Taking of Christ (attr.) Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1610)

Description of Caravaggio’s The Kiss of Judas

The painting, painted by master Michelangelo Caravaggio, is located in Dublin, Ireland, and its exact copy was in Odessa, Ukraine, until the moment of the sensational theft. The Bilean subject at the heart of the painting tells of the last day of Jesus Christ’s life on earth. It is known that Christ was betrayed by Judas, a faithful disciple of Christ, who pointed out to the guards the place where the Savior lived. It is known that the picture was painted by Caravaggio, a late Mannerist, commissioned by Matteo Chiriaco. For many years the painting was considered unsuccessfully lost, but at the end of the twentieth century it was nevertheless identified by a Society of Jesus in Ireland.

The history of the painting’s movement is still very confusing, and there is a known case of a copy of the painting being taken from the West European and Oriental Art Museum in Ukraine. For a long time it was the "Odessa copy" that was considered the original or original sketch. Until now there are serious disputes about the origin of these two paintings, and art historians are still unable to come to a consensus on the issue.

Caravaggio’s paintings mostly belong to the movements of realism and mannerism, and The Kiss of Judas is a canonical example for the Caravaggists, as this painting absorbed all the skill and mannerist technique of the artist. Above all, the rejection of canonical Renaissance art is strongly visible - there are no static poses, facial expressions do not speak to inner feelings, no use of classical local colors, significant accents on light and shade.

Mannerism, in turn, is characterized by a harmonious, non-contradictory state of mind of the portrayed and their external emotions, Caravaggio exposes perception, makes the paintings sensual and full of emotion. "The Kiss of Judas" is above all an emotional canvas that reveals the experience of the characters. On Iscariot’s face we see a mad fanaticism, a grimace of anguish and subservience, his hands clasped tightly to Jesus, he expresses his devotion through the betrayal that Jesus experiences by bowing his eyes, he knew that betrayal would happen and only humility is seen on his face. Caravaggio makes a characteristic emphasis on the lighting within the painting, as if light rays down from above.