2. Baroque – Late 16th and Early 17th
Century
Baroque: Barroco – an imperfect pearl, or Varruca – a wart
Most of Caravaggio’s contemporaries were still creating works of
art in the composed Mannerist style. Which was quickly going
out of vogue.
Baroque arose as a style mainly in response to the Reformation,
which threatened the current power of Catholicism.
It was meant to be raw and hyper-emotional, in order to
heighten the religious experience of the Catholic church. This
was all in an effort to attract the public back to the Catholic faith.
Madonna of the Long Neck,
Parmigianino, 1535
3. Caravaggio – Early Life and Career
Moved to Rome from Lombardy in 1592, because it was an artistic hot-
spot. The first few years of his career were a struggle, as he sold still-lifes
of fruit bowls and flowers on the street.
He began his solo career after leaving the workshop of Cavaliere Giuseppe
Cesari d’Arpino.
In 1595, his work gained him recognition and comissionary work from,
soon to be Cardinal, Francesco del Monte.
Due to del Monte’s many connections, Caravaggio had gained himself a
promising career. His work was raw, emotional, and dramatic; he became a
sensation seemingly overnight.
5. A Unique Style – The Influence of
Street Life
Known to hang out with seedy individuals,
Caravaggio’s work reflected themes of poverty and
the harsher realities of the human condition.
To the horror of many contemporaries, he employed
common street folk as models for sacred subjects
such as saints, angels, and even Christ. One of his
most controversial works, Death of the Virgin,
modeled the Virgin Mary off of a dead prostitute.
His work on sacred subjects often emphasized their
more human side, and showed psychological and
emotional intensity. This flare for the dramatic made
his work a perfect fit for the Baroque era.
6. Conversion of St. Paul, 1601
Use of Chiascurro – dramatic lighting.
Evidence of his life experience with theater
can be seen through his work. The figures
are often pushed up right against the
picture frame, lit up as if on a stage. This in
combination with the great scale of these
works adds to their dominating and larger
than life presence.
Lighting is consistent with the natural
lighting of where it was displayed originally,
adding to the sense of realism.
Influence of Theater
8. A Unique Style – Cont’d
The Calling of St. Matthew, and The Matyrdom of St. Matthew. These
commissions for the Contarelli Chapel were ultimately Caravaggio’s big
break.
His sacred scenes often included Biblical figures dressed in contemporary
clothing.
He often used chiascurro to add a sense of direction and focus for the
viewer’s eye. He draws the eye to Christ’s outstretched hand, and then the
sharp diagonal leads to the shocked expressions of the faces around the
tax-collecting table. His figures often seemed to “emerge out of darkness”.
His painting process included little preparation work, which was
uncommon during this time period.
9. Late Career and Death
In 1606, a sword fight duel went wrong for
Caravaggio, leaving the other man mortally
wounded.
Wanted for murder, he fled to Malta. Gaining
membership as a Knight of Malta (a religious
military order) could gain him a papal pardon.
He gained membership in exchange for The
Beheading of John the Baptist, but he quickly
lost membership status after getting into a
fight with a fellow knight.
10. Late Career and Death – Cont’d
His friends in Rome petitioned for his pardon, and succeeded, but as he
was about to board the ship returning to Rome, he was taken into custody
for a reason unknown.
He was released from prison just a little too late, the ship had already
sailed away with all of his luggage. Making his way along the coast, he
quickly fell ill and passed away only a few days later in 1610, presumably
from malaria.
