A serene composition unfolds before us (the piece was painted in two different variations: the one below hangs in Louvre, Paris, [visit the great Louvre official site too] , and the next one hangs in Musei Capitolini, Rome, and may be seen in the slideshow on the main page). It may seem as though Caravaggio (Britannica full article on Caravaggio) aimed to appease the audience, to make us feel safe with this serenity. Several features conspire to achieve that effect. First is the neat compositional symmetry: each model occupies roughly half of the canvas and mirrors accurately the gestures of its counterpart — the elbows, the head tilt, the angle of the eye level. Together, the two figures form a round arch, with the plume of the young man’s head-dress marking the pinnacle. Second is the palette: the warm golden-brown tones of the skin and of the background (mixed with soft light, and complemented by the interchange of whites, greens, reds and browns of the garments) underscore the symmetry to further soothe the audience.
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