MIDTERM

Crucifixion of St. Peter

more tenebrism anonymity of those tasked with the execution, and its almost mundane implementation

Burial of St. Lucy

The subject represented is highly unusual in Renaissance and Baroque art, but is explained by the fact that the church whose altar it adorns is built atop the ground where S. Lucia---a late 3rd - early 4th-century saint who lived in Syracuse-- was believed to be buried. (The church's name translates as "at the tomb of St. Lucy")Even if there are few earlier representations, Caravaggio is untraditional in pushing back the religious event (the funeral, with a bishop officiating) so that we see it framed--and partially hidden--by the the two gravediggers. These men, depicted at much larger scale, appear to stand immediately behind the picture plane, with no space between their feet and the frame. Perhaps the prominence of the gravediggers refers to the fact that the actual earth on which the church stands was believed to have been dug up for her burial, or perhaps it refers to the fact that burial of the dead is one of the seven acts of mercy: they are a reminder of those "corporeal: acts that are central to our salvation. The painting also fits into Caravaggio's practice, especially in his later works, to leave large areas of the painting empty of activity, and minimal in their detail. It is partially a function of the verticality of the paintings (dimensions were generally specified by the patron, and were determined in part by the amount of space available above the altar). But even if figures are (by virtue of gravity) confined to the lower part of a vertical panel, many artists use that as an opportunity to fill the upper part with imagery alluding to the miraculous or holy nature of what happens below (e.g. clouds of angels). Caravaggio already composed a religious painting in this way--albeit with the a red curtain adorning the empty space--in his Death of the Virgin. (It didn't, as you recall, go over well). But it's interesting that his depiction of St. Lucy's dead body suggests he was thinking of his depiction of the Virgin in that earlier work (see detail below right).

Conversion of St. Paul

-tenebrism -uses bright light to imply ablinding flash -Paul is foreshortened -Paul is in the foreground, so it makes the viewer feel like they are part of the scene -arms out - like he ready for de rumble

disegno / colorito

An Italian word meaning both drawing and design. It was strongly associated with central Italian art, especially that of Michelangelo. The word describes the application of paint, and was used to characterize works by Venetian artists such as Giorgione or Titian. Disegno (drawing; design) vs colorito (painting; color) Structure (drawing, anatomy) vs surface (paint; flesh) Giorgio Vasari: Incredibly influential; casts disegno as guiding principle of art; Tuscan artists as greatest examples

