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The History Behind the Painting St.Paul’s Shipwreck Essay

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St.Paul’s Shipwreck was done in 1678 , by Stefano Erardi. Living in the Counter Reformation, Erardi managed to succeed and obey the church’s laws in painting such a wonderful, theatrical scene. He painted very realistic figures with very convincing emotions which made this altarpiece more believable.

It has been documented that Stefano Erardi (1630-1716), used to live in Rabat together with his family while he was doing this titular altarpiece. Erardi began as a Mannerist but then he developed his style into late Baroque Classicism , in which “St.Paul’s Shipwreck” is painted. Erardi had an artistic background, his father , Sebastiano, whom encouraged and influenced him in becoming an artist. He was one of the best Maltese
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The ones who did not know how to swim got there on the broken pieces of the ship.

Everyone reached the land safely to the island called “Malta”. The ‘barbarians’ were very kind hearted and made them a fire as to warm up due to the cold. Whilst St.Paul was gathering some brushwood, a snake got out by the heat and attached to his hand. When the islanders saw this, they thought that “he must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the Justice has not allowed him to live” . The Maltese were polytheists at that time and when they saw that St.Paul removed the poisonous snake as if nothing did happen, they thought that he must be a very special man. During the three months that he stayed in Malta, in the grotto besides the church in which this altarpiece is situated, St.Paul converted the Maltese into Christians.

This is a Religious painting and was meant as to teach the people during the Baroque era since in the Baroque period, the church’s aim was as to show the illiterate a narratie story which looks realistic as to learn the Bible with no difficulty.

This titular altarpiece is a very huge painting measuring _______________. St. Paul is the figure in the middle, wearing a red and green robe, carrying his tributes; a dragger by which he was beheaded and a closed book which represents the Bible. The book also represents that he was a Christian and that he was going to die as a martyr. He is being shown as a middle-aged man with brown hair and beard, with one
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