Death and Rebirth in Caravaggio's "Martyrdom of St. Matthew" Author(s): Franca Trinchieri Camiz Source: Artibus et Historiae, Vol. 11, No. 22 (1990), pp. 89-105 Published by: IRSA s.c. Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1483401 Accessed: 01-05-2020 12:54 UTC JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact
[email protected]. Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at https://about.jstor.org/terms IRSA s.c. is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Artibus et Historiae This content downloaded from 85.72.204.160 on Fri, 01 May 2020 12:54:57 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms FRANCA TRINCHIERI CAMIZ Death and Rebirth in Caravaggio's Martyrdom of St. Matthew The three canvases Caravaggio painted for Cardinal Matteo event through intensely modeled figures set in a darkened back- Contarelli's burial chapel in the church of San Luigi dei Francesi, ground. The thematic importance of this painting, however, has in Rome, constituted his first public commission. These paint-not been sufficiently appreciated, and consequently it has been ings, dedicated to the cardinal's patron saint, the apostle lessand favored than its pendant, The Calling of St. Matthew. The Evangelist Matthew, were highly innovative in style and brought difficulty in reading the Martyrdom has also influenced the the artist both artistic success and social prominence, as con- evaluation of its stylistic significance.