A Year of CARAVAGGIO
JON OVRUM
A Year of CARAVAGGIO
COLUMN PUBLISHER
Jon Ovrum
ALL YEAR ROUND WITH CARAVAGGIO
Kolofon Forlag AS 2021
The project is produced on behalf of Jon Ovrum
All rights/responsibility for the content of the project are attributed to Jon Ovrum Enquiries beyond ordering the product should be directed to Jon Ovrum
ISBN 978-82-300-2149-1
Production: Kolofon Forlag AS, 2021
The book can be purchased in our online bookshop bokhandel.kolofon.no or in bookshops.
The material is protected under the Copyright Act. Without express consent, copying, such as printing and other copying, is only permitted when authorised by law (copying for private use, quotation, etc.) or by agreement with Kopinor (www.kopinor.no).
Utilisation in violation of the law or agreement may result in liability for damages and criminal liability.
CONTENT
ALL YEAR ROUND WITH CARAVAGGIO 8
A LITTLE ABOUT ITALIAN HISTORY IN THE 16TH CENTURY 10
25 DECEMBER
Hyrdane fans 14
JANUARY
Resting on the shores of Egypt 18 Paul is converted 22
FEBRUARY
The crucifixion of Peter 27
SPRING SUNDAY
Sick Bacchus 32
Bacchus 35
The body 38
Sacrifice of Isaac41
Narcissus 42
A Year of CARAVAGGIO
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, 1571-1610, better known as Caravaggio, was a painter who painted for the general public and used ordinary people as models for his figures. This book is intended to be a book for everyone, in a way in his spirit. The idea is that this will be a presentation of him through something people have a relationship with, namely the year. The hope is to show a rarely engaging painter, both in his own time, but also for posterity.
This is a book with a historical subject, but one with a slightly unusual structure. The history told through the paintings is presented in a kind of hollow-to-hollow fashion, and not in a chronological order according to when they were made, as a normal history book should be. However, there is a logical chronological order in the book. A year has many anniversaries, both official, religious and private, and here they come. in a row and line, them up on the right dates. The book covers all the church anniversaries that Caravaggio's paintings relate to, as well as seasons and other anniversaries that his paintings refer to. The saints Caravaggio painted, and the Catholic church year, are by far the most common something that of course has to do with the time he lived in. But it also includes spring and autumn, the backchannel on the day of the spring jam, as well as the painter's birth and death dates.
The starting point for the book is a series of images by Caravaggio, with text, posted on Facebook in 2018. At the time, the idea was to use the Catholic church year with all the feast days for saints that Caravaggio painted, as the majority of his paintings have Christian motifs. But the limitation to Catholic feast days is also a small obstacle to showing some of his earliest paintings.
That's why the book A Year of Caravaggio really more all year round, and now you won't even find-religious motifs, such as Bacchus, Narcissus and the Fruit Basket.
Six images nevertheless break the anniversary rule. These are The Fortune Teller, The Musicians, The Fiddlers, The Sacrifice of Isaac, Portrait of Brother Martelli and Portrait of Fillide Melandroni. These are inserted to maintain a steady rhythm in the book. In this way, the book shows more images by Caravaggio.
The normal year, the calendar year, starts on 1 January, but our timeline is based on birth, on 25 December, which is why this review starts with a picture from the stable. But since Caravaggio has painted this twice, it is natural to end this book year with the second picture. The first painting is a late picture. On the other hand, the second painting, Rest on the Flight to Egypt, is an early painting. Given that the third and fourth paintings are from his best period in Rome, the first five years of the sixteenth century, these paintings can give an early impression of his development as an artist.
For information on the choice of paintings and dates, see p. 195 with a list of paintings by Caravaggio. This is not a scholarly treatise in which the various art historical assessments are discussed with a rich set of notes. However, under each picture you will find links to pages in the various books used in the work on the individual picture. Most of the church and biblical references are from Professor Reidar Hvalvik at the Church Faculty. A brief presentation of the books I have used can be found at the back of the book, should you wish to read more about Caravaggio.
In the section on 29 September, the date of his birth, you will find a quick overview of his life. At the back of the book, you'll also find a few sections that may be helpful. You can find a list of all the photos he has taken, in chronological order, and the photos that are not shown or mentioned in the book can be viewed here. You can also find a text that tells a little more about important people in Caravaggio's life.
Finally, thanks to Jostein Blikstad for the idea of making a book of my Facebook texts.
A LITTLE ABOUT ITALIAN HISTORY
INTHE15TH .CENTURY
To understand more of the background to Caravaggio's paintings and his actions, it might be useful to have a brief introduction to the history of both Italy and Rome in the fifteenth century. At the time, Italy was divided into many different provinces, such as e.g. Lombardy and Tuscany. The Papal States covered most of central Italy and eastern Italy with Venice. Spain ruled Lombardy and southern Italy with Sardinia and Sicily. Naples was the most important city there. Milan, which was the capital of Lombardy, had Carlo Borromeo as its bishop from 1563 (see p. 201). He left a strong mark on the city and was a man who could not be bullied by the Spaniards.
