Description
The Conversion of Saint Paul , known as the Odescalchi version , was painted by Caravaggio around 1600–1601 as the first solution for one of the lateral paintings commissioned for the Cerasi Chapel in Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome. Caravaggio depicts Paul's revelation as a dramatic supernatural event. Paul lies on the ground after falling from his horse, while Christ appears above accompanied by an angel.
A soldier reacts to the apparition as the frightened horse contributes to the movement and tension of the composition. Unlike the later version installed in the Cerasi Chapel, the supernatural presence is physically visible. In the definitive composition Christ disappears from view and divine intervention is conveyed primarily through light. The first version was painted on a cypress-wood panel, a support specified in the original commission.
