1646
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
The Conversion of Saul with Horseman and Banner is a 1646 by Jacob Jordaens, a Baroque work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
You see a man falling off a horse on a dark road, a bright light blinding him. This is a quick sketch for a bigger painting about Saul’s sudden change of heart. Jordaens drew it fast—you can still see the scribbly lines and smudges. The lost final painting hung in a church near Antwerp, so this little sheet is one of the few clues left. Look up *chiaroscuro* next to see how other artists used light and shadow like this.
Jacob Jordaens was a prominent artist working in Antwerp in the 17th century. Though influenced in his use of powerful forms and vibrant color by his contemporary, Peter Paul Rubens, Jordaens was notably more realist in his tendencies. This drawing and its companion drawing in the Cleveland Museum of Art's collection (1954.367) are studies for a painting depicting the Conversion of St. Paul that Jordaens made for the the abbey church at Tongerlo, near Antwerp, in around 1647 (now lost). According to the Bible, in the year following the death of Jesus Christ, Saul of Tarsus (who became Saint…
In order to create the arch at the top of this sheet, which is almost a foot high, the artist added an additional sheet of paper.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Jacques (Jacob) Jordaens (19 May 1593 – 18 October 1678) was a Flemish painter, draughtsman and a designer of tapestries and prints.
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