Tuscany, on the other hand, had strong ties to France. For example, the Queen of France, Catherine de Medici, who initiated St Bartholomew's Night in 1572, was from the Medici family that ruled Tuscany and Florence. An alliance with the papal state was important for both Spain and France, two great powers that fought to have the pope on their side. They had their envoys in Rome, and there are reports of street battles between groups sympathizing with Spain and France.
This conflict of interest, which went back a long way, led to an impatient Charles V of Spain invading Rome in 1527 and the city being sacked. This act, Sacco di Roma or the sack of Rome, left its unmistakable mark on the city. Around a quarter of the fifty thousand inhabitants were killed and many buildings were destroyed. This was particularly bad since Charles V was a Catholic, and Rome was the center of the Catholic Church. It wasn't until the 17th century, during the Baroque period,
the city was properly restored. Without this looting, Rome would probably be a city characterized by the Renaissance today, not by the Baroque. Rome was an international city, and people from all over the Christian world flocked there, leaving their mark on the city. In addition, there were many labor immigrants, often from the northern parts of Italy, men who took odd jobs and many became petty criminals. The women who came made their living as prostitutes.
As late as 1580, the city was still suffering from the aftermath of the sackings, according to visitor Michel Montaigne. He found that Rome was an ugly city, and the surrounding areas were poor doctor with a poorly run farm. Inside the city, he reacted on the wealth of the papal court and the magnificent palaces of the cardinals and compared it to the dirty, simple and poorly maintained houses of ordinary citizens.
It was also an eloquent city. Montaigne describes an execution of bandits as a great show, with monks trying to get the villains to kiss the image of Christ. After the execution, their bodies were cut into many pieces, and some Jesuits jumped up on the platform and shouted to the people that they had to learn a lesson here. It is thought that Caravaggio witnessed the execution of Beatrice, Lucrezia and Giacomo Cenci in 1599. The women were beheaded, while Giacomo was torn open piece by piece. A large crowd was present, and the sympathy was with those executed. They had killed the patriarch of the family because of sexual harassment and tyrannical behavior.
The state archives from Rome at the time also tell of court cases concerning sfregio vandalization. It was a badge of honor, a long cut on the face. There was, for example, a man who gave his mistress a sfregio because she wouldn't sleep with him, and there was the story of Gianlorenzo Bernini, the great Baroque sculptor, who caught his brother making love to his girlfriend and used the sfregio as an honor
Slowly, the city's appearance changed from Montaigne's visit in 1580/81 until Caravaggio arrived in 1592. In 1585, Sixtus V became Pope, and he took a number of urban planning initiatives,
including the construction of seven wide avenues between the seven most important churches. One of these streets, via Venti Settembre today, which runs eastwards from the Quirinal Hill, had several churches in the Baroque period and is characterized by many as the confectionary of the Baroque period today. He built Acqua Felice, which was the end of an aqueduct that had been restored, and the Quirinal hill could once again be used as a neighborhood. He had four of the finest obelisks erected, in St Peter's Square, Piazza del Popolo, San Giovanni in Laterano and Santa Maria Maggiore, all bearing Christian symbols. So, when Caravaggio arrived in Rome in 1592, Rome was just beginning to rise.
This rebuilding of the city went hand in hand with the Catholic Counter-Reformation. When Martin Luther initiated the Reformation in 1517, it was of course a heavy blow to the Papal Church. Very important was the ecclesiastical power they lost, not only in the the countries that followed the Reformation, but also in their own ranks. The Church therefore initiated the Council of Trent, which was to address what the Catholic Church should do to revive enthusiasm for the Church among Catholics and to strengthen its position in relation to the Reformation churches; they received the Counter-Reformation.
With regard to the first point, we see, both at the Council and in church life, a new movement to turn towards the less fortunate in society. We see a flowering of new orders of monks and nuns who prioritize work with the poor. These included the Jesuits, the Capuchins and the Titans. The Oratory Order worked for the poor and pilgrims. It was a brotherhood of church people who did not belong to a monastic order. The Franciscan Order was a role model for, and the veneration of St Francis of Assisi grew strongly. In this context, we must mention St Carlo Borromeo, who was Bishop of Milan during Carravaggio's childhood (see p. 201).
The Council of Trent also worked on how church art could best reach the man and woman in the street. The Protestants attacked the use of religious imagery, while the Catholic Church strongly defended the use of art to get the message across. But not everything was approved. For example, the nude figures of
Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel were painted over in strategic places. The artists also had to avoid unnecessary details. That's why Veronese His picture The Last Supper was publicly chastised by the Venetian Inquisition. He had made a crowded picture that looked like a "home-alone party", in which he had painted parrots, dwarfs, jesters and, worst of all, a German. The latter was the worst after Charles V and his Luteran Landsknechte had plundered the city in 1527. Veronese had to change the name of the painting to Christ in the House of Levi.
