Saint Paul

Saint Paul at the Prado (c. 1633) depicts the apostle Paul with his traditional attributes of book and sword — the instruments of his intellectual mission (writing the epistles that defined Christian theology) and his martyrdom (beheading in Rome under Nero). Reni painted Paul as a figure of intense interior life, the scholar-apostle's powerful personality suggested through careful attention to the face's expression of concentrated thought. The Prado's collection of Reni apostle figures provides an unusual opportunity to compare multiple works from the same series within a single institution, documenting Reni's approach to the individual characterization of Christ's twelve disciples. Paul — technically not one of the original twelve, having converted after the Resurrection — was nonetheless essential to any apostle series because his epistles provided the theological foundation of Western Christianity. Reni's treatment balances his characteristically idealized approach with the psychological specificity that distinguished Paul from the simpler fishermen apostles.

Paul is shown in half-length, the sword and open book flanking his figure. Reni's late handling is fluid and seemingly effortless, the forms modelled with cool silvery light. The saint's expression of concentrated thought — neither the agony of martyrdom nor the rapture of mystical vision — reflects Reni's preference for contemplative spiritual states.