Portrayal of Jesus

Caravaggio's Thomas Touching the Side of Jesus

This painting fits into art history in a couple of ways. First, notice the shallow depth of field; There is no grand landscape behind the subjects. This seems typical of Caravaggio. There is nothing to distract us from what is happening in the scene. It is as if we are leaning forward along with the subjects of the painting. This lack of scenery is a departure from various periods in art history. Second, the disciples and Jesus (to an extent) are not explicitly portrayed like deities and saints; they look like "peasants," which was considered extremely distasteful in periods of art history's past. They are simply "average-looking" men who are not standing in any grand poses with stoic expressions, but are straining and squinting.

I choose to look at this image because of the things that it is missing, the things mentioned above. I said Jesus looks like a peasant only "to an extent" because he does look noticeably different from the disciples. He looks much more put together and somewhat glorified. I like the fact that this painting seems to be inviting us to lean in with the disciples and see the miracle that has taken place.

I think that this painting has a message to offer, along with aesthetic beauty. However, I realize that any portrayal of Jesus is limited. I have a feeling that an actual look at the real Jesus would surprise us all in one way or another. I feel it is impossible for us to know on this earth exactly what Jesus looked like. If we acknowledge this limitation, then we can look past our erroneous and finite assumptions to the story and character of our savior.