The Conversion of Saint Paul

Benozzo Gozzoli's Conversion of Saint Paul, painted around 1468 and now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, depicts the dramatic moment on the road to Damascus when Saul of Tarsus was struck down by divine light and converted to Christianity. Gozzoli, who excelled at narrative painting, brings his characteristic storytelling energy to this pivotal episode in Christian history, one of the most dramatically depicted conversion scenes in biblical art.

Gozzoli's narrative gifts are evident in the dramatic staging of the fallen figure and the startled companions, rendered in his characteristic bright palette with the clear, legible composition suited to devotional storytelling.