1663
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Saint Paul the Hermit is a 1663 unspecified by Mattia Preti, a Baroque work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
You see a painting of Saint Paul, an old man with a long white beard, sitting in a desert landscape. The dramatic lighting in this painting is interesting, it creates a sense of depth and realism. This style was inspired by Caravaggio, an artist who worked in Rome. Check out the technique of chiaroscuro to learn more about this style of dramatic lighting.
After training in Rome in the 1630s and 1640s, Preti went to Naples where he continued working in a mode inspired by the work of Caravaggio. In this painting, dramatic lighting and intense naturalism depict the intersection of the heavenly and earthly realms. According to Catholic tradition, Saint Paul the Hermit fled into the desert to escape persecution from the Romans in the third century, and is revered as the first of many hermit saints. A raven brought Saint Paul a half a loaf of bread daily, which enabled him to survive to the age of 113 years. Preti depicted the saint looking…
Clothed only in a rough woven cloth, Paul's suffering drew him spiritually closer to Christ.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Mattia Preti was an Italian Baroque artist who worked in Italy and Malta. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Saint John.
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