Bacchus

Bacchus - God of wine Another erotic history Ancient sculpture - antinous as bacchus - this is a boy done-up as bacchus - he too young and feminine Dirt under nails - not a tru grown god, just playing around Ancient sculpture - michelangelo, bacchus - holding the glass to himself vs engaging the audience - caravaggio extends narrative into our space Hendrick goltzius, bacchus - YEAH BREAKING THE SPACE Fruit not as appetizing as the wine - more senses? - stinky Other hand - undoing his belt - another sense? Reflection - suggestion that someone is there - aggressing us - showing that we're there Humor, on the model of Michelangelo -There is an element of humor in Caravaggio's painting of the classical god of wine. The flushed cheeks, along with slightly unsteady hand, for instance, suggest that he has been enjoying a bit too much of the beverage he created. This is reminiscent of Michelangelo's depiction of the same god--one of the few sculptures by that artist that seems less than totally serious. More man than god? -A number of features in the painting suggest that it was not intended to be a straightforward mythological painting (e.g. the dirty fingernails of the young man don't seem appropriate for an ancient god). While there is no single, definitive reading of the painting's meaning, a number of traditions are engaged by it "Role playing" as Bacchus: Antinous -If the young man in Caravaggio's painting doesn't look like a classical god, he can plausibly be read as someone playing the role of the ancient god of wine. The practice of depicting a figure in the guise of a god has long roots. Some of the best known of these show the ancient Roman Emperor Hadrian's "favorite," a young man named Antinous. The two ancient Roman sculptures above depict Antinous as Bacchus. -Yet here there is a notable difference. While the ancient depictions of Hadrian's object of desire show an idealized type of the "beloved youth," the features of Bacchus look more "put on"--even made up. (in the sense of being created through cosmetics) It suggests a degree of remove: this isn't an eroticized portrait, but someone playing the role of a sitter playing the role of a god. Note the differences in the faces Caravaggio's figure, and a depiction of Antinous. Allegory of the Senses? -In early modern allegories of the senses, artists sometimes depict a single sense, and sometimes show several, or all 5, as in the late 16th-century print below by Adriaen Collaert. A person holding a wine glass can personify thesense of taste, and in Caravaggio's painting, we might extrapolate further senses as well: the overripe fruit at the front of the painting might evoke the sense of smell, or his gaze, the sense of sight, or the act of untying the sash that holds his garment in place, the sense of touch. (Both the Allegory of Touch shown earlier (slide 9), and the pair at the right of the print below, demonstrate that lovers are frequently used to allegorize that sense) Breaking the "Fourth Wall" -Perhaps the chief novelty of Caravaggio's painting is the way that it punctures the invisible boundary that separates the depicted world from the real world. Earlier paintings depicted figures who gaze out toward us, and sometimes direct our attention to another area by means of a gesture. But here the figure in the painting looks at us, points at himself (the index finger of his right hand, undoing the sash), and also holds out a glass of wine that we are meant to reach out and take from him It is a series of exchanges and invitations--a seduction that only takes on its full meaning when a viewer is standing in front of the canvas. (As if to emphasize that, Caravaggio apparently depicts a tiny reflection of the viewer's head in the wine caraffe on the table; see the very much enlarged & enhanced detail at left). As suggested in the previous slides, erotically (or homo-erotically) charged meanings can be found in many elements of the work. And this reading is to some extent reinforced by the work's sociohistorical context, with Cardinal del Monte as its patron (In a frequently-cited passage, a 17th century source describes parties thrown by him at which "there were no ladies present [so] the dancing was done by boys dressed up as girls." It is also possible to read Caravaggio's Bacchus as a painting of seduction that is about the seductions of painting. (We are essentially being seduced by a painted figure of a "painted" figure). While this sounds a bit sophisticated, it's worth remembering that his patrons were more than a bit sophisticated.

Madonna of Loreto, Cavalletti Chapel

Compare to domenichino, madonna of loreto -House is like omg fe fi fo fum Caravaggio is more like aw this was her house Madonna of loreto, engraving Black virgin Caravaggio is like ooo she pale Caravaggio shows how dirty the people who made the pilgrimage are New copy: madonna is nicer, cleaner feet

Simone Peterzano

Caravaggio enters his workshop in 1584 for what was to be a 4 year-long apprenticeship

Adoration of the Shepherds

Compare to ludovico cardi (called cigoli) adoration of the magi with s catherine of alexandria In caravaggio's, mary is more tender and interacts more w/ de bebe whereas in cardi's (CARDI B???) she like presenting this baby & less tender, more like showing him off Caravaggio's is more realistic - more day to day life vibe, mary looks more like a mom, setting is a lot more humble - tools, barn, ass & ox take up a lot of space, hay Caravaggio has to occasionally put in halos (but he does it as light as possible - joseph has a very faint halo on)

Entombment, Vittrici Chapel

Compare to raphael, entombment unlike caravaggio's: -Figures are ideal -Angles are soft and lining up -Almost like a hero carrying him Where could the body be placed? - implication that his body gonna be put right on the chapel itself Sharp edge - comes out at u Sharp angles Dude struggling - u can tell the body is heavy - weight bearing down on his feet Maybe supposed to be a st john? Dude touching his wound - we cant see his face but can tell b/c of the wrinkles Compare to dead meleager, ancient relief, courtyard at the palazzo mattei No wound, theme of carrying a body somewhere

