Contemporary artists are motivated by the works of ancient painters such as Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. Mat Collishow is one of the artists whose works have been inspired by Caravaggio. According to Mat Collishow, he gets ideas from books and National art galleries. The paintings in different books and those displayed in various art galleries give Mat Collishow ideas on size, and shadow, among other paintings’ attributes (The National Gallery 0:40-6:21). Although Caravaggio’s paintings elicited religious controversies, Mat Collishow says that the painter uniquely used light and shadows in making his work. The artist uses his lithophane of Caravaggio’s ‘Conversion of St Paul’ to describe why many people decontextualize the painter’s works (The National Gallery 7:21-8:10). Mat Collishow opines that Caravaggio’s work requires keen interpretation to understand their meaning.
According to Mat Collishow painting helps in telling exciting stories. One can understand the story behind the painting by keenly observing it. He uses examples of lithophanes, with Chinese origins, that were popular in the 19th Century (The National Gallery 9:19-9:50). Mat Collishow states that unique paintings encourage feelings of intimacy as one gets with them (The National Gallery 8:46-8:56). Additionally, Mat Collishow states that Caravaggio light was scared since it represented ‘God’s light’. He used light in his work to present different meanings. Some of the meanings include recognition, revelation, and the rising of Jesus Christ. Therefore, Caravaggio’s use of light was not just theatrics, but communication of deeper Christian messages.
Although Caravaggio is Mat Collishow’s major inspiration, he also borrows ideas from other artists. For instance, his photo ‘Single Night’ has candlelight to present a sense of isolation and loneliness (The National Gallery 15:00-15:15:20). He borrowed the idea of using candlelight from Georges de La Tour paintings (The National Gallery 15:25-15:38). Furthermore, Mat Collishow’s works are based on personal experiences. One such work is ‘Still Life’ which he made from 1990 to 1994. According to the artist, the work was inspired by the kind of foods the Americans in New York consumed (The National Gallery 16:39-16:48). Like many artistical works, Mat Collishow sends messages to his audience. Some of the messages include believing in faith and investing in it (The National Gallery 31:40-32:00). The artist believes that his works are a way of understanding and mapping out the unknown (The National Gallery 42:00-43:33). Therefore, Mat Collishow borrows his artistic ideas from various sources: ancient and contemporary painters, and personal experiences.
Work Cited
The National Gallery. “Mat Collishaw: Inspired by Caravaggio | beyond Caravaggio | National Gallery.” YouTube, Web.