Caravaggio, The calling of St. Matthew

Under development...

The Italian Baroque master Caravaggio's The calling of St. Matthew in the Museum of San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome is an important work of the Italian Baroque, and another work believed by Hockney to have been executed by means of optical projections. The following is based on:

• David G. Stork, "Locating illumination sources from lighting on planar surfaces in paintings: An application to Georges de la Tour and Caravaggio," Optical Society of American, Rochester NY, 2008 (pdf)
• Dave Kale and David G. Stork, "Estimating the position of illuminants under weak model assumptions: An application to the works of two Baroque masters," SPIE Electronic Imaging, 2008 (pdf)
• David G. Stork, "New insights into Caravaggio's working methods: Revelations from computer vision and computer graphics modelling," Renaissance Society of America Annual Meeting (abstract), Los Angeles CA 2009 (pdf)

The position and nature of the illuminant

xxx It is clear, too, that a single hole in the roof does not admit sufficient illumination to render a rich, detailed image. Hockney points out, correctly, in Secret Knowledge that Caravaggio "worked in dark cellars." As Hockney and Falco themselves admit, one needs sunlight, not a patch of blue sky.

What does this mean?

xxx