Saint Francis in Meditation

Saint Francis kneels within a barely perceptible landscape, dressed in a rough and worn Franciscan habit and holding a skull in his hands. Nearby stands a simple wooden crucifix, while a broken tree trunk contributes to the austere and desolate environment. Caravaggio eliminates any spectacular supernatural element and presents the saint as a real man who has withdrawn from the world to meditate upon death and the Passion of Christ.

The material poverty of the scene becomes a visual expression of the fundamental ideals of Franciscan spirituality. Light enters from one side and principally illuminates Francis's face and hands, the skull and selected areas of the habit. The remainder of his body and the surrounding space are gradually absorbed into darkness.