St John The Baptist Analysis

St John the Baptist preaching was painted by Mattia Preti in the mid17th century. The artist was born in Taverna Italy on 24th Feb 1613 and died 85 years later on the 3rd Jan 1699 in Malta. He was religious and a dedicated catholic with most of his work done on churches or having a religious theme. In the end, he became a knight of the church after joining the order of the St. John in Malta which was the main inspiration in this painting.
The works of Mattia Preti are some of the pieces of work painted in the 17th century when the world was facing some of the darkest times in history. St. John the Baptist preaching is painting that speaks of hope and faith in a period of gloom. While the artist was born at the helm of Italian civilization, his contribution in art work followed the great plague and dark times characterized by the brewing protestant rebellion and other religious changes that rocked the entire of Europe (Bonello 74). The spilt of the Roman Catholic was mainly caused by the feeling that the church had entertained idol worship through their over emphasize on the images of Jesus Christ, Virgin Mary and other patron saints. In such a period, Mattia Preti works were a show of his strong belief in the ability of the righteous to overcome and prevail. The position …show more content…
John the Baptist provides hope and consolation to a desolate world. St. John the Baptist is a sign of hope and good things to come after a trying period. The plague had claimed countless lives and people were starting to lose hope in church and. However, just like the voice in the jungle asking the Israelites to have a little faith, the painting is used to emphasize that God is always looking out for his people in the end. The plague was just a phase of trials and tribulations and just like the Israelites had finally given up before the birth of Christ, the people of Europe should have a little faith because there is a glimmer of hope in the