Amidst the deeply-textured surface of Julian Schnabel’s dark canvas, the face of Goliath is revealed, a reworking of Caravaggio’s David with the Head of Goliath. The piece is a direct result of Schnabel’s interest in the religious and artistic history of Italy.

Schnabel’s plate paintings are amongst the most famous of his works, of which this piece is one of the most recent. Each of the plate works examine element of depiction and storytelling, often through portraiture. The surface of the work refigures these broken ubiquitous objects to achieve an extraordinary depth of texture.

The title of the work appears as a commentary on Caravaggio’s controversial personal life, rendering him as a biblical giant within a development of his own work, slain by the victorious David. One may consider this piece to be an emotive reflection on notions of morality and reflection, and how they function within a religious system. In this work, Schnabel connects with a detail of art history, to reveal complex questions, encouraging the viewer to look again.

An extended viewing of this work also reveals a depth of tone not immediately seen. In the shadows, Schnabel has employed rich browns and crimson, to lend the background a real depth of colour, that meshes with the plates to create a truly unique surface, that responds to the lighting within which it is placed.