Lesson 2: The Carraci School and Caravaggio

Carraci from Bologna (No Roman Painters of this time) called into