Raising of Lazarus

Compare to sebastiano del piombo, raising of lazarus Mary touching his cheek Compare to calling of st matthew Compare to ancient statue, patroclus and menelaus He wearing the armor of achilles so he mistaken as him (they also bff's or lovers oooo) There's a tenderness to that Compare too "pasquino" fragments of a patroclus and menelaus group? Not necessarily a model for sexy body but more of taken as a model for that tenderness or pathos Compare to giovanni bellini, pieta, 15th cent Rubbing cheeks, etc The story of the Christ raising Lazarus from the dead is told in the Gospel of John, Chapter 11, verses 1-45. Unlike the Burial of St. Lucy, it has a long tradition of representations. Caravaggio breaks from that tradition in a numer of ways, as can be seen by comparing it with Sebastiano del Piombo's early 16th-century painting. As in several of his other post-Roman works (e.g. the Burial of St. Lucy) Caravaggio quotes or paraphrases from his earlier paintings. In this case the figure of Christ resurrecting the dead Lazarus is a reworking of Christ calling upon St. Matthew in the painting on the left-hand wall of the Contarelli Chapel. (see below right) The figure holding the body of Lazarus is reminiscent of ancient statues of Menelaus holding the dead body of Patroclus. That story, from Homer's Illiad, is one of great pathos. Caravaggio depicts the actual bodies rather differently than the ancient statues. For instance, the somewhat stiff or awkward arms of Lazarus seem distant from the muscular grace of the classical representations. It's possible that Caravaggio's "quotation" here was meant to evoke the emotions associated with Homer's story--an idea born out in other aspects of the painting (see the next slide) Two representations of Menelaus holding the body of Patroclus: an ancient sculpture in the Loggia dei Lanzi, Florence, and a print showing fragments of a sculpture on display in Rome, known as the "Pasquino." Unlike earlier depictions of the subject, Mary and Martha focus their attention entirely on their brother rather than Christ. Caravaggio focuses on the emotional reunion implied by the story rather than the miracle that sets it in motion. The theological significance of this resurrection (foretelling that of Jesus), is perhaps hinted at by the "kiss" that Mary (or Martha) gives Christ. This act calls to mind an earlier pictorial tradition of the final kiss (or touching of cheeks) that the Virgin Mary shares with her deceased son (see the example below left)

Boy bitten by a Lizard

Compare to sofonisba anguissola, child bitten by a crawfish Suggests meaning - allegory of one of the senses? Allegory? - pieter de jode i, allegory of touch - pain from bite & love touch Lizard biting finger - ooo sexy time? Ancient sculpture: apollo sauroctonus Lizard - erotic? - b/c metaphor for peepee Pain also associated w/ love or sex - pleasure & pain Ancient sculpture - laocoon - epitome of the soul in pain, could be compared even tho the other boy is like meh Rose in his hair - suggests a dress up or sum about venus - it's a beloved boy An element of humor , or irony, is suggested by the implicit allusions to ancient art--in particular, images of humans or gods engaging with reptiles. Pieter de Jode I, Allegory of the Sense of Touch, late 16th-early 17th century -Venus and Cupid govern the realm of touch, and Venus points to a coupleon the left-hand side of the print. A seduction seems to be going on (holding, carressing, kissing, are all experienced through touch), but the women is also experiencing pain, as a bird bites her finger. Love was, in this period, often written about as mixing pleasure and pain.

Works from The Cerasi Chapel

Conversion of St. Paul Crucifixion of St. Peter

Flagellation

For the de franchis chapel, san domenico domenico maggiore picaa Christ is practically unconscious He doesnt fill up the space quire as much - lets the thing do the work Compare to sebastiano del piombo (based on a drawing by michelangelo), flagellation - more choreographed and perfectly placed Showing something before it happens - suspense

Seven Works of Mercy

Gospel of Matthew Chapter 25 34: -Then shall the king say to them that shall be on his right hand: Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in: 36 Naked, and you covered me: sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came to me. 37Then shall the just answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, and fed thee; thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38 And when did we see thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and covered thee? 39 Or when did we see thee sick or in prison, and came to thee? 40 And the king answering, shall say to them: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me. tiddy milk, dude drinking water from donkey horn, dude covering up someone, burying somebody, etc etc

