Paradise 1593 - 1603

Carlo Saraceni painted Paradise in oil on copper, sometime in the early 17th century. In this small but densely populated painting, the artist has tried to capture the immensity and complexity of heaven. Saraceni was working in Italy at a time when the Catholic Church was trying to re-establish its authority after the Protestant Reformation. Paintings like this one were part of that effort. They visualize the doctrines of the church and encourage piety. The organization of the painting into hierarchical layers reflects the ordered universe that was part of Catholic doctrine at that time. To understand this work more fully, we might look at theological texts from the period, or examine the history of the institutions that supported artists like Saraceni. What we call art is always embedded in a particular time, place and set of social relations.