Description
The Supper at Emmaus , painted in 1601 for Ciriaco Mattei, depicts the moment when two disciples recognize the resurrected Christ while sharing a meal with him at Emmaus. Caravaggio concentrates the action on the precise instant of revelation. Christ blesses the bread as the disciples react in astonishment: one extends his arms dramatically while the other rises abruptly from his chair.
The innkeeper remains standing, apparently unaware of the supernatural significance of the event. The proximity of the figures and the dramatic foreshortening visually break through the limits of the painting. Arms, elbows and the basket of fruit projecting over the edge of the table seem to enter the viewer's own space. The table acts like a stage extending imaginatively toward the viewer.
