THIS SUMMER AT THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF CANADA
So dark.
So brilliant.
M eet A C ontroversial G enius
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he created a new kind of art that was criticized for its vulgarity and praised for its profound naturalism. His first public commissions broke radically with the artistic conventions of the time, and were celebrated for their boldness, drama and sheer force. He had an extraordinary impact on artists across Europe. So many followed his style – in Italy, France, the Netherlands, Spain – they became known as “Caravaggisti”. To this day his art continues to speak to us directly and forcefully. our hundred years ago,
This summer, the National Gallery brings together a dozen of Caravaggio’s masterpieces with more than 40 paintings by the great artists he inspired. After years of planning and negotiations, these rare and celebrated works of art have been lent by institutions around the world, giving us an opportunity to see his dark yet brilliant genius.
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short life of 37 years reads like a movie script. While inside the studio he created great masterpieces, outside he lived life on the rough side. During his years in Rome he was arrested for wearing a sword, assault, brawling, and damaging property. He was violent, proud, and famously unable to control his temper. When not occupied by his painting, he roamed the city ready to argue or fight. Life in Rome continued this way until he killed a man in a brawl and had to flee from the city. aravaggio’s
As a fugitive from justice he made his way to Malta where he managed to make good again. His work was well received. He was made a Knight of the Order of Saint John. But yet again his stormy temper landed him in trouble. He attacked another knight, was expelled from the Order, imprisoned, and then escaped to Sicily and later Naples. In the summer of 1610, he set out to return to Rome to seek a pardon for this crimes. Tragically, he died on the journey. COVER: Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, Saint John the Baptist in the Wilderness, 1604–05, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City. Purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust, 52-25. Photo: Jamison Miller TOP RIGHT: Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, Boy Bitten by a Lizard (detail), 1594-96, Fondazione di Studi di Storia dell’Arte Roberto Longhi, Florence. Photo: Claudio and Paolo Giusti © Fondazione di Studi di Storia dell’Arte Roberto Longhi ABOVE: Ottavio Leoni, Giovanni Baglione (detail), 1625, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. Photo © NGC
DON’T MISS THIS ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME EXHIBITION Artemisia Gentileschi, Judith Beheading Holofernes (detail), c.1612–13, Museo di Capodimonte, Naples
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, Martha and Mary Magdalene (detail), c. 1598, Detroit Institute of Arts. Gift of the Kregse Foundation and Mrs. Edsel B Ford. Photo © Detroit Institute of Arts
DAILY ACTIVITIES IN THE EXHIBITION • Discover what the experts have to say about the most famous paintings with a Bell Audioguide. • Find out more with a 10-minute talk on one painting at 1 pm. • Learn about Caravaggio’s compositions, lighting, style, and subjects. Try on a costume to see how it feels to be the artist or sitter! • See the Simon Schama film The Power of Art: Caravaggio. • Browse through books on Caravaggio and his followers, and hear music from their time.
SPECIAL EVENTS Baroque music by Musica Divina
July 10, August 28, and September 11 at 2 pm in the exhibition.
Wine tasting
July 11 at 6:30 pm in the Great Hall. Call 613-998-8888 for tickets.
Lecture
Thoughts on Caravaggio by Michael Fried, The Johns Hopkins University. July 31 at 2 pm in the Auditorium. Call 613-998-8888 for tickets ($3-5).
Films on Caravaggio
Thursdays in August at 6 pm in the Auditorium. Free admission.
Chalk Artist on the Plaza
August 13 and 14 (rain dates August 20-21).
The Ottawa Bach Choir
August 14 at 3 pm in the Great Hall.
Hours:
Open daily from 10 am to 5 pm, Thursdays to 8 pm, until September 11.
Admission:
Adults $15, seniors and full-time students $12, youths (ages 12 to 19) $7, families $30, children under 12 free.
Visit our web site for all the details:
gallery.ca/caravaggio
Advance tickets: 613-998-8888 or 1-888-541-8888 or online at shopngc.ca
Presented by
380 Sussex Drive, Ottawa 613-990-1985 Organized by the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, and the Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth. Supported by the Department of Canadian Heritage through the Canada Travelling Exhibitions Indemnification Program.