Caravaggio: The taking of Christ (1602)

(National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, Ireland)

An amazing painting by the Italian master Caravaggio this time. Subject of the painting is the arrest of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, shortly after the Last Supper. The fleeing person on the left is Saint John the Evangelist. Jesus himself is overwhelmed by the temple guards of the Sanhedrin  (clad here in 16th century armour) and offers no resistance. Judas Iscariot can be seen next to Jesus and gives Jesus the kiss by which Jesus is identified by the soldiers. The person on the right, the one who is holding a lantern, is a self-portrait of Caravaggio or Saint Peter. Caravaggio eliminated the whole background of the garden and all emphasis is directed on the action. Painting from 1602.