The representation and use of light in paintings serves a litany of purposes. Caravaggio’s Calling of St. Matthew is one of the most famous paintings that deploys light and color in order to convey meaning through style and religious imagery. Caravaggio uses extreme contrasts between darkness and light. The formal arrangement of the work underscores the lighting arrangement in conjunction with the windows and hands in order to render the tenebrism, or the dramatic illumination using chiaroscuro possible. The hand of Christ has a burst of color emanating from it that shoots out from his sleeve. This scheme Continue reading...