A Reconstruction of The Calling of Saint Matthew

A year-long project, the reconstruction of Caravaggio’s The Calling of Saint Matthew was like an intensive master class with the greatest Baroque artist. After months of research into Caravaggio’s methods and materials, including close examinations of his paintings in the Cleveland Museum of Art and in San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome, I proceeded to develop the painting from the ground up: stretching linen, sizing and priming it with the traditional materials, and building the painting layer by layer. The result is more than a copy as it retains the integrity of the indirect process perfected by Caravaggio to create his luminous and poignant painting depicting the moment when Jesus called Matthew to become His disciple (Mt 9:9).