Caravaggio, Master of Light And Shadow

As I wrote the title for this post I considered not comparing the two artists as it may subordinate one to the other. I speak of course about the Italian Baroque painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, not to be confused with Michelangelo Buonarroti, who did the Sistene ceiling and David. As you can see the two share a given name although the former is known as Caravaggio, the town from whence he came, and the latter simply as Michelangelo. The two men had the same name but were great each in their own way.

The two artists were both Italian but lived at different times; Caravaggio was born seven years after Michelangelo's death. Both could have been seen as arrogant and had personalities larger than life. While Michelangelo was an extremely versatile artist, he generally had a disdain for painting (although he did it masterfully). Caravaggio on the other hand was generally known for his paintings.

Master of Light And Shadow

Long before Rembrandt stepped onto the scene, this enigmatic Italian painter was innovating the use of chiaroscuro in his works. He is attributed with the invention of "tenebrism," the use of extreme contrast of light and shadow for dramatic effect. This generally came in handy when portraying his religious themes, which dominate his resume. In the "Calling of St. Matthew" (see above) a single ray of light leads Christ's gesture to the uncertain St. Matthew, as if to point to him, allowing the viewer's eyes to follow to the focal point.

Artificial means were used such as mirrors and other highly reflective materials to shine light on his models. What results is almost theatrical in depicting his subjects flooded with light, producing strong shadows and contrasts.

Humble Models, Holy Subjects

Normal and plain looking people often found themselves in Caravaggio's grand canvases, religious theme or not. What he loved most were his scugnizzi, or street boys. What he would accomplish was a unique envisioning of saints and angels as average looking common-folk. He would take these boys, who were anything but conventionally attractive, and raise them to a glorified status. A case in point is Bacchus. Here we see a young man lacking striking good looks, with an average adolescent's musculature reclining in a slightly drunken manner, struggling to hold the wine glass still. Hardly a god is he?

Another example was the "Madonna di Loreto" showing Mary, the Virgin with infant in a doorway with peasants kneeling before her feet. This painting was met with much criticism, looking far too common for a Heavenly subject. A wall with bricks falling apart, the dirt on the peasants' feet, the plain clothes of the Mother of God were too worldly and lower class for the prominent art world at the time.

A Modern Look For Classic Content

Caravaggio was known for his wide use of anachronism in his paintings, often depicting classic or biblical stories with modern elements in them. See in the "Calling of Saint Matthew" above a Christ dressed in clothes of the 1st century Anno Domini in the room with men wearing contemporary Italian attire. You may see soldiers in armor of the 17th century shackling Christ, and characters in Baroque style feather caps, etc.

This style has been used throughout the history of art and is still used today. You can see it in film such as Julie Taymor's depiction of Titus, but relevant here is Derek Jarman's 1986 film Caravaggio. Following in the same style as its namesake, the film would show "Michely" in a bar with the ambiance of a television sports commentator in the background, or a miserly art patron using a calculator.

This movie is definitely worth checking out if you're an art or Caravaggio fan. I must warn it is mostly fictionalized, but it does have an interesting story and is extremely poetic in its narration. The most interesting aspect is Jarman's use of live models posing for actual Caravaggio paintings, whether it is for the actual painter to paint or just for show (when Caravaggio dies, posing as the "Entombment of Christ.")

On The Run

Throughout his life, Caravaggio was known for his short temper and argumentative demeanor. He was a brawler liable to throw down at the drop of a hat, and it would eventually bring his downfall. In 1606, being prone to outbursts, our painter killed a tennis opponent over an argument about a match. Normally his friends in high places would get him out of trouble, but this proved too serious and they could do nothing to come to his aid. The last four years of our his life was spent in exile and on the run from the authorities.

Caravaggio would flee to Naples, Malta, and Sicily all the while searching for a patron of power to help expunge his crimes. You can note the further toward 1610 and the farther he traveled the propensity toward gruesome and depressing paintings, most of which involving biblical stories. Scenes of decapitation became common, sometimes putting himself as the unfortunate receiver. Finding enemies everywhere, "so many labels on the luggage and hardly a friendly face," it was impossible to settle down and escape the fear.

Eventually, in 1610 Michelangelo Merisi set out to beg the pardon of Cardinal Scipione Borghese with three final paintings intended as gifts. He never completed that journey and was never seen again. With no body found, his death remains a mystery to this day but most accounts saying he died of fever near Tuscany on July 18th.