The Rest on the Flight into Egypt by Caravaggio was created in 1597. The painting is in Galleria Doria Pamphilj, Rome. The size of the work is 135,5 x 166,5 cm and is made as an oil on canvas.
The Rest is one of the masterpieces of Caravaggio’s early period, datable to about 1597. The composition is divided in a completely original manner by the figure of an Angel shown from the back playing a violin. On the right, surrounded by luxuriant vegetation, is a sleeping Madonna with the Child in her arms. Both are depicted in an idealized style, and the beauty of their features is in direct contrast to the naturalistic portrayal of Saint Joseph. (Read more in Galleria Doria Pamphilj)
About the Artist: Italian painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was born in Milan. During the final four years of his life he moved between Naples, Malta, and Sicily until his death. His paintings have been characterized by art critics as combining a realistic observation of the human state, both physical and emotional, with a dramatic use of lighting, which had a formative influence on Baroque painting. Caravaggio employed close physical observation with a dramatic use of chiaroscuro that came to be known as tenebrism… Read more
