Conversion of Saint Paul
Medium
Pen and brown ink, with brush and brown and gray wash, over traces of black chalk, on cream laid paper
Dimensions
31.5 × 27.5 cm (12 7/16 × 10 7/8 in.)
Classification
pen and ink drawings
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
81918
Art Historical Context
Francesco Solimena’s *Conversion of Saint Paul* captures one of the most dramatic moments in Christian scripture: the moment when Saul, struck by divine light on the road to Damascus, falls from his horse and is transformed into the Apostle Paul. As a leading figure of the late Baroque period in Naples, Solimena specialized in dynamic religious compositions that combined theatrical movement with intense emotional expression, helping to shape the visual language of Counter-Reformation art. Executed in pen and brown ink with brush-applied washes over black chalk, the drawing reveals the artist’...
About the Artist
Francesco Solimena · 1657–1747
Comment on works: History; Religious