This is a depiction of the Resurrection of Jesus, by the famous and infamous Italian Baroque master, Caravaggio.
The painting is mostly dark, with a black background. Only the people in the painting have light cast on them.
The Risen Lord kneels with His left knee on a small cloud in the air. He looks down at the soldiers on the ground below Him, while raising His right arm and holding a purple and white flag in His left hand. The Savior has white skin, shoulder-length auburn hair, and a beard. A small halo of white light surrounds His head.
An angel, depicted as a young man with a white robe and white wings, stands beneath the Savior, looking towards the viewer of the painting while pointing upwards at Christ with His left index finger. Two soldiers, dressed in soldier’s apparel of the seventeenth century, stand behind the angel, half-turned from the angel in fear. Another soldier stands in front of the angel, creeping away from the angel. To the right of the soldier fleeing from the angel is a nobleman. The nobleman stands partly erect, leaning away from the angel. He turns his head so that he faces forwards, with his mouth opened in shock.
In the foreground of the painting, a soldier sits on the dirt, leaning against a white marble stone. The soldier’s head is slumped in sleep. He holds his sword across his lap with his right hand. An empty lantern stands on the ground behind him. A round shield is laid on the ground at his side.
Download this digitally-restored image here.
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Isabella Childs
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