Bekering van Paulus c. 1545 - 1569

Enea Vico’s engraving depicts the conversion of Paul, capturing a moment of profound spiritual and psychological upheaval. The radiant light emanating from the heavens, a symbol of divine intervention, strikes Saul, unseating him from his horse and casting his companions into disarray. This motif of divine light shares a kinship with earlier depictions of epiphany, where light is not merely illumination but a force of transformative power. Recall, if you will, the Renaissance use of light in paintings of the Annunciation, where it embodies divine grace. Similarly, here, the light serves as a catalyst for inner change, a blinding truth that shatters old beliefs and heralds a new understanding. Observe the dramatic postures and gestures of the figures, conveying a sense of chaos and awe. The rearing horses, the fallen soldiers, and Saul's own prostrate form speak to the overwhelming force of this divine encounter. Such dramatic imagery echoes through art history, reappearing, for instance, in Baroque paintings that sought to evoke intense emotional states and spiritual experiences. This iconography serves as a potent reminder of the power of faith to disrupt and transform the human psyche, an experience rendered here with palpable intensity.