Caravaggio
The Crucifixion of St. Peter
1600
Oil on canvas
Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo
As usual, Caravaggio departs from traditional iconography to emphasize the gritty realness of the events narrated in Christian story. The sheer physical effort of hauling up a cross with a man on it is felt in the rope cutting into the back of
the executioner in the rear,
the contrast between the taut muscles of
the man in red
and the old flesh on St. Peter's legs, and at
the bottom
the array of quotidian details -- the dirty feet, the spilled coins, the spade, the rumpled cloak.
Most of all, Caravaggio urges the viewer to contemplate
St. Peter's face.
He still has the square beard of the traditional iconography, still the balding pate, but the horror in his eyes as he contemplates
the nail
is unprecedented.
Read more about images of St. Peter.
Photographed at the basilica by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.