Caravaggio captures the split-second reaction of the disciples upon recognizing Christ, using their expressions and gestures to convey the high drama of the moment.

What does the gesture of the disciple on the left signify?

The gesture of the disciple on the left, who is moving his chair back and looking startled, signifies a mix of surprise, fear, and realization as he recognizes Christ.

How does the painting create a sense of depth and movement?

The painting uses a forward and backward movement, with the disciples' bodies and the triangular composition directing the viewer's gaze towards Christ, creating a sense of depth and movement.

What role do the disciples' hands play in the painting?

The hands of the disciples and Christ are positioned to reach out towards the viewer, visually embracing and inviting them into the scene.

Why does Caravaggio include a detailed still life in the painting?

Caravaggio includes a detailed still life, such as the basket of fruit, to make the painting burst into the viewer's space, making it immediate, real, and emotional.

How does Caravaggio depict the physicality and ordinariness of the figures?

Caravaggio depicts the physicality and ordinariness of the figures through details like the apostle's red nose suggesting a cold and the tear in the clothing of the disciple, emphasizing their humanity and relatability.

What is the significance of the setting and the lighting in the painting?

The setting in an inn with plain furniture and the sharp, theatrical lighting on Christ's face signify the divine entering the everyday world, which is a typical Baroque theme and aligns with the Counter-Reformation's goal of making the spiritual immediate in the modern world.

Outlines

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🎨 'Supper at Emmaus' by Caravaggio

Steven Zucker and Beth Harris discuss Caravaggio's 'Supper at Emmaus' at the National Gallery in London. The painting, created around 1601, is large and horizontal with life-sized figures, creating a sense of proximity to the viewer. The scene depicts the moment Christ is recognized by his disciples during a meal after his crucifixion. The disciples' reactions are highlighted, with one appearing frightened and drawn back, while the other is engaged and looking towards Christ. The painting uses a triangular composition to direct the viewer's gaze towards Christ's face. Caravaggio's attention to detail is evident in the still life elements and the ordinariness of the figures, which contrasts with the divine moment. The painting is set in a simple inn, emphasizing the entry of the divine into the everyday world, which was a goal of the Counter-Reformation during the time of its creation.

Keywords

💡Caravaggio

Caravaggio, born Michelangelo Merisi, was an Italian painter active in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He is renowned for his dramatic use of chiaroscuro, a technique that contrasts light and dark to create depth and drama in his paintings. In the video, 'The Supper at Emmaus' is one of his masterpieces, noted for its life-size figures and the way it draws viewers into the scene.

💡Supper at Emmaus

The 'Supper at Emmaus' is a biblical scene depicted in Caravaggio's painting, which is the subject of the video. It represents the moment when Christ, after his resurrection, reveals himself to his disciples during a meal. The painting captures the disciples' recognition of Christ, creating a powerful and emotional scene.

💡Chiaroscuro

Chiaroscuro is a term used to describe the use of strong contrasts between light and dark in art. This technique is a hallmark of Caravaggio's style and is evident in 'The Supper at Emmaus,' where the light illuminates Christ's face, drawing the viewer's attention and enhancing the drama of the moment.

💡Life-size figures

In the context of the video, 'life-size figures' refers to the scale at which Caravaggio painted the characters in 'The Supper at Emmaus.' These figures are depicted at the size they would be in real life, which contributes to the immersive quality of the painting and the sense of proximity for the viewer.

💡Proximity

Proximity in the video refers to the sense of closeness or nearness that the viewer feels to the scene depicted in the painting. The life-size figures and the horizontal composition of the painting create an illusion of being at the table with the disciples, enhancing the viewer's engagement with the artwork.

💡Still life

Still life is a genre of painting that depicts inanimate objects, often with a focus on the arrangement and lighting of these objects. In the video, the still life elements such as the basket of fruit and the chicken are highlighted as a testament to Caravaggio's attention to detail and his ability to imbue everyday objects with a sense of realism and physicality.

💡Theatrical light

Theatrical light, as mentioned in the video, refers to the dramatic and directional lighting that Caravaggio uses in 'The Supper at Emmaus.' This sharp, focused light on Christ's face contributes to the theatricality of the scene, emphasizing the moment of recognition and spiritual revelation.

💡Counter-Reformation

The Counter-Reformation was a period of Catholic revival in response to the Protestant Reformation. In the video, it is noted that Caravaggio's work, with its focus on the immediate and physical presence of the divine, aligns with the goals of the Counter-Reformation, which sought to reaffirm and strengthen the faith of believers through immediate, emotionally resonant religious experiences.

💡Ordinariness of the figures

The ordinariness of the figures in Caravaggio's painting refers to the realistic and unidealized portrayal of the disciples. This approach humanizes the biblical characters, making them relatable to the viewer and emphasizing the everyday setting of the divine encounter, as discussed in the video.

💡Inn

In the video, the setting of 'The Supper at Emmaus' is described as an inn, which contrasts with the more formal and ceremonial settings often associated with religious paintings. This choice by Caravaggio situates the divine event within the everyday world, making the miraculous accessible and immediate for the viewer.

💡Focus and composition

Focus and composition in the video refer to the way Caravaggio directs the viewer's attention through the arrangement of elements in the painting. The use of a triangular composition and the strategic placement of light and figures guide the viewer's eye towards Christ, creating a clear focal point and enhancing the emotional impact of the scene.

Highlights

The painting 'Supper at Emmaus' by Caravaggio is large, horizontal, and features life-size figures, creating a strong sense of proximity and presence for the viewer.

The scene depicts the moment when the disciples recognize the resurrected Christ, creating a split second of high drama.

