Mathieu Elias

MATTHIEU ELIAS (Zuytpeene, 1658 - Dunkirk, 1741).
"The transfiguration of Christ".
Oil on canvas glued to tablex.
It presents damages in the frame.
Measurements: 104 x 69 cm; 118 x 83 cm (frame).
The work represents the biblical episode of the Transfiguration of Christ, one of the most sublime moments of the Gospel, narrated in the synoptic Gospels (Matthew 17:1-9, Mark 9:2-10, Luke 9:28-36). In this passage, Jesus ascends a mountain with Peter, James and John, and there his figure is transfigured: his face shines like the sun and his clothes become white as light. Next to him appear Moses and Elijah, symbols of the Law and the Prophets, while a luminous cloud and a divine voice confirm his divinity: "This is my beloved Son, listen to him".
In this painting, Matthieu Elias captures the scene with a baroque theatricality characteristic of the 17th century. Christ occupies the central axis of the composition, suspended in the air, wrapped in a white robe that highlights his luminous figure. His serene expression and outstretched arms evoke majesty and divine surrender. To his right and left are Moses and Elijah, identifiable by the attributes they carry: the tablets of the Law and the prophetic staff.
Below them, a multitude of cherubs and angels surround him, creating a heavenly atmosphere that emphasizes the supernatural glory of the moment. In the lower part of the composition, the apostles Peter, James and John appear dazzled, falling or prostrating before the vision, represented with great gestural and emotional dynamism, a typical element of baroque dramatism.
The Transfiguration is one of the most significant theophanies of the New Testament, for it anticipates the glory of the Resurrection. Symbolically, it connects the Old Testament with the New, and is a visual affirmation of Christ's divinity. It is, moreover, a complex subject both narratively and pictorially, as it requires simultaneous representation of the human and the celestial, the material and the spiritual.
Matthieu Elias was a Flemish-French painter trained in the rich artistic context of Northern Europe. Although less well known than his more celebrated contemporaries, his work reflects a profound assimilation of the Baroque style, with clear influences of Rubens and the Caravaggists, particularly in the use of chiaroscuro, pyramidal composition and the expressiveness of the figures.
In this painting, his mastery of color stands out, especially in the hallmarks of the contrasts between the warm tones of the clothes and the cold blue of the sky, as well as his ability to articulate the scene through diagonals that guide the viewer's gaze towards the central figure of Christ. The treatment of the bodies and the folds of the garments denotes a solid technical training, and the dramatism of the scene reveals a great knowledge of baroque visual rhetoric.