Analyze Caravaggio's painting The Supper at Emmaus (1601)

The Supper of Emmaus (1601) was
painted by the Italian Baroque artist Caravaggio. The Catholic Church was reacting
against the Lutheran Reformation and wanted religious art inspired by realist principles
so that the people could understand the scenes and identify with the
characters.

Yet, several times Caravaggio went too far and
his paintings were controversial for their excessive realism which was, at times,
considered blasphemous. The Supper of Emmaus is a typical example
of Caravaggio's realism which takes out of its subject any idealization and beauty. The
painting depicts the moment when Jesus reveals his identity to his disciples after his
Resurrection. Caravaggio catches the surprise, rather than the sublime element of the
scene, foregrounding, with his typical use of light, the surprised faces and the
outstretched arms. As part of his realism, Caravaggio chose to represent the disciples
with torn clothes and around a humble meal, stressing a domesticity which viewers could
relate to.

Jesus's blessing of the meal evokes debate on
the meaning of the Eucharist between those in the Reformation and those of the Counter
Reformation. With its Eucharist references (Jesus's blessing, the bread in the
foreground), the painting illustrates the Counter Reformation conception of the
Eucharist as characterized by the presence of Christ's body. The commotion around the
table causes the fruit basket to seem to be close to falling off the table, almost
inviting the viewers to reach out for it and thus inviting them to be part of Christ's
revelation.