The Supper at Emmaus

Caravaggio

Oil and tempera on canvas

National Gallery, London

This masterful Baroque painting captures the dramatic moment when the resurrected Christ reveals himself to two disciples at an inn in Emmaus. Caravaggio depicts the scene with his revolutionary tenebrism technique—stark lighting that illuminates the astonished figures against a dark background, creating intense psychological drama. The disciples' theatrical gestures convey their shock: one grips the arms of his chair ready to leap up, while the other throws out his arms in disbelief. Born Michelangelo Merisi in Lombardy, Caravaggio was as notorious for his violent temper and criminal exploits as for his artistic genius, yet his groundbreaking use of light and shadow and his unflinching realism transformed European painting forever.