The Jesuits were a strong driving force here. In the book Spiritual Exercises by Ignatius Loyola, great emphasis was placed on visualizing Christ's meditation and sufferings. In Rome, the paintings in the church of San Stefano in Rotunda were used as a means of showing students at the Jesuit school knew what to expect when they went out into the world as missionaries. The images are rarely detailed depictions of various saints as they suffered martyrdom. For example, Batolomeus was skinned alive, Lorenzo was literally grilled, Sebastian was pierced by arrows and Lucia had her head cut off.
In the late Middle Ages, northern Italy was already developing an early capitalist economy. Even though there were traditional feudal principalities, production life itself was different. There was no industrialization, but an organization of production that could be called industrialized. In the 14th century, for example, the landowners in the town of Padua tried to set up a town clock because they wanted to get their workers out into the fields at more or less the same time, an early form of industrial discipline. This attempt was unsuccessful. The workers attacked the bell tower and destroyed the bell. By the 16th century, a couple of hundred years had passed, and development had progressed further. Capitalism has greater social movement across the classes than feudalism, and this may help to explain some of the relationship the Merisi family had with the Marquis of Caravaggio, and the help Caravaggio received from the Marquis, Costanza Colonna (see p. 203).
25 DECEMBER
1. CHRISTMAS DAY
SHEPHERD FANS
- ADORAZIONE DEI PASTORI. 1609.
This is an altarpiece made for the Capuchin church of Santa Maria della Concezione in Messina, Sicily, now in the Museo Regionale in Messina. It was the third assignment in Sicily and the second in Messina, where he signed a contract to measure the resurrection of Lazarus on 6 December 1608.
The motif is well-known and used in different variations. You could almost say that it is a worn-out motif. Nevertheless, Caravaggio gives us a new crib and stable image. Usually we see the kings, the three wise men and the sheep. This applies to the art of painting, but also within the groups of figures that are sold in shops. Incidentally, it was St Francis of Assisi who made the first nativity scene, in Greccio in 1223. The Capuchins were a subgroup of the Franciscans, founded in the 16th century.
Caravaggio, on the other hand, who was a man of letters, is opposed to Luke, who wrote that it was the shepherds in the field who were the first to view the stable and see the child. He was thus loyal to what has characterized so much of his painting, he saw the world as it was for poor people. According to what we have learnt, he was born in a stable and his mother and father were very ordinary people. At that time, that probably meant not having much.
According to the Counter-Reformation, which Caravaggio grew up with, it was important to create images in churches that were close to reality, so that the churchgoers could easily empathize with the holy person they were praying for. With this picture, the painter returned to attitude that characterized his paintings during his great period in Rome. At the same time, this is the last work in which he really gets to show what has, after all, made him famous as a painter. He shows us the poverty into which Christ was born and thereby strengthens the poor faith, because they know this. This attitude is emphasized by the meticulous naturalism in the portrayal of those who appear in the light and by the way the light focuses on the subject. This is an attitude that is in keeping with the commissioners, the capuchins. They worked for the poor.
The composition is characterized by the child and Mary in the center with a diagonal through the three shepherds and Joseph, from top right down to the left. The child is resting on her breast, not in a manger.
The four men look at the child with loving and wondering eyes. Both the gentle outstretching of the hand of the shepherd closest to Mary and the expression on the face of the shepherd in the center express our feelings for the new life. But they are all at a distance from the main character, the child, including Joseph. He is recognizable by the slightly hinted at halo, just a hint, a typical feature of Caravaggio.
The image has a powerful chiaroscuro effect. In the dark background, we can barely make out the necessary attributes, such as the bull and the donkey. The light gives us Mary, the child, Joseph and the wondering shepherds. The use of color in the background is dark, while the characters only have lighter variations of grey and brown. The backdrop is Caravaggio's customary rough cloak that Mary wears around her. The use of color and light, as well as the composition, strengthens the focus on the theme.
The fairly colorless image is different from the one that characterizes his paintings in Rome. The use of color is different from the Lombard tradition he comes from, which uses strong, bold colors.
A use of color that has characterized most of Caravaggio's early image. But there is a development towards a darker side in his work around the time of Ranucci Tommassino's murder in 1606. Something that characterize his paintings in the last years of his life. I have to admit that the rough coat is strong and smart, but the use of color, in general, is not active. The realism, on the other hand, the one-to-one scale and the expressions of emotion are typical. This is something you find in the ecclesiastical sculpture groups in Lombardy, something that must have characterized Caravaggio growing up. And, as I pointed out above, this is what gives the picture the warmth it has.
Caravaggio painted many beautiful pictures, but for me this is one of the most beautiful, if not the most beautiful, and it probably made an impression at the time. In his book Iconologia, Placido Samperi from Messina, who is twenty years younger than the painter, takes issue with voluptuous art and calls for honest images of the Virgin. According to art historian Helen Langdon, he writes that the painting by Caravaggio was "considered by the connoisseurs as something extraordinary".
