The Calling of Saint Matthew
Artist	Juan de Pareja
Year	1661

The Calling of Saint Matthew is a 1661 oil painting by Juan de Pareja. It is currently held by the Museo del Prado. The painting depicts the Biblical story where Jesus calls Levi, a tax collector, to abandon his materialistic life and follow a spiritual path, transforming him into Matthew, a Gospel writer. The painting was likely inspired by the Caravaggio painting of the same subject.^[1]

In Pareja's painting, Levi, depicted wearing luxurious attire and surrounded by symbols of wealth like coins and pearls, reacts with surprise before ultimately accepting Jesus’s call. The painting reflects themes of transformation and identity, both for Matthew and for Pareja, a Black artist asserting his position in 17th-century Catholic Spain. The composition divides the space into two contrasting realms—material and spiritual—separated by a marble column. On the right, Jesus and his disciples, barefoot and simply clothed, embody the spiritual realm. Jesus is distinguished by a white halo and divine light. On the left, the material world is characterized by opulent objects, busy tax officials, and lavishly dressed figures. Levi, positioned near the column, serves as the pivot between these two spheres, symbolizing his moment of conversion.^[2]

Among the figures on the left, Pareja includes a self-portrait, directly engaging the viewer and claiming authorship of the work through an inscription on a piece of paper. He dresses himself as a nobleman. He also presents his facial features as more stereotypically European in comparison with Velázquez's portrait of him.^[3]