The Evangelist Matthew

The Evangelist Matthew at the Gemaldegalerie Alte Meister in Dresden, painted around 1615, belongs to Guercino's early series of the four evangelists. These canonical figures provided opportunities to explore varied character types and literary attributes. Guercino's vivid early style, with its bold chiaroscuro and emotional immediacy, gave way after 1621 to a more classical manner influenced by the taste of Rome, creating two distinct bodies of work that represent the Baroque's competing impulses toward drama and order.

The evangelist is depicted with his traditional angel attribute, his features illuminated by dramatic chiaroscuro. The early handling shows the influence of the Carracci tradition.