It's a picture that is beautiful first and foremost because of the warmth it expresses. There is a quiet, almost hidden tenderness in the picture, which is a highly personal expression. This is emphasized by the fact that the model for the shepherd in the middle, who gives such a clear expression of wonder at the new life, is Caravaggio himself. He not only wants to tell us that he, the narrator, 'was there' and saw what happened, he also expresses his own beliefs and feelings.
Literature:
Hvalvik: p. 21/64 - 22/65 and the appendix Shepherds' worship
Vodret: p. 198-199
Graham-Dixon: p. 409-411
Langdon: p. 375
Lepage: p. 87/372 - 100/386
ONCE IN JANUARY: ESCAPE TO EGYPT
RIPOSO DURANTE LA FUGA IN EGITTO - RIPOSO DURANTE LA FUGA IN EGITTO. 15951596.
Little is known about how and why this picture was made. But it is believed that the first owner was Donna Olimpia Brandini. Her heir was married to Prince Camillo Pamphili. She took the painting was registered in the collection there in the mid-17th century, and today it hangs in Galleria Pamphilj in Rome.
Caravaggio did not have much textual material from the Bible to help him when he was painting here. The evangelist Matthew is very brief here, just a few lines, and tells us that Joseph was approached by an angel who told them to flee from King Herod, and that was that. It happened after the three wise men had witnessed the stable, on the thirteenth day. The pseudo-Gospel of Matthew, which was written in the 6th and 7th centuries, tells us more about the escape, including that they had a rest. It tells of palms, dragons and an active good born who talked the dragons out of killing them.
None of the texts tell of a violin-playing angel at the resting place. Andrew Graham-Dixon believes that Caravaggio may have included here the angel who brought a message from on high.The figure itself, he thinks, may have come from "Hercules' judgement" in the decoration of the Farnese Palace, made by Annibale Caracci a few months earlier.
Professor Hvalvik believes that Caravaggio may have incorporated something from the story of St Francis of Assisi, a painting he made at the same time. It says that St Francis had a dream in which he was visited by an angel playing the violin. The coincidence may have been accidental or deliberate. Either way, the angel in the picture is an expression of a creative artist, something we also see in the use of music, see below.
The depiction itself has some striking characteristics. The use of color and his thorough naturalism reflect his Lombard background. The lovely scene with Mary and the child shows that the painter 'understands' the closeness between mother and child, something we can also see in the paintings Beundra av hyrdane, 1609 (see p. 14), and Nedtakinga, 1601 (see p. 64). Naturalism is also evident in Josef's feet. He sits and rubs one foot against the other, as if he is freezing on his feet.
The picture is one of very few outdoor scenes Caravaggio ever painted. Here his naturalism reveals itself in relation to the background. It has been realized that, judging by the vegetation, a place must have been created along the Tiber. But the flight to Egypt must have gone through the desert, and the pseudo-Gospel of Matthew tells of palm trees where they rested. So again, he has taken a creative artistic license. In return, Caravaggio has included a common attribute in the picture of this motif, the donkey.
Not least, his meticulous accuracy is expressed in the notes on the music paper. They are recognized as a piece of music from the early 16th century. It is music set to the Song of Songs in the Old Testament, by the Flemish composer Noel Bauldeweyn (14801520). Here, apparently, Caravaggio breaks with the style of measuring for those who could not read. You need to know the notes and realize that this is a four-part motet, written for here he has apoint fortheintellectual elite, who were versed both in biblical texts and in the world of music, the guests at del Monte for example.
From the "Indrebø Bible" of 1938: Høgsongen, 7:
How beautifully you walk in your shoes, you daughter of the court! Thy loins are bent like an awl, forged by the hand of a skilful workman. 2 Your muzzle is like a round rope; never let it be watered with wine. Your waist is like a heap of halibut with lilies around it.
3 Your bosom is like two fawns, the twins of a deer. 6 How fair, how lovely you are, you love so much! 7 ................ and your bosoms are like grapes.
11 Come, my friend, let us go out into the field, let us be in the neighbourhoods by night.
12 Let us walk in the way of the winged ones,
There I will give you my love.
Thanks to Bjarte Tennfjord for the translation to Gustav Indrebø.
This can be seen as a declaration of love from Joseph to Mary, and the text is erotic to the core. The sensuality is taken care of in the angel, through pose and costume. But there is also a point to be made that in the Marian dogma, the Catholic doctrine of Mary, the female protagonist in the Song of Songs is seen as an omen of Mary. The woman here has this in common with a number of female figures in the Old Testament, such as Eve and Judith (see also Gut with fruit basket under Haust).
One thing is that many knew the story, but most people couldn't read at the time. Far fewer could read music, so realizing what kind of music this was only for the few. But everyone could see the grace in the portrayal of Mary and the child, and everyone could recognize the cold feet of Joseph.
