SCALA/Art Resource, New York
Caravaggio transformed the religious art of his time, using bold compositions and an uncompromising sense of realism to give his pictures a genuine feeling of immediacy.
The Conversion on the Way to Damascus is one of his best-known paintings, produced when he was at the height of his powers. The biblical story of Saul’s conversion was a popular subject for artists. A Roman citizen (he is dressed as a Roman soldier in this picture), he was actively persecuting Christians when, on the road to Damascus, he was thrown from his horse and blinded by a heavenly light. Following his conversion he changed his name to Paul. Characteristically, the artist played down the supernatural element, reducing the blinding, celestial rays to a modest glimmer in the upper right-hand corner of the picture. The process of the saint’s conversion is internalized the unkempt groom is unaware of the drama, and seems more concerned with calming the frightened horse. Caravagg