![]() Both Caravaggio and the Roman Catholic church at the time wished to bridge the gap between the mundane and the divine in order to make scenes of faith more accessible to the viewer. The setting itself is presented in a realistic looking tavern room and works, along with the costuming, to impress upon the viewer in Caravaggio's time that the divine could happen in every day circumstances. Matthew presents a biblical scene through a contemporary interpretation - though Jesus and Peter are draped in classical attire the rest of Levi's tax collectors are dressed much as the tax collectors of the time would have been. For his part Levi responds by pointing to himself in surprise on the left, surrounded by his accomplices. Jesus enters from the right, cast mostly in shadow, and is recognizable by his wispy halo and grand gesture as he points to Levi the tax collector - the soon to be St. Matthew Caravaggio chose to portray the moment of St. Mathew, from Jto July 4th, 1600 and the resulting paintings helped to rocket him to fame. Matthew, along with its companion The Martyrdom of St. As his first public commission from the church Caravaggio worked on The Calling of St. Matthew was part of a two painting commission for the Contarelli Chapel in Rome, granted to Caravaggio based on the recommendation of his previous patron Cardinal del Monte. It was during this time that Caravaggio trained and perfected his art, first in Milan then later Rome. In Italy, this meant that the Catholic Church became the main patron of the 17th century baroque movement which focused on the dynamic, and dramatic ways artists could communicate through their art. Unlike their Protestant rivals the Roman Catholic church officials saw art as a tool to instruct church goers, with the ability to reach across class, education and language barriers to instill faith and sacred teachings. Thus the dawn of the 17th century saw the rise of the Counter-Reformation, a campaign spear headed by the church to bring its parishioners back into the fold and a concentrated effort to return Rome to its former glory as a holy city. In reaction to the Reformation the Catholic Church found itself waging a war within as well as without for the minds of the faithful. Over the next century the Roman Catholic Church and the newly emerged Protestant religion found themselves often at odds with each other and their clashes redefined the social and political landscape of Europe. ![]() In 1517 Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the Wittenberg Cathedral and began the Reformation that founded the Protestant Church. ![]() The 16th century saw drastic change sweep through Europe all starting with the swing of a hammer.
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