2020 - Paige After St. Matthew

Following the concept in the portrait of Ji-Yoon, I scouted some paintings with interesting formal composition and subject matter at the Metropolitan Museum. This portrait of a friend of mine (Paige) is modeled after Gionvanni Battista Catacciolo's 'The Calling of St. Matthew. From the description at the museum: "One of the outstanding figures of Neapolitan painting, Caracciolo was deeply influenced by Caravaggio, who worked in Naples in 1607-7 and again in 1610. The artist shows the moment when Jesus asks Matthew, and avaricious tax collector, to renounce his worldly posessions and follow Him (Matthew 9:9). Jesus's gaze and outward gesture present the viewer with the same quandry as Matthew: whether to embrace Christ's invitation or the money bag at the edge of the canvas."