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“Reduced to its essentials, a picture is a solid surface, which the artist covers with colored forms whose arrangement is pleasing to the eye through the unity of form, the harmony of the parts and the perfection of the execution (Gilson, 1966, p. 130).  Compared to other mediums of Fine Arts—namely, architecture and sculpture—paintings do not have the luxury of physical depth. Instead, paintings give illusions of depth and dimension through color, despite being on a flat surface. This play of light and dark to give dramatic emphasis on shadows and highlights is called VALUE. Furthermore, common materials used in painting are oil, watercolor, acrylic, mixed, tempera, and wax. Its subject matter can vary from landscapes, portraits, religion, still life, and more. The painting can depict any subject and use any of the aforementioned materials; its essence is that it imitates life through colored forms.

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The Incredulity of St. Thomas was painted by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio in 1602-1602 (http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=54170, 2007). The Bible story tells us that Thomas did not believe the other apostles when they said that Jesus had returned. “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe” (John 20:24-29). Caravaggio then captures the moment of St. Thomas putting his finger in the wound of Christ.

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In terms of value, the painting depicts chiaroscuro, which is a dimly-lit scene with high contrast. This emphasizes the figures in the foreground, since the entire background is completely dark. This gives the viewer an up-close and intimate perspective of the scene with no distractions.

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Located at the center of the painting is Christ’s hand leading St. Thomas’s hand into the wound. From a religious standpoint, this shows how Christ leads us towards faith. Furthermore, the knuckles have a high value, which gives emphasis.

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(2007) Available at http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=54170. (Accessed: 31 October 2019).

Apostles Worldwide Fellowship (no date) Apostles Worldwide Fellowship. Available at http://www.apostlesworldwidefellowship.org/products/ (Accessed: 31 October 2019).

Gilson, E. (1966) Forms and substances in the arts. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons.

John 20:24-29, Holy Bible: New International Version (NIV)

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In terms of color, Christ is given emphasis because he is the only figure in white. The other figures in the painting are wearing dark tones of red. White is usually associated with Christ because it represents purity. Red, in the context of the apostles, represents the blood of Jesus in respect to his sacrifice on the Cross (http://www.apostlesworldwidefellowship.org/products/, no date)