Caravaggio's Masterpiece: The Calling of St. Matthew Commission

The Calling of St. Matthew (La Vocazione di San Matteo)

Artist: Caravaggio
Date: 1599–1600
Location: Church of St. Louis of the French (San Luigi dei Francesi), Rome
Features: 322 x 340 cm
Material: Oil on canvas
Style: Italian Baroque

The Contarelli Chapel Commission

Matteo Contarelli, a major French dealer, purchased the Contarelli Chapel for eternal glory in the Church of St. Louis of the French in Rome, with the intention of being buried there. He ordered a full program of paintings and sculptures dedicated to the saint whose name he bore: Saint Matthew. The purchase was made in 1565, but by 1585, when Contarelli died, no significant decorations had been completed.

Initial Decorations and Caravaggio's Major Assignment

The ceiling and wall frescoes were commissioned to the master, the Cavalier d'Arpino (or Knight of Arpino), who executed many scenes between 1591 and 1593. However, the work continued without substantial progress. Consequently, Caravaggio was commissioned for the two side paintings: The Calling of St. Matthew and The Martyrdom of St. Matthew. Later, he was also requested to paint the central altarpiece, St. Matthew and the Angel.

This assignment was the first major work Caravaggio executed, not for a private collector, but for a publicly accessible church, where all of Rome could see his work. This public conditioning perhaps explains why one painting Caravaggio made for the chapel (the first version of Matthew and the Angel) was rejected. Moreover, his style had to adapt completely, as he was forced to execute a “history” scene, as they were called then.

Shifting from Symbolic to Complex Narrative

Previously, Caravaggio had focused on symbolic paintings featuring a concentrated moment of action and often only one or two figures (such as The Beheading of Holofernes or The Sacrifice of Isaac). Conversely, the Contarelli commission required a scene much more complex in terms of meaning, setting, number of characters, and duration of action.

Compared to the paintings he had done with one or two figures, The Calling of St. Matthew presents seven figures, which had to be organized coherently and at length within an architectural space. The painter could no longer evade the setting by placing figures in a sort of neutral ground lost in the dark.

The Masterful Use of Light and Composition

However, Caravaggio did not abandon his artistic resources. The innovative use of light is what gives structure and establishes the composition of the canvas. As the figure of Christ just enters the tavern, a powerful spotlight shines. Light has come into the darkness with Christ and rips the space diagonally to draw attention to the surprised figure of Matthew.

Matthew pulls back, looking at himself and doubting that the call is meant for him. The light beam reproduces the gesture of Christ, extending its reach in a manner both masterful and symbolic.

In contrast, a colleague of Matthew, dressed as a swashbuckling knight—a type Caravaggio knew so well from Rome—persists in ignoring the call, focused only on collecting coins.