Literature:
Hvalvik: the attachment Rest during the flight to Egypt
Vodret: p. 54-57
Graham-Dixon: p. 141-143
CERASI CHAPEL ISANTAMARIADELPOPOLO
1. 25 January is Paul's Memorial Day in the Catholic Church. PAULUS IS CONVERTEDCONVERSIONE DI SAN PAOLO. 16041605.
2. 22 February is Catholic Remembrance Day for the crucifixion of Peter. THE CRUSIFICATION OF PETERCROCEFISSIONE DI SAN PIETRO. 16041605.
3. MARIAS HIMMELFERD, Annibale Caracci. 1600-1601.
4. PAUL IS CONVERTED. 1600-1601. First and discarded image. Now in the Odalleschi collection in Rome.
This was a commission from Monsignor Tiberio Cerasi in 1600 for the family chapel in Santa Maria del Popolo, where it still hangs. Caravaggio was given this commission shortly after the great breakthrough his with the Matthew image in San Luigi dei Francesi. This hangs on one wall of the chapel, the crucifixion of Peter is on the other. Cerasi was the chief financial officer of the Vatican and probably got the idea for the placement of Peter and Paul from St Paul's Chapel, where the paintings by Michelangelo hang opposite each other.
Caravaggio spent more time on these pictures than he used to do. The first draft was rejected. We don't know why, and only one of the first paintings still exists. But we can speculate. The original painting of St Paul (see image 4) does not have the usual focus that we find in Caravaggio. It has a more cluttered composition, and we can imagine that the commissioner did not was sober. We can also imagine that the painter himself was not satisfied. The contract asked him to paint on cypress, whereas he had only painted on canvas. The different substrates have such different effects on oil painting that it would clearly be a new experience that he might not enjoy.
1. PAULUS
The theme is central to Christians, which is to save the Gentiles. Paul was a Roman soldier who was hunting Christians. He was on his way to Damascus when a bright light knocked him off his horse and a voice said, "Why do you persecute me?". This motif has been painted by many, such as Michelangelo and Pieter Brueghel the Elder, with large scenes with many people, in a large landscape. But, as usual, Caravaggio has his own, more intimate approach. He focuses on the human Paul's experience. He, the horse and the light take up almost all the space in the picture. Everyone sees Paul, who is lying on the ground with his hands raised in wonder, and everyone can see his wonder at what has happened, and his despair at not understanding a single thing. He is as Helen Langdon quotes from Ephesians 3:8 where he writes about himself, "... me, who am less than the least of all saints," Bringing the targeted people to life for the church community was always important for Caravaggio. He became more individually orientated than painters and others had been before. This is also a development we see in Lutheranism.
Incidentally, Martin Luther was at the Augustinian monastery at Santa Maria del Popolo when he was in Rome, a hundred years before Caravaggio painted St Peter and St Paul.
But why does the horse take up so much space? Hvalvik refers to Pope Gregory the Great and his commentary on Solomon's Song of Songs, where he writes about Pharaoh's chariots and about the horses that are under the chariot driver's control. But it is said, all those who believe in audacity and piety have been given the creator as chariot driver. Gregory concludes that Paul is now the horse and that the creator himself is the driver. So, in terms of Catholic symbolism, the horse is just another image of Paul. Perhaps the most important missionary for Christianity was now guided by the Lord.
Another curious element in the picture is the stone in front of the horse. Here Hvalvik refers to a letter from Peter where he writes about Christ as a stumbling block. And this is where Caravaggio does one of his out-of-picture tricks. On the opposite wall of the chapel, he has painted 'Peter being crucified'. There we also have a stone. In the letter Peter wrote, he first referred to Jesus as the cornerstone of the Christian church, but later also as a stumbling block for the non-believers. Peter is the one who is considered the founder of the church, so therefore the cornerstone is with him.
But Paul, as a pagan, met Christ as a stumbling block following a sermon by Augustine. It solved an almost fixed requirement for images of this motif. Christ was supposed to be present as the transmitter of light, which is what Michelangelo had. Caravaggio, on the other hand, depicts Christ as a stumbling block, again using Catholic symbolism after Augustine and the light, just as clearly and distinctly against St Paul; chiaroscuro is a permanent feature of his paintings. Both of these interpretations tell us that Caravaggio must have been a reading man. An inventory of his possessions included 12 books. That was probably a lot at the time. He also spent five years living with Cardinal del Monte, who was central to both church life and cultural life in general. Here, Caravaggio must have picked up a lot and been inspired to read more, both by his host and by those who stayed there.
Once again, we see all the interpretations Caravaggio has in his paintings. Firstly, it is his immediate depiction of a human being that one can recognize. His naturalism reproduces the model exactly, and he always paints his subjects at a scale of 1:1, which emphasizes naturalism. He also has another feature that distinguishes him from his contemporaries: he brings out the
characters' psychological reactions, either through facial expressions or, as here, through the arm movements. This is something everyone can grasp and understand. The churchgoers will know the story from the church, even if they can't read, so they will be able to sympathize with the desperate man. The interpretation of the horse and stone, on the other hand, probably requires a certain insight into the church texts. That bit is only for the few. In other words, he addresses all layers of society, and he makes his images exciting. This ambiguity makes these images, even more so, extraordinary art.
