Caravaggio – The beheading of St John

As 1990 passed into 1991 I visited Malta with my now-wife. We went into St John’s Cathedral in Valetta and stood for a while, flabbergasted before this painting:

• The cruel subject is treated very realistically
• You’re looking at it in a Cathedral rather than a gallery
• It is absolutely massive

If you’re ever in Valetta do drop in to see the painting above along with several other works by Caravaggio.

I’ve mentioned before that I used to work in Edinburgh’s Filmhouse. A year or so before going to Malta I had seen Derek Jarman’s beautiful, cruel and cinematographically-faithful-to-the-subject film of the scandalous painter’s life. If you’re not likely to be in Valetta any time soon, the film is well worth a watch.