I chose “The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew” as the painting that best illustrates the Baroque period. The reasons for my decision are clear in Caravaggio's painting. Here Caravaggio uses the entire canvas to illustrate complexity, fluidity and chiaroscuro. The painting depicts the light source coming from the left side of the plane. The brightest light focuses directly on Matthew's tormentor who intends to hit Matthew with an old Balkan weapon. Caravaggio masterfully illustrates the use of lighting by casting believable shadows. For example, the shadow of the handle of a Balkan weapon is reflected on the executioner's left thigh and knee. Another shadow appears on the inside of the executioner's right thigh. The light source to the left of the executioner, the executioner, St. Matthews, the boy, the 2 observers at the bottom right and the dimmer lighting at the top left of the canvas illustrate the visual movement technique. Lighting is strategically placed, causing visual movement within the room. For example, the illumination of the executioner's forearm draws my attention to the angel who seems to be offering a palm leaf to Saint Matthew. Accordingly, my gaze then focuses on the body of Saint Matthew, lying at the foot of the altar, then my gaze moves to the arm of the Angle. The lighting on the angel's arm contrasting with the darkness of the palm leaf forces the viewer to look at the hand to see what St. Matthew is looking for. The boy fleeing the scene attracts the viewer more. The two adult observers at the bottom right of the painting are lit but not as bright as the two main figures. Then my attention is drawn to the man lying on the bottom steps, left side of the canvas...... middle of paper ...... classical landscapes. The Baroque marks the era when painters considered using subjects other than scenes from the Bible and classical traditions. The Baroque period is also the period when artists painted portraits and scenes of everyday life. The Baroque artist gave up trying to introduce calm balance to Renaissance artists. Artists of the Baroque era were no longer interested in extremes. They wanted to paint subjects that carried strong emotions; they wanted to capture these emotions and feelings in their work. Instead of just sometimes extreme feelings, these strong emotions were personal. Most often, artists tried to depict intense religious emotions. Baroque art attempted to explain how and why their subjects fit as strongly as they did by depicting their emotional states as vividly and analytically as possible..