But it's not just the church congregation that has been captivated by the picture. This was the first picture I saw of Caravaggio, properly, and I was captivated. It was a multi-faceted experience. On the one hand, there was the purely pictorial representation of this dejected and despondent person, where the fantastic chiaroscuro emphasized Paul's despair. But I was also reminded of the Bible story lessons in primary school, where we were told about this man who was hit by a beam of light and knocked off his horse. For me, the Bible storybook was a book full of good stories and beautiful pictures. I remember the story, but I never liked Paul. The picture nevertheless converts me to the belief in Caravaggio as a rare painter. I experienced the strength of his chiaroscuro and his ability to show the human side of St Paul when I saw this picture.
Another person who was captivated by this painting was the American director, Martin Scorsese. He said in an interview with Andrew Graham-Dixon, on the BBC in 2005, that Caravaggio did not choose "... the beginning of the action, it's during the action (...) It was like modern staging in film. It was as if we had come in the middle of a scene, and it was all happening. It was so powerful and direct."
So when in Rome, do like ... Take a trip to Santa Maria del Popolo!
Literature:
Hvalvik: the appendix Paul's conversion
Vodret: p. 108-11
Graham-Dixon: p. 213-217
Contactors: p. 205-211 Langdon p. 187
2. PETER
The painting was, as mentioned, a commission from the owner of the chapel, Monsignor Tiberio Cerasi, who did not live long enough to see them in place. The deal was made four years before they were finished, when the breakthrough because Caravaggio came up with Matteus-pictures in San Luigi dei Francesi. The picture shows three laborers who are about to erect the cross, Peter is pinned down, upside down. We can clearly see the strain on the man who is lying on all fours and trying to lift with his back and shoulders. We see how the rope is embedded in the back of the person pulling, and we see the muscle play in the left arm of the person lifting. We also see that shoes were not used. The newly dirty soles of his feet, down to the left, shine towards us.
Odd Nerdum is a painter, inspired by Caravaggio. In the program series "Gutta på tur" he took Hjeltnes, Ullvang, Dæhlie and Brimi to Santa Maria del Popolo to show the boys the beautiful, dirty soles of the working man's feet.
The consummate naturalism is something you can recognize in Caravaggio. Then you might wonder why Peter's feet are clean. After all, naturalism is not enough. Professor Hvalvik discusses two possible theological explanations. One has to do with the story of Christ washing the feet of his disciples, the other with Peter suffering martyrdom and being "baptized" as a saint. Both could be expressions of symbolism that Caravaggio might have had.
Another distinctive feature of Caravaggio's work is Peter's facial expression. Although it was Peter himself who asked to be crucified upside down, his face clearly shows that this is something he does not like. The thorough naturalism means that the painter shows us the toil of the laborer’s and the psychological reaction of Peter. The light from outside gives us a picture of Peter on the cross and central parts of the laborers, next to the stone down in front.
2.
Otherwise, the background is completely dark. The focus is on the crucifixion, but the churchgoers praying by the picture will recognize the toil of the workers and the doubt on Peter's face. The background to what is happening in the picture is a long story in the Golden Legend. It is based on a small passage in the Acts of the Apostles. There, Peter and Paul, according to Emperor, Nero, were responsible for the death of a sorcerer. They were imprisoned and later executed. Paul could decide the method of execution himself, because he was a Roman citizen, and was beheaded by sword. Peter, on the other hand, was to be crucified, but demanded to be hung upside down because he was not worthy to die as his Lord.
But Caravaggio has put more into his story. After all, we have this stone. The simplest interpretation is to see the stone as a symbol of Peter, the rock. But Hvalvik believes that the stone can be seen as an image of the cornerstone of the church, Christ. He uses the second epistle of St Peter, a letter in which Peter writes about "the living stone that was rejected by men" and about the cornerstone of their faith. We find this stone on the other side of the chapel, in the image "Paul is converted", here as a symbol of Christ as a stumbling block for non-believers. As we realize, Caravaggio read a lot and absorbed knowledge from learned men. Caravaggio shows us that he turns to different social groups. The immediate depiction is recognized by everyone, and it was important in times of the CounterReformation to be able to address the large masses who could not read. But Caravaggio himself was a reading man, as mentioned under St Paul, and details such as the stones in the picture in the Cerasi Chapel testify to a man who was able to visualize literary learning. Here, of course, he only met those who read, but that again only tells us about an exciting artist with many layers.
