Storia dell'Arte: The Supper at Emmaus
Today we present the famous "Supper at Emmaus" painted by Caravaggio in 1601 and now exposed at the National Gallery in London.
The moment that the artist portrays on the canvas is narrated within Luke's Gospel: the protagonists are: Christ, two apostles and the innkeeper.
In the instant "captured" by Caravaggio, there are two apostles who have just invited a traveler, whom he met a little earlier, to join the banquet.
Sitting at the table, the two apostles recognize the risen Christ in the wayfarer, as soon as they see him perform the gesture of blessing the bread.
Pay close attention to the figure of Christ: his face is very different from the traditional representations made by other contemporary artists of Caravaggio; his features, in fact, recall the Good Shepherd, a recurring element in ancient Christian art.
You should know that this singular representation by Caravaggio was a voluntary choice: by means of this artifice, as soon as you look at the picture, the first element that stands out is the movement of Christ, rather than his non-traditional face.
Now looking at the two disciples who are next to Jesus: both are surprised to find themselves in front of the risen Christ; Caravaggio makes this unexpected sensation to perfection, with one disciple on the left who is about to jump up from the chair and the other on the right is waving (forming, among other things, a cross).
It also has a shell on its chest, a symbol of those who are about to travel by faith.
Next to Jesus, standing, there is the innkeeper, who, not understanding the importance of the situation, is not involved and has a slightly confused expression.
I invite you now to look at the total scene: the space of the action is limited and the positions of the protagonists are precisely studied thanks to the masterful contrast between light and shadow; in this way, the seat in front of Jesus remains free, almost as if he was inviting us to join the banquet.
The colors that Caravaggio uses for this painting are: red and white (tending to yellow) for the garment of Christ, green for the clothing of the apostle in the foreground, for a few leaves on the table and for the collar of the apostle on the right.
These specific colors could symbolize the three theological virtues: Faith, Hope and Charity.
Now looking carefully at the laid table: in the foreground we can see a basket of fruit (photo 2) which is very similar to the one that is the protagonist of another popular painting by Caravaggio.
The meticulousness with which the artist painted the fruit is very important, to the point that some scholars have seen allegorical meanings: the white grape represents the resurrection, the pomegranate is the symbol of Christ and the shadow that the basket projects on the table is in the shape of a fish, another symbol of Jesus.
SOURCE: INTERNER
