The dark atmosphere of this scene was probably well-known to the artist himself, who was a frequent guest of taverns Under the Moor, Under the Turk and Under the Wolf, in which shady-looking men, often surrounded by prostitutes, partook in drunkenness and gambling, always ready to get into a fight or a fencing duel for any little reason.

However, how does one paint such a strange event, in which somebody leaves a profitable position and becomes one of the travelling disciples of a wandering preacher? John Chrysostom described it simply like this: “Matthew was a tax collector, living off constant robbery. But (…) in one moment he abandoned his evil deeds, tamed his greed and followed spiritual gain”. But how did Caravaggio display it? Two modestly dressed men approach the table, only a beam of light shining from above their heads, reveals the mystery, which we are witnessing. However, not all men notice it, just as not all of them are interested in the appearance of Christ and Peter. This is a moment in which Caravaggio as in a silent movie, confronts the onlooker with the intricate drama of gestures of each individual figure. Matthew surprised by the illumination and unsure of the situation, points his finger at the space between himself and his neighbor, who is busy counting money, as if he wanted to make sure – you mean me, or maybe him? The young man sitting on Matthew’s other side wants to indicate himself, but at the moment Peter accompanying Christ with a gesture repeating Christ’s, ensures everybody that it is Matthew they are pointing to. Silently, with a gesture, Christ chooses him from among all the others – unaware, unworthy and sinful. The surprised Matthew does not immediately understand the responsibility that comes with it, but also the grace. The youths sitting at the table turn towards the light, but only Matthew is enlightened in a metaphoric and in a real dimension. And this is what Caravaggio displays: the moment of metamorphosis, changing from a sinner into a saint, which happens accidentally and may surprise us at any moment, because it does not depend on man. If that was not enough, the represented story takes on a universal dimension, it shows that it is not only a biblical story but also a contemporary one, the miracle which we are witnessing may happen any night on the dark streets of Rome or any other city on the planet. The artist excellently contrasted in his painting two paths of life and two worlds. The severe and modest one represented by the men dressed in rough cloth entering the room and the world of plenty and money, but also dishonest rivalry, which is exhibited by a group of the seated men, dressed in lavish, expensive clothing, busy counting money. It has everything: velvet, feathers,, furs, money, and arms. On the other side two barefoot strangers. One with a gesture of his hand, slightly descending, similar to the one we know from the Sistine Chapel and the scene of The Creation of Adam, painted by Michelangelo, points to Matthew. And it is not Christ, but light – a symbol of divine intervention, which accompanies miraculous and incredible events in Caravaggio’s paintings, that is the driving force, causing Matthew to get up from his seat and follow the teacher. Such a creation of a saint, presented as if during a “round-up”, has never until then appeared in the history of art and it should come as no surprise that immediately it became a focal point of discussions, interpretations, but also criticism. Caravaggio, exhibited in the painting, not only technical skill and  perfectly conducted scene directing, but he also showed himself to be an almost revolutionary interpreter of the Bible.

The interpretation that Matthew is the older, bearded man in the painting is accepted by most researchers of Caravaggio’s work, although since the eighties of the XX century, there is another concept, represented by Thomas Prater and a group of those who identify with him. How will we understand the scene if we see Matthew not in the older man, but in the youth, seated at the corner of the table in the foreground, who did not even notice Christ and St. Peter entering. He is so busy with counting money, that he cannot take his eyes away from it, even – as we can assume – he is ready to take it as his own taking advantage of a moment of turmoil. And is it not he, that Christ chooses – a simple scumbag, a wretch, in order to fully show us the possibility to change a sinner into a saint. If that is the case, we would be dealing here with Caravaggio’s ingenious idea based on  ambiguity, allusion and a game, which the artist is playing with the viewer – his intellectual base and knowledge of art.

Cardinal Contarelli himself, who left guidelines regarding the furnishing of the chapel of his name, in a letter written prior to his death, very explicitly stated how Matthew should be presented – in a way suggesting his desire to follow Christ. If that was the case, Caravaggio did not follow through, both in choosing a disoriented Matthew (with a beard), and – according to the second interpretation – a completely oblivious of his role and mission youth. The older with disbelief points to him, while the young man has not even raised his head and is unaware of the event in which he is the main protagonist. If that indeed, was the painter’s idea, it must be admitted that Caravaggio created not only an artistically perfect painting, but also one that is unbelievably perverse and surprising..., just as he himself was.

The Calling of St. Matthew, Caravaggio, oil on canvas, 1600 r., Contarelli Chapel, Church of San Luigi dei Francesi