Death of the Virgin, made for the Cherubini Chapel

Got in trouble but was to be put up for two weeks being taken away Scooped up by duke of mantua - peter paul rubens Rejected b/c who knows Human grief of loss of someone within a community - shocking Giulio mancini: for example, when the wish to portray the virgin our lady the depict some dirty prostitute from the ortaccio... Giovanni baglione: he portrayed the virgin with little decorum, swollen and with bare legs... Giovanni pietro bellori: was moved b/c he had shown the swollen body of a dead woman too realistically Death of the virgin, illustration from jerome nadal, notes and meditations on the gospels "Guide" to depictions of the virgin, instructions, angels (instead of angels caravaggio had a big red drape) Pompeiian fresco of the sacrifice of iphigenia "He had a very high degree of genius orators have sung the praises of his iphigenia, who stands at the altar awatiging her doom; the artist has shown all present full of sorryflefjliejfljaewlfjcdelfjled Carlo saraceni, death of the virgin - covered the legs

Scipione Borghese

Italian Cardinal, art collector and patron of the arts. A member of the Borghese family, he was the patron of the painter Caravaggio and the artist Bernini. His legacy is the establishment of the art collection at the Villa Borghese in Rome. nephew of Pope Paul V; art collector and patron who bought Caravaggio's rejected Madonna of the Palafrenieri

Counter reformation, Council of Trent

Group of Catholic bishops who met to strengthen the Roman Catholic Church caused by the protestant reformation. their goals were to address the abuses of the church and to clarify catholic teachings overwhelm believer with powerful visual rhetoric and Splendor of church interiors>Baroque style

Rest on the Flight into Egypt

Interstacy between joseph & angel Central axis marked by the angel Mix w/ earthly realm, angel in between (they communicate between heaven & earth Human-like Angel looks more like a beautiful boi Wings are weird Caravaggio actually uses pieces of music (this one is quam pulchra est) joseph holding music for angel - angel more human like b/c why would it need to memorize the song

Zeuxis & Parrhasius

Informs the boi w/ basket of fruit painting On Zeuxis, Birds and Grapes (from Pliny the Elder, Natural History Book 35: 65-66: -The story runs that Parrhasios and Zeuxis entered into competition, Zeuxis exhibiting a picture of some grapes,so true to nature that the birds flew up to the wall of the stage. Parrhasios then displayed a picture of a linen curtain, realistic to such a degree that Zeuxis, elated by the verdict of the birds, cried out that now at last his rival must draw the curtain and show his picture. On discovering his mistake he surrendered the prize to Parrhasios, admitting candidly that he had deceived the birds, while Parrhasios had deluded himself, a painter. this we learn that Zeuxis painted a boy carrying grapes, and when the birds flew down to settle on them, he was vexed with his own work,and came forward saying, with like frankness, ' I have painted the grapes better than the boy, for had I been perfectly successful with the latter, the birds must have been afraid.'

Vincenzo Giustiniani

Large collection of ancient sculpture: he commissions catalogue published in 1631 (project overseen by Joachim von Sandrart) Inventory after his death: 1800 ancient sculptures; 600 paintings; 13 of these by Caravaggio (5 are extant: Lute Player, Doubting Thomas, Amor Victorious, Crowning with Thorns, St. Jerome)

The Calling of St. Matthew

Matthew 9:9. "And when Jesus passed on from hence, he saw a man sitting in the custom house, named Matthew; and he saith to him: Follow me. And he rose up and followed him." kid in middle is important cuz of light and diagonals unusual b/c he not the main center christ and matthew are on outside edges with a greater distance matthew is hiding depiction of jesus unusual b/c he's limp as hell even tho that's normally his vibe anyways jesus body is covered - others would make him center but he's like eh and the dude is idk compare to michelangelo's creation of adam - remind dude back to us - armed, is like ooo who here dude pointing - pointing to himself or matthew? - interesting cuz this guy looks more like matthew in other representations compared to the little ass boi being deliberately confusing so that it's not so straight forward hands jumbled up weird "him? me?"

