The Arrest of Christ

The Arrest of Christ, painted in 1641, depicts the moment in the Garden of Gethsemane when Judas identified Jesus with a kiss and the temple guards seized him. Caravaggio's own famous treatment of this subject, painted in 1602, had established a template for nocturnal arrest scenes that Caravaggist painters across Europe continued to develop for decades, and Stom's Sicilian version maintains the tradition's visceral dramatic power. Stom's mastery of candlelight effects was among the most technically accomplished of all Caravaggist painters, surpassing many of his contemporaries in the subtlety of his graduated shadows and the warmth of his artificial illumination.

The chaotic night scene is organized through strong chiaroscuro, with torchlight and lanterns creating multiple light sources that illuminate the confusion of the arrest. The pressing figures and reaching hands create a claustrophobic composition of entrapment and betrayal.