Measuring Peter on the cross is unusual. Probably because it showed this important person in an undignified position. Of the famous painters before Caravaggio, Michelangelo tackled it (in the Pauline Chapel in the Vatican). Here we also find
Michelangelo's 'Paul is converted'. Tiberio Cerasi, who had bought the chapel in Santa Maria del Popolo, was treasurer of the Vatican. Naturally, he knew Michelangelo's work there, and it was he who decided the motifs for his chapel. Almost all of Caravaggio's religious paintings had motifs provided by the patron. The design, on the other hand ...
Literature:
Hvalvik: Light from the Outside and the appendix Peter's crucifixion
Graham-Dixon: p. 217-220
Vodret: p. 114
SPRING EQUINOX THE TIME FOR THE CELEBRATION OF BACCHUS
These two paintings by Caravaggio are different and were created four years apart. In order to make sense of the motifs, it is important to emphasize aspects of the Bacchus figure. These conditions apply to both paintings. He is of course known as the god of wine, but he also stands for inspiration. He represented anarchy and emotion as opposed to Apollo, who was reason, and he was able to offer peace, happiness and freedom from duty.
In Neoplatonist philosophy, which was popular in the Renaissance, Bacchus represents an omen of the Christian savior because Bacchus could also die and rise again. In early Christianity, grapes were also a symbol of Christ. The black ones represented death, while the white ones represented life. The ivy wreath stood for the invincible, while the wine, as in communion, was the blood.
1. SICK BACCHUS - BACCHINO MALATO OR SELF-PORTRAIT AS BACCHUSAUTORITRATTOCOMEBACCO.1593-1594
Caravaggio painted this picture while working in Cavalier d'Arpino's workshop, measuring still life parts of works d'Arpino had been commissioned to create. The painting was left in the workshop when Caravaggio left, and it was found there and confiscated by tax collectors from Pope Paul V in 1607. It was taken over by Cardinal Scipione Borghese and is today in the Galleria Borghese in Rome.
Roberto Longhi was the art historian who rehabilitated Caravaggio in 1951. He claimed that this picture must have been made while the painter was convalescing after a stay at l'Ospedale della Consolazione in 1593, and Bacchino malato is a title he gave the picture, according to Vodret. She goes on to say that in the will of Giovanni Baglione (painter and art critic during Caravaggio's lifetime), he wrote that this was the first of several self-portraits by Caravaggio, done with the help of a mirror. Graham-Dixon believes it must have been a convex mirror because the right shoulder, which almost touches the picture surface, is slightly distorted. This mirror is also found in Martha and Mary Magdalene (see p. 100).
We can see that the picture points forwards towards typical characteristics of Caravaggio's painting style. Bacchus is sitting next to us; he is close to the picture plane. He is illuminated by light from outside the picture, on the right-hand side, and the illuminated part is contrasted with the dark background. It's an element that also literally pushes the bright part of the image towards us. Bacchus has a piercing gaze that expresses a lot. Graham-Dixon compares it to A Bacchus painting by Titian, showing the madness and violence of the Bacchus culture. Caravaggio doesn't show any of this, but Graham-Dixon can see all this in his gaze here. Furthermore, naturalism is clearly present. Quite literally, it is there in the rendering of the figure, the face and the grapes, but also through the pale, disease-ridden face. We don't associate illness with Bacchus, but rather fresh life and a very fresh face color. But here Caravaggio has painted what he has in front of him, as he is known to do.
The grapes, the still life, point to the job he had with d'Arpino, measuring the still life sections of his paintings. We can see in Caravaggio's future paintings that this is true, and many believe that he probably received excellent training in painting naturalistically through his still life work. At the same time, Langdon believes that it would have would have been natural for d'Arpino to set this young and untested Lombard painter such a specialized task. As she also points out, as an artist from the north, he was trained in a more naturalistic tradition, (...) which brought new life to his work. "... the illusionism of ancient Roman art ..."
Literature:
Graham-Dixon: p. 82-85
Langdon: p. 68-70
Vodret: p. 42
2.BACCHUS - BACCO. 1597.
It was Cardinal del Monte who made this picture, probably as a gift to Duke Ferdinand of Tuscany. In any case, it was found in a storage room in the Uffizi in Florence in 1913, where it now hangs. According to Graham-Dixon, it had never been framed or catalogued in the Medici collection.
What we see is a young man, Bacchus, with wine leaves on his head, a wine glass in his left hand and a fruit platter and a wine decanter on the table in front of him. He looks at us with an inviting gaze. The picture doesn't have the typical spotlight, the entire foreground is bright, but the background is one color, semi-dark. The fruit basket in front, like the magnificent still life The Fruit Basket (see p. 144), contains not only fresh produce, but also cracked fruit, withered leaves and a bruised apple. The decanter has a reflection of a light source, and scrutiny has shown that here you can see the painter with an outstretched arm against the canvas. The wine in the glass has ripples on the top, which may indicate that it has just been poured in. But it may also be an indication that it is Caravaggio himself who is modelling. It could be also explained that Bacchus is holding the glass in his left hand. Self-portraits are made using a mirror.