Amor Victorious

Mock classicism Amor vincit omnia - love conquers all Michelangelo's examples of nudes Michelangelo, victory, marble statue Clutter around ground - victorious over sum Donatello, david, bronze statue - ticking on feet is like how Feather points towards the peepee & tickles thigh The work was made for Vincenzo Giustiniani, and it has been suggested that the subject contains a sort of pun on Giustiniani's first name. In Italian (deriving from Latin), the word "vincente" means victor, or vanquisher. Giustiniani is thus a "victor," and we are invited to compare his victories with the figure of Victorious Love. The ancient Roman poet Virgil wrote the much quoted line "Love conquers all" (Amor vincit omnia). In other words, the power of love is so strong that it overpowers everything and everyone. But if conquering can mean destroying, it can also mean overcoming, or achieving. Here Amor/Vincenzo stands atop a collection of objects indicating worldy success, in terms of power (the armor, the crown) but also the arts (musical instruments, architect's tools) . All of these, it implies, he has mastered. So, has been argued that we see here is a play on Virgil's claims about love: in this case it isn't that Amor vincit omnia, but rather that Vincenzo vincit omnia. As with the Bacchus, , it seems that Caravaggio has been looking at Michelangelo for inspiration. While Caravaggio doesn't emulate the torsion of Michelangelo's figures, he seems to look at stretched and bent limbs of nude figures in the Sistine chapel, or (in a thematically appropriate model) the statue of Victory. A playful erotic touch : a feather from the birdlike wings rests atop Amor's thigh. (This is reminiscent of Donatello's bronze statue of David, in which the wing on Goliath's helmet rests against his inner thigh.

Beheading of St. John the Baptist

More human Salome? Or a servant holding the thing Stillness Use of space Pooling of blood - words written - improvised signature? Compare to moretto, martyrdom of st peter martyr - dude is writing "i believe" Not only a signature but also a proclamation F michelangelo? - brother - was gonna become a brother w/ his knighthood - testament to what he's taken and done

Knights of Malta

New name for the Knights Hospitaler after receiving an island after being attacked caravaggio go to clear his name when he kill the guy & all that

David with the Head of Goliath

One of the paintings Caravaggio was transporting back to Rome in 1610. Ends up in the collection of Scipione Borghese. Other paintings from the time of the David with the Head of Goliath Caravaggio did a number of paintings depicting severed heads or beheadings throughout his career (e.g. stories of David & Goliath, St. John the Baptist, Judith and Holofernes). These paintings of the head of St. John the Baptist have been dated to Caravaggio's second period in Naples, and related to his attempt to regain the support of/ seek pardon from Alof de Wignacourt, Grand Master of the Knights of Malta (i.e. Order of St. John of Jerusalem). 1601 one is more victorious, 1609 is more sad/regretful 1609 more shadowy Compare to cristofano allori, judith with the head of holofernes (self-portrait?) Hard to tell Compare to giorgione, self-portrait (cut down) Only part of a portrait - actual portrait (wenzel hollar, print after giorgione, self-portrait as david) Compare to michelangelo, last judgment Got in trouble b/c of st bartholomew holding hollow flesh of a dude, which is apparently a self-portrait of michelangelo Nicholas beatrizet's engraving after michelangelo's last judgment - engraving that says "michelangelo the engraver right next to the flesh" There are a number of paintings from the 16th and 17th centuries in which painters are said to have portrayed themselves as David, or as a severed head. The self-portrait of Giorgione at left is cut down from an original painting, represented in the 17th-century print at the right. If Caravaggio was indeed thinking of this painting, we might remember the story recounted in the Life of the artist written by Giovanni Baglione. Having heard people praise Caravaggio's painting of the Calling of St. Matthew, the painter Federico Zuccaro--president of the Accademia of San Luca, and close student of Vasari's Lives--grew curious.

Timanthes (Sacrifice of Iphigenia)

One thing to note is that Caravaggio witholds a great deal of information from us, especially with regard to the faces Caravaggio uses this strategy in a number of his religious works (e.g. the depiction of Christ in the Calling of St. Matthew; the face of S. John in the Entombment). Pliny the Elder describes a famous painting by the ancient Greek painter Timanthes: "[H]e had a very high degree of genius [ingenium]. Orators have sung the praises of his Iphigenia, who stands at the altar awaiting her doom; the artist has shown all present full of sorrow, and especially her uncle, and has exhausted all the indications of grief, yet has veiled the countenance of her father himself, whom he was unable adequately to portray." A late medieval Italian translation of the Roman writer Valerius Maximus offers a similar reading: "[In representing the tearful sacrifice of Iphigenia, Timanthes] placed around the altar the sad Calcante, the miserable Ulysses, Ajax crying out and Menelaus grieving, with Agammemnon veiling his head. "Now, was he admitting that his skill was not great enough to express the bitterness of the greatest sorrow? . . . his painting was bathed in the tears of the diviner and of the friend and the brother. But he leaves it to the desire of the spectator to to estimate the grief of the father."

