Did You Know?

Caravaggio did things his own way, which was a little more unorthodox (and violent) than most. He lived by his own complicated and severe honor code, in which missteps were met with oddly specific physical punishments. For example, a Roman waiter questioning the painter's meal got a plate smashed in his mouth. Caravaggio also night-stalked a young painter who had insulted him behind his back and attacked him with a sword. And…there’s more…much more.

Bodies and Shadows: Caravaggio and His Legacy

Saint Francis of Assisi in Ecstasy - Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio - 1595 - Oil on canvas - 36 3/8 x 50 1/4 in. (92.4 x 127.6 cm); Frame: 48 x 62 1/2 x 4 1/4 in. - Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, Connecticut, The Ella Gallup Sumner and Mary Catlin Sumner Collection Fund. - Image: © Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art“The stories of Caravaggio's life are legend, more myth than history, describing traits of personality, including passion and brutality, that came to describe the unique qualities of his work.”

An exhibition currently on view at LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) is made up of 56 works in all, including a record eight works by Caravaggio himself. Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571–1610) was one of the most famed artists of his day.

A proto-Baroque painter, Caravaggio developed the revolutionary technique of tenebrism, or dramatic, selective illumination of form out of deep shadow, which became a hallmark of Baroque painting. Scorning the traditional idealized interpretation of religious subjects, he took his models from the streets and painted them realistically.

This exhibit will run through February 10, 2013. I suggest that you make a day of it at LACMA--and visit the Stanley Kubrick exhibit while you’re there!

Caravaggio Paintings Discovered? If This Is True--What a Find!

Caravaggio, St Catherine of Alexandria, c. 1598, Oil on canvas, 173 x 133 cm, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid (click photo for larger image)A brief article in “The Telegraph” has announced that “Italian art historians 'find 100 Caravaggio paintings'.” If true, this is an amazing find! Caravaggio was an Italian proto-Baroque painter (not Renaissance, as stated in the article) who developed a technique known as “tenebrism” from the Italian word tenebroso (meaning dark, gloomy and/or somber). Tenebrism refers to the illumination of specific areas in a painting, that emerge from the darkness into the light. It’s a technique that heavily influenced the artists of the Baroque era. The discovery is said to be works from Caravaggio’s earlier works. “The historians apparently managed to keep their research a secret for two years, but on Friday [July 6, 2012) their findings will be published in a lavish, two-volume, 600-page e-book in four languages.” I’d like to believe this is real. You just can’t get too much of Caravaggio!

The Mystery of Caravaggio’s Death Resolved--FINALLY!

The Conversion of St. Paul, oil on canvas by Caravaggio, 1601; in Santa Maria del Popolo, Rome (click photo for larger image)The Italian painter Caravaggio (byname of Michelangelo Merisi , 1571- c. 1610) whose revolutionary technique of “tenebrism” (dramatic, selective illumination of form out of deep shadow) became a hallmark of Baroque painting. Caravaggio was never a traditionalist--either in his life or his work. He was the first artist to scorn the idealized interpretation of religious subjects that were typical of his day, Instead, he worked with models from the streets and painted them realistically. Saints had dirty clothes and dirty feet--and colors attempted to reveal what life had truly looked like during the time of his subjects. His works caused a sensation--as did his life. And the details of his death have always remained something of a mystery. But...now we know how this great artist met his end. Check out the following article to find out....

I KNEW IT! Vatican Reverses Itself, "The Martyrdom of St. Lawrence" Not a Caravaggio

FROM ART DAILY - 26 JULY 2010

VATICAN CITY (AP).-The Vatican's top art historian on Monday shot down a report in its own newspaper that suggested a recently discovered painting was a Caravaggio.

The head of the Vatican Museums, Antonio Paolucci, wrote in the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano that the work was most likely a copy of an original by a Caravaggio-influence artist.

It was L'Osservatore itself that set the art world aflutter last week with a front-page article headlined "A New Caravaggio," detailing the artistry behind the "Martyrdom of St. Lawrence," which had been discovered in the sacristy of a Jesuit church in Rome.

Read the rest of the story...