The Denial Of St. Peter Analysis

10/16/11
Paper #1
Art History 100 I chose the artwork “The Denial of St. Peter” attributed to Master Jacomo in the early mid-17th century made using either French or Italian style which consisted of oil on canvas. The physical condition of the painting looks good for how old it is and it looks clean. The painting represents a scene of a Roman guard interrogating St. Peter and a servant girl. St. Peter denies the fact that he is a follower of Jesus to the Roman soldier as the woman looks on. When I first saw the painting my eyes focused on the left side of the painting: then the followed the rest of it while noticing a dark and suspenseful scene that focused on the actions of many beings.
The male and female on the right seem to on walk
The scenery color does not vary. There is more focus on the middle detail and color on the middle portion of the painting rather than on the sides of the painting. The only color that really stands out is the red that the woman is wearing which draws attention to her. It could also mean anger showing that she could be angry that they were found. St. Peter is dressed in black with a brown shroud over his body and head. The black almost hides him in the dark with the brown as a cover if the light wasn’t on him. The black represent his inconspicuous while the brown shows his stability and connectivity with the earth. The guard is dressed in grey armor as he almost hiding himself in darkness also ready to come out whenever needed. It almost gives an ominous and depressing feeling when seeing that grey in the darkness. It could show that by meeting this guard they are facing exposure and loss. The light of the candle is again a bright color that illuminates everything in its path. It symbolizes the light of truth showing who knows what truth is and who does not. Other than those colors, darkness fills the rest of the painting obviously showing that this is a night