Graham-Dixon, on the other hand, believes that the model may have been his friend Minetti. He thinks that the ripples on the wine are rather an expression of Caravaggio's realism and his ability to catch the eye. Bacchus offers the viewer wine and gives him a very teasing look. In Graham-Dixon's opinion, the picture may have been an elaborate sensual gift. For him, this is the closest interpretation of the image.
If we take the overflowing basket of this year's harvest as our point of departure, a fact emphasized by the well-ripened fruit and foliage, we sense the neo-Platonist interpretation of Bacchus as an omen of Christ, who is resurrected. Autumn is the signal of death, but the wine in the glass and decanter is new life, and thus new hope.
Anyway, Caravaggio is Caravaggio. Graham-Dixon's starting point is something that would probably break with the norm at the time. The model for Bacchus is sunburnt on both his face and hands, a break with the normal depiction of the gods. He also has dirt under his fingernails. It's perhaps not surprising, then, that the painting was not well received in Florence, and was simply stowed away. Caravaggio's attitude of realism always allows us to get to know» life behind the scenes", and then Graham-Dixon concludes that this isn't really Bacchus, just an ordinary bloke playing his part
Literature:
Graham-Dixon: p. 153-155
Vodret: p. 72
25. MARCH MARY'S DAY OF ATONEMENT -
MARIMESSE
THE MESSAGE - ANNUNCIAZIONE. 1608.
Researchers largely agree that this painting was made while Caravaggio was still in Malta in 1608. The artist was a son of Duke Henry II of Lorraine, Francois. He managed to become member of the Order of Malta. His father got the picture and later gave it to the archbishop's church in Nancy, sometime between 1609 and 1620. Today it hangs in the Musee des Beaux-Arts in Nancy.
The picture has been treated a little badly, so it's not in very good condition. But we clearly see the message situation with the angel coming and telling Mary that she will give birth to a son, whom she will call Jesus. The Gospel of Luke, chapter 1, tells us that she was naturally frightened, but the angel said that this would be the Son of God. She was reassured and said that she was the master's servant and "Let it be done to me as you have said".
We find this audacious attitude in the image. The angel lowers towards an ordinary, probably poor, woman, who is kneeling with her head bowed. She is dressed in an ordinary cloak and has an ordinary shawl on her head. Caravaggio emphasized that Mary and Joseph were everyday people, and this was no less important for ordinary people who came to the picture to pray, they could identify themselves with what they saw.
Here, Caravaggio does something completely different to what painters had done before him. They mostly depicted Mary as a queen in beautiful clothes, seated on a throne, as Leonardo da Vinci, for example, does in the picture below; he did not paint a woman of the people.
The composition is a clear diagonal from the angel down to Mary. At the same time, it is contrapuntal because the angel is in turmoil, while Mary is completely at rest on her knees. The Virgin, on the other hand, is portrayed as a person who humbly accepts the message, literally, from above. She is composed with care, her eyes are downcast, her head is bowed, and her arms are crossed; she is ready for the blessing.
Literature:
Hvalvik: the attachment The Annunciation
Vodret: p. 186-188
Leonardo da Vinci: Annunciazione
SACRIFICE OF ISAAC
- SACRIFICIO DI ISACCO. 1602.
GALLERIA DEGLI UFFIZI - FIRENZE
This picture is one of the two landscapes painted by Caravaggio. All the others are painted inside.
In Highway 61 Revisited, Bob Dylan has created his own version of this story.
God said to Abraham, kill me a son.
Abe said, man you must be putting' me on.
God said, no. Abe said, what?
God said, you can do what you want, but the next time you see me coming, man you'd better run.
Abe said, where do want this killing' done.
God said, way down on Highway 61.
"SPRING - WITH THE LILIES"
NARCISSUS - NARCISO. 1598.
Little is known about the ancient history of this painting. What is certain is that it has been in Palazzo Barberini in Rome since 1914, where we can see it today.
Spring is the time for Easter and Pentecostal lilies. They belong to the narcissus genus of flowers, and their name is linked to the Greek myth of Narcissus. The daffodils are said to have grown where he died and were named after him. If we use Ovid's "Metamorphosis" as a source, it turns out that Narcissus was punished by the gods when he rejected the nymph, Echo. The punishment, as we know, was that he should see his reflection in the mirror and be so captivated by the beautiful face he so that he would be tempted to embrace himself, fall in and drown. In our modern world, psychology has taken the name of self-absorption from this.
The picture has a beautifully composed circle of himself and his reflection. In a way, it's a playing card presentation. We get close, the circle fills the whole picture. The only thing other than Narcissus is the expanse of water, but there he is again. There's not a hint of nature here, it's the drama that counts. The moment Caravaggio has captured is when Narcissus is about to plunge his left hand into the water to grasp the beauty he sees. In the next blink of an eye, we would have seen fencing arms in the water, or maybe just rings. Then the point would disappear. It is the drama in the psyche of Narcissus that we want to see, not an external action. This is emphasized by the characteristic chiaroscuro with a completely dark background and an illuminated main motif.