tenebrism

Painting in the "shadowy manner" using violent contrasts of light and dark as in the work of Caravaggio

Francesco Maria del Monte

Served as Protector of the Accademia di San Luca from 1595-1626 Art collection included ancient art, musical instruments, and around 700 paintings, at least 10 of which were by Caravaggio Caravaggio was his guest at Palazzo Madama from 1596 or 97 to late 1600

St. Francis in Ecstasy

St francis is like eugheugh He was at some sort of mountain in prayer when an angel w/ 6 wings popped up w/ thundering lightning and he was like wtf It was buried w/ the cross or sum Then he beared all the wounds of christ in himself and was like oh god - he had been favored by jesus w/ the experience of suffering w/ him Wounds confirmed & were a sight of miracles Then he gets elevated to be a saint in like 2 business seconds The stigmata position isn't really there, plus he's unconscious, whereas other depictions are like aaaaaa i'm getting shot i see da light shooting through me In caravaggio's, his eye is VERY SLIGHTLY open to peak at the angel, and he's touching where jesus was stabbed in the ribs, like edging over towards it - he's like about to wake up in the angel's arms - pushed the experience of receiving the stigmata, expressive use of light at a particular time of day (the light is coming from the heavens not da sun) Caravaggio can be religious af as u can see Tender love vibes Love of god - when your soul is experiencing god, it's not showing on your body The stigmata was the most commonly depicted, and most important of the 13th-century Italian saint's miracles. Alone on a rustic mountain, Francis is visited by an angel bearing an image of Christ on the cross. It isn't merely a vision, however--the saint finds that his own flesh has been pierced with Christ's 5 wounds. Francis is ecstatically happy, and humbled, and carries the wounds on his body until his death, 2 years later. Artists generally show the saint in the act of receiving the wounds, his arms outstretched. (Rays are sometimes shown delivering the wounds from Christ's image to Francis's body). A second figure is often present: Francis's friend and fellow friar, Brother Leo. In the texts recounting the stigmata, Leo isn't actually a witness to what happens. Artists seem to acknowledge that, suggesting that even though he is present, he doesn't quite "see": sometimes he sleeps, sometimes he is reading, and sometimes (as below) he shields his eyes from the blinding light. By the late 16th century, a new sort of imagery begins to appear, less concerned with the dramatic marking of Francis's body than with the his mystic, deeply personal experience of God. Some of the same texts that tell the story of Francis receiving the stigmata contain accounts of his intense solitary meditation, and of visitations from angels bringing comfort and consolation rather than pain. In some cases the angels even play music for him. This new imagery has been linked to counter-reformation theological ideas. While Caravaggio's painting certainly fits within the second category, it nonetheless brings in overt references to the stigmata- -most notably the wound in Francis's side, and the presence of Brother Leo in the middle ground. (see below) Two other elements stand out. The first is the tenderness with which the angel cradles Francis. The gesture verges on the erotic, though that isn't out of keeping with mystics' description of the love between the soul and God. (The writings of Teresa of Avila-- the saint whose ecstasy is depicted by Gian Lorenzo Bernini--fall into this category). The second striking element is the human vulnerability Caravaggio gives to Francis. He seems to be regaining consciousness , as if his soul has returned to a body and place he doesn't entirely recognize. He carefully opens one eye to check out the angel, while his right hand delicately fingers the unfamiliar wound in his side.