The disciple on the left, dressed in a tattered green shirt, reacts with a mixture of fear and fascination, drawing both back and forward simultaneously.

The composition of the painting forms a triangle of vision that directs the viewer's gaze toward Christ's face, with hands extending outward to visually embrace the viewer.

Caravaggio uses elements like the basket of fruit hanging off the table to break the boundary between the painting and the viewer's space.

The artist pays meticulous attention to detail, from the still life elements to the joinery of the furniture, enhancing the painting's realism.

Despite the detailed realism, the painting is focused, with a shallow, dark space that directs the viewer's attention precisely where Caravaggio intends.

Caravaggio's use of sharp, theatrical lighting on Christ's face heightens the dramatic effect.

The figures are portrayed with ordinariness, such as the apostle with a tear in his clothing and a red nose, highlighting their poverty and humanity.

The setting is an inn with plain furniture, emphasizing the everyday, rough-and-tumble world of the apostles, rather than a church-like setting.

The painting captures a Baroque theme of the divine entering the everyday world, making the miraculous immediate and present in the viewer's space.

Caravaggio's goal was to make the spiritual and miraculous tangible and immediate, aligning with the objectives of the Counter-Reformation.

The painting's focus on the ordinary and the divine underscores the Counter-Reformation's aim to confirm, reaffirm, and strengthen faith.

The inclusion of everyday elements, such as the still life of fruit and bread, enhances the physicality and realism of the scene.

The painting's composition, lighting, and realism all work together to make the viewer feel present at the table with Christ and the disciples.

Transcripts

STEVEN ZUCKER: We're in the National Gallery in London,

and we're looking at one of the great Caravaggios.

This is the "Supper at Emmaus."

It dates to about 1601, and it's a large painting.

BETH HARRIS: It is large.

STEVEN ZUCKER: And it's horizontal.

And the figures are actually life size

so that there's a real sense of our proximity,

our presence at this table.

BETH HARRIS: There's even a space for us.

And the story is that Christ has been crucified,

and his disciples are walking along a road.

A man joins them.

When they all sit down for dinner,

this third man breaks the bread and at that

moment is revealed to be the resurrected Christ.

STEVEN ZUCKER: And we're seeing the reaction of those two

disciples.

BETH HARRIS: The moment when they recognize him.

We have a split second in time and this high drama.

STEVEN ZUCKER: The disciple on the left

in the tattered green shirt or jacket

looks into the table, seated at the table as we are.

So his reaction is our reaction as we look to Christ.

BETH HARRIS: I love this gesture that he

makes, this figure in the left corner.

He's so taken aback.

He's frightened.

He's moving his chair like, holy cow, interested and frightened

at the same time.

STEVEN ZUCKER: That's right, drawn back and drawn in--

BETH HARRIS: Forward, right.

STEVEN ZUCKER: --simultaneously.

And in fact, the entire painting draws forward and back

simultaneously.

Our eyes go into Christ.

And in fact, both of the apostles

frame our vision as we move towards that center.

In other words, the whole painting

is a kind of triangle of vision that moves into Christ's face.

At the same moment, all of their hands-- or I

should say, the left hand the apostle on the right

and Christ's right hand both move out towards us,

literally embracing us and inviting us visually

into the image.

BETH HARRIS: Well, I mean he couldn't

be trying to do that more.

It's not just in the hand, it's everywhere.

I mean, look at that basket of fruit in the front--

STEVEN ZUCKER: The still life, yeah.

BETH HARRIS: --that hangs off the table.

Caravaggio was trying to make this painting burst

into our space in every possible way he

can to make it immediate and real and emotional for us.

STEVEN ZUCKER: You know, I want to join that table.

And of course, there's all of the sort of complexity

of the emotions of the figures, which

are of course the majority of the painting

and the painting's purpose.

But then there's a tremendous amount of attention

that's paid to the still life.

And look at the chicken, it looks good.

BETH HARRIS: It does.

The bread, the fruit.

STEVEN ZUCKER: I wouldn't mind having the fruit.

It's all beautiful.

BETH HARRIS: It is that physicality

that we expect of Caravaggio.

STEVEN ZUCKER: Well, look, for instance,

at the specificity of the joinery in the furniture.

If you look at the chair on the left,

the very technique of its construction is revealed to us.

Everything in this painting is revealed and opened up to us.

And yet, the painting's also incredibly focused.

Where are we?

We're in a kind of shallow space.

It's quite dark.

And he is really attending to our focus,

making sure that our eye goes only where he wants it.

BETH HARRIS: Well, and he puts the light there,

that sharp light, almost theatrical light,

on the left side of Christ's face.

And what I'm also struck by is the thing

that we always see with Caravaggio too,

of the ordinariness of the figures.

The apostle on the right looks like he has a bit of a cold.

His nose is all red.

STEVEN ZUCKER: It's true.

BETH HARRIS: The apostle on the left--

STEVEN ZUCKER: In green

BETH HARRIS: --the tear in his clothing.

They're poor.

That's what the apostles were, right?

STEVEN ZUCKER: It's a rough and tumble world.

And they're not in a church, they're in an inn.

And so we have the innkeeper and quite plain

furniture, quite a plain place setting.

This is not the pomp and ceremony

that we might see Christ represented

when he's represented in a church-like setting.

BETH HARRIS: As is also so typical of baroque

and is so perfectly represented here,

that moment when the divine enters the everyday world.

STEVEN ZUCKER: Making the miraculous, the spiritual,

immediate in our modern world.

BETH HARRIS: And so immediately, physically, realistically

in our space present.

STEVEN ZUCKER: That was such a goal of the Counter-Reformation

of the moment in which this painting was made.

BETH HARRIS: Confirming and reaffirming

and strengthening our faith.