La conversión de San Pablo
Artist
Enrique García Mulet
(Puerto Rican, born 1964)
Date1995
Object number95.2142
Mediumoil on canvas
Dimensions71 1/16 x 56 1/2 in. (180.5 x 143.5 cm)
frame: 72 3/8 x 57 13/16 in. (183.8 x 146.8 cm)
frame: 72 3/8 x 57 13/16 in. (183.8 x 146.8 cm)
ClassificationsPainting
Credit LineMuseo de Arte de Ponce. The Luis A. Ferré Foundation, Inc.
Collections
Description[REPLACE DESCRIPTION - SEE BELOW] Brightly colored, figurative, in style of children’s toys, c 1900. St. Paul wears uniform of toy soldier, He lies on his back in fear and astonishment, having fallen from his horse (often a symbol of overweening pride) and heard God’s voice. Horse stands looking at him.
NEW: A label affixed to the back of this canvas reads (in Spanish): "I am whom thou persecutes". This sentence is a direct reference to the biblical book of Acts (chapter 9), which tells the story of Jesus confronting Saul of Tarsus, persecutor and murderer of Christians. After a dramatic encounter with Jesus, Saul abandoned his persecution campaign, converted from Judaism to Christianity, and became known as Paul the Apostle and then Saint Paul. This painting by Enrique García Mulet is inspired by a composition of the same subject (ca. 1600) by the Italian master Caravaggio, displayed in the Cesari Chapel at the Church of Santa Maria del Popolo in Italy. With marked tenebrism, Caravaggio illustrated the moment when Saul is temporarily blinded after Jesus questions him about his crimes. Saul, fallen from his monumental horse (which is not mentioned in the Bible), and a servant are the only depicted characters, as Jesus is left out of the scene. García Mulet's canvas follows the same compositional structure as Caravaggio's. However, unlike Caravaggio’s painting, here every element is depicted as a cartoon.
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