• Have the students write a letter from Saint Paul describing the writing process, including frustrations and triumphs.
• Compare and contrast the aspects of culture and religion shown in the Scene of Feasting.

These Habits of Mind are important because they challenge the students’ assumptions of art as well as religion.  Many different conversations that can be generated from this piece—economics, culture, and religion—are conversations that students need to have in Social Studies classrooms.

• Where is your attention drawn first? What compositional technique does the artist use to draw the viewer into the scene?
• What words would you use to describe the tone of the painting? Explain your answer.
• What do you notice about the objects on the table? Look closely at and describe the various objects. Think about their color, texture, and form—as well as their placement in relation to each other.
• Describe the light; compare the light on the figure to the background. How does this add to the mood of the painting?
• Describe the objects on the table. What do you think their relationship to Saint Paul is?
• Notice what appears to be a reflection of a face on the table. Describe this reflection in relationship to the face of Saint Paul.
• How would you describe the physical features of the sitter, such as his hands? What words would you use to describe the attitude of the sitter?
• Notice the simple, tightly cropped composition. How would this be different if we could see the surrounding of the scene?
• Consider the artist’s choice of color: How does the black background highlight the red gown? Explain how it heightens the sense of drama within the composition.

• How does the artist create a scene that is both reflective and dramatic? Explain your answer using evidence from the work of art.
• In the center of the composition, viewers can see a reflection of a face on the table. At first glance, many believe that it is the face of Paul. Look closely at the work. Do you agree? Why or why not?
• In fact, this work is actually three compositions superimposed on a single canvas. Why do you think an artist would reuse canvases?
• How does knowing that the face is not part of the intended composition change your interpretation of the work?

After discussing the Looking Questions, focus on the questions involving world religions, culture, or economics.  Flip the painting on the screen to show the students the reflection/face in the desk.

• To what extent does the facial reflection add to the overall viewing experience?
• What does the layering of this piece tell us about the economic status of the artist?
• What does this tell us about the importance of art in this society’s economy?
• What is the impact of text on Christianity?
• How are religious texts compiled? Does this affect the authenticity or spirituality of the piece?
• To what extent has the Bible transcended the boundaries of societies?

In this painting, Saint Paul the Apostle (c. A.D 5-c A.D 67), one of the most influential early Christian missionaries and leaders, is sitting quietly at his desk, writing one of his epistles (letters). He holds a pen ready in his right hand and gazes at a script, pausing in a moment of reflection. This painting is rich with symbols: the rolled scroll, cards, books, and loose scripts that surround him, and the sword, biblically associated with the word of god, at his left.

 

The softness of this painting lends a sense of intimacy and quiet reflection. The fold of his cloak, his delicately painted scholar’s hands, and the curves of the scroll and the book express a meditative air. The artist paints light realistically, forming a vital part of this composition. Notice how the light falls on his bald head, the table, and the sword. The striking contrast between light and shadow, together with the simplicity of the half-length figure, reveal the artist’s influence by Caravaggio, whose radical paintings depicting strong contrast between light and dark were enormously influential in the early 17^th century.

 

The artist carefully balanced the composition of the painting through the use of the red cloak, adding color and drama in the right side of the painting leaving the left side shrouded in black haze. This is a technique used to draw the viewer’s attention to an object of interest.

 

In the center of the painting, viewers can see a reflection of a face on the table. At first glance, it seems to be a reflection of Paul or perhaps because the figure is pictured with a crown of thorns, the head of Christ. Look carefully and it becomes clear something is not quite right. The angle of the reflection does not align with the face, nor is the light source correctly placed to be casting such a reflection. It appears that the face was part of a previous composition that the artist painted over. This was a common practice, since canvas was expensive. When an artist deemed a painting unsuccessful, they often painted over the existing image and started anew.

 

Through X-radiographs, scholars have concluded that there are actually three compositions layered on top of each other on this canvas. The first painting, vertical in orientation, showed an artist at his easel. This figure was painted over with an image of Christ crowned with thorns. The shadowy, upside down image that you see here in the table survived from that second painting.  X-radiographs indicate that the bottom layer of paint shows an artist at his easel, possibly making that earlier version a self-portrait. It is interesting that time, and modern technology, has revealed the artist’s earlier paintings that were never intended to be part of the final version.