The Taking of Christ

During my senior year, as part of one of my classes we studied Christian Art. One of my favorite pieces we studied was Caravaggio’s oil painting “The Taking of Christ”. This painting is from the Italian Baroque period and is very dramatic. Italian Baroque art is not that different to Italian Renaissance painting but the color is richer and darker and the theme of religion is more popular. 

The Taking of Christ by Caravaggio
Oil on canvas

“The Taking of Christ” represents Jesus Christ being captured by soldiers who were led to him by one of his disciples, Judas. Judas had been tempted by the promise of financial reward and agreed to identify his master by kissing him: “The one I shall kiss is the man; seize him and lead him away safely” (Mark 14:33). In the painting, Caravaggio focuses on the moment when Judas betrays Jesus by grasping Christ and delivering his treacherous kiss. Christ accepts his fate with humility, his hands clasped in a gesture of faith, while the soldiers move in to capture him. At the center of the painting, the first soldier’s armor contrasts with the vulnerability of Christ. Christ does not resist the soldiers, but his anguish is conveyed by his furrowed brow and down turned eyes. The dramatic impact of the painting is intensified by the strong lighting, which focuses on the expressions of the foreground figures. The contrasting faces of Jesus and Judas, both placed against the blood-red drapery in the background create a dramatic psychological effect. The terrorized expression and gesture of the fleeing man, perhaps another of Christ’s disciples, convey the emotional intensity of the moment. The man carrying the lantern at the extreme right, who looks inquisitively over the soldiers’ heads, has been interpreted as a self-portrait of Caravaggio.