Caravaggio 1573 – 1610

St John the Baptist (1604)

oil on canvas (172 × 104 cm) — c. 1604
Nelson-Atkins Museum, Kansas

This work is linked to Matthew 3:1

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St. John seems a little downcast in this painting. Maybe his life as a prophet in the desert was harsh. However, he also seems determined to call all sinners to repentance.

The background, with its trees and leaves, seems a bit too artificial to be true. It makes the painting resemble a studio picture.

Other Baptists by Caravaggio: 1602 and 1609.