A little bit of history
Date: 1602
Located in the National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin.
Caravaggio’s painting is a vivid portrait of one of the first scenes of Christ’s Passion. It depicts the moment when Judas betrays Jesus by pointing Him out to the Pharisees’ soldiers with a kiss.
Caravaggio’s painting is a vivid portrait of one of the first scenes of Christ’s Passion. It depicts the moment when Judas betrays Jesus by pointing Him out to the Pharisees’ soldiers with a kiss.
Saint John (the
figure on the left) runs away from the scene in utter fright. Christ is motionless, sad but dignified, in the middle of an agitated, moving crowd.
This painting has a
rather funny story.
Everybody thought it was lost.
It had actually been with the Jesuit priests in
Dublin - in their dining room! - for over 60 years. They didn't have the slightest clue
that it was a real Caravaggio.
It was only discovered and recognized when the priests called a specialist from
Dublin’s National Gallery to look at other paintings they had.
A little bit of technique
What attracts people to Caravaggio’s paintings is at the same time what’s make people dismiss them: his realism awes and repels. It puts us right into a scene and then makes it unbearable.
It is as if, at any moment, the crowd will proceed to our left, taking Christ away, and in a fleeting moment the canvas will be empty.
I understand the complaints that Caravaggio can lose sight of the sacred sometimes but I don't think this happens in this painting.
I like the proximity between the guard’s cruel hand in Christ’s throat, which anticipates all the brutality and violence of the Passion, and Judas’ lips, which in a gesture of love and friendship betray and deceive.
The shiny black armors also call my attention, looking strangely modern and menacing.
A little bit of enthusiasm
Easter is fast approaching and art offers so much material for meditation. This painting in particular is no exception.
For starters, it is said that the men on the right is a self-portrait of Caravaggio. Why paint himself on the scene where Christ is captured? It reminds me of Mel Gibson who is the hand that nails Christ to his Cross.
It’s no secret that despite his highly spiritual paintings, Caravaggio was a wretched bar brawler, dying at the age of 38 under mysterious circumstances. Everybody is surprised at this, but how can a man who paints with such vigor, drama and emotion not be a brawler?
And that's just the thing: our hearts are just as inconstant and paradoxical as Caravaggio’s life. They are a battle ground where we can easily lose perspective on everything.
Look at Saint John running away. He was the disciple Jesus loved the most.
This is why I like Caravaggio’s paintings. They pull me closer. Sort of an antidote to indifference towards Christ's suffering.
Caravaggio grabs us by the collar, puts us right next to him and acts as a wakeup call, urging for a mindset proper for Easter