Works from The Contarelli Chapel

St. Matthew and the Angel (2 versions) The Calling of St. Matthew

Lombard art; Venetian art; Tuscan/Roman art

Venetian: Standard definition formed dialectically in relation to central Italian (Tuscan) art• disegno (drawing; design) versus colorito (painting; color)• structure (drawing; anatomy) versus surface (paint; flesh)• (implicitly) masculine versus feminine Lombard: Sixteenth-century Lombard art is not entirely separable from Venetian art, since a number of important artists worked in both areas (e.g. Savoldo, Cariani). That said, there are two major points that are made about art in Lombardy. The first is that in the early 1500s, Leonardo da Vinci's style had a powerful impact on Lombard (mostly Milanese) artists, and the second that Lombard art was notable for its "naturalism" or "realism." The first of these is easily demonstrated--and in fact certain aspects of Leonardo's art continued through the century. The second is generally true, but much more complicated--i.e. in what ways is that art close to nature? What does it mean to be "naturalistic?" Tuscan: disegno

St. John the Baptist

Why the hell is he hugging a lamb naked St john cuz of the lamb? But also doesn't fit...normally st john has a sheep not a curly horned lamb St john also doesnt flash his peepee, isn't flushed in the cheeks, nothing like that Compare to michelangelo's sistine ceiling nudity: some similarities Pose is similar Display of genitalia Literally the same kid as the naked boy we saw on tuesday w/ the wings - oh god he been using the same models CALL ITALIAN FBI Both meaningless and meaningful Caravaggio had young "love boys" wtf Scholars have suggested that the work does not in fact depict John the Baptist, but represents lesser-known figures or stories (either biblical or literary). The desire to re-identify it comes in part from the fact that it differs greatly from traditional representations of St. John the Baptist (and even from his own later depictions of the subject) The figure's pose recalls Michelangelo's nudes on the Sistine Chapel ceiling -- though his youthful fleshy face and playful smile are miles away from those hulking heroic figures. This characterization of the work (like, yet unlike Michelangelo) may sound familiar, and in fact we saw a similar combination of Michelangelesque poses and humorous content in another work from this period. . . The similar work is of course Caravaggio's Amor Victorious, painted for Vincenzo Giustiniani (A comparison of faces suggests that the same model sat for both paintings.)

Boy with a Basket of Fruit

Zeuxis and parrhasius, from joost van den vondel, den gulden winckel der konstilevende nederlanders - informs this painting (more info on a separate card - (see zeuxis and parrhasius)) Looks out at us in a kinda alluring way - in a way that tempts humans Compare to titian venus of urbino - sexy head turn? Sexuality? We dunno who patron Homoerotic? Naw about art? Induce artsty fartsy on all levels? Range of meanings exist

Annibale Carracci

created basis for baroque art worked on cerasi chapel w/ caravaggio (he did assumption of virgin)

Giuseppe Cesari, Cavaliere d'Arpino

hires Caravaggio as painter of flowers and fruit (i.e. decorative garlands) he becomes president of Accademia of S. Luca

Antinous

leader among the suitors The practice of depicting a figure in the guise of a god has long roots. Some of the best known of these show the ancient Roman Emperor Hadrian's "favorite," a young man named Antinous. The two ancient Roman sculptures above depict Antinous as Bacchus. (used in the bacchus painting)

The Martyrdom of St. Matthew

matthew is meeting his aunt Original contract (executor of Contarelli's estate& the Cavaliere d'Arpino): Matthew should "be killed in a temple by the hand of soldiers and we think that it will be best to show him in the act of being killed... but not yet dead; and in the templeshould be a large number of men and women, old and young and babies in variety largely praying . . . For his revision of the Martyrdom of St. Matthew, Caravaggio seems to have studied Titian's painting of the Martyrdom of St. Peter Martyr (at left is a detail from a 16th-century print reproducing the work; the original no longer exists). The most ovbious similarity is the depiction of the prostrate saint. Caravaggio creates a more compact group, and depicts a slightly less fraught moment in the narrative. The bottom images show how Caravaggio show how Caravaggio frames that central pair with images who are physically or emotionally repelled--moving or leaning outward from the center. but but but there's no babies OR women? likely an altar in the back x-ray that shows original - did start out following more closely to the script Has a self portrait

St. Matthew and the Angel (2 versions)

ver 1 (destroyed) Angel look like it helping an illiterate He looks clueless Why is the angel sexy again - homoerotic ver 2 Less skin Chair not sturdy More emaciated ideal Dude knows what he doin