Comments on: considerations in two parts: a love letter to caravaggio and some thoughts on chinese photography, pt. 1 http://the-space-in-between.com/2004/08/12/considerations-in-two-parts-a-love-letter-to-caravaggio-and-some-thoughts-on-chinese-photography-pt-1/ "...that accident which pricks me (but also bruises me, is poignant to me)." Mon, 08 Sep 2008 08:50:57 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: stacy http://the-space-in-between.com/2004/08/12/considerations-in-two-parts-a-love-letter-to-caravaggio-and-some-thoughts-on-chinese-photography-pt-1/#comment-16 stacy Mon, 16 Aug 2004 17:49:51 +0000 http://the-space-in-between.com/?p=11#comment-16 the identity of this saint has been bugging me, because i know the seashell is a catholic clue to his identity. i <a href="http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintj11.htm" rel="nofollow"> looked it up</a> (a search for saints and their symbols), and it appears that the saint is, in fact, st. james, who was slain by king herod and his body put in a rudderless ship, which found its way to the coast of spain--and is now the famous site on the pilgrimmage trail <i>st. compostela</i>. a cockle or clam shell is often is his symbol. speaking of <a href="http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.arlindo-correia.com/doubting_thomas_t.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.arlindo-correia.com/121001.html&h=272&w=375&sz=17&tbnid=zj_JTetg6bwJ:&tbnh=85&tbnw=117&start=18&prev=/images%3Fq%3D%2522caravaggio%2522%2B%2522doubting%2Bthomas%2522%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DN" rel="nofollow">doubting thomas</a>, it is one of my favorite of all caravaggio's paintings, and it is one i still have yet to view. the identity of this saint has been bugging me, because i know the seashell is a catholic clue to his identity. i looked it up (a search for saints and their symbols), and it appears that the saint is, in fact, st. james, who was slain by king herod and his body put in a rudderless ship, which found its way to the coast of spain–and is now the famous site on the pilgrimmage trail st. compostela. a cockle or clam shell is often is his symbol.

speaking of doubting thomas, it is one of my favorite of all caravaggio’s paintings, and it is one i still have yet to view.

]]> By: vernaculo http://the-space-in-between.com/2004/08/12/considerations-in-two-parts-a-love-letter-to-caravaggio-and-some-thoughts-on-chinese-photography-pt-1/#comment-15 vernaculo Mon, 16 Aug 2004 07:08:22 +0000 http://the-space-in-between.com/?p=11#comment-15 My guess is the man in the chair is Thomas. You can see the wound in Christ's left hand in the shadow near his chest, and the other hand shows just enough to shock the man rising in disbelief. Which gives the image a certain amount of narrative tension. If you don't recall the details, thomas was the unbeliever, the "Doubting" Thomas of cliched phrase. Christ showed the wounds in his hands as proof of his resurrection. It explains the very accurately depicted near-terror of the figure in the foreground. My guess is the man in the chair is Thomas. You can see the wound in Christ’s left hand in the shadow near his chest, and the other hand shows just enough to shock the man rising in disbelief. Which gives the image a certain amount of narrative tension.

If you don’t recall the details, thomas was the unbeliever, the “Doubting” Thomas of cliched phrase. Christ showed the wounds in his hands as proof of his resurrection.

It explains the very accurately depicted near-terror of the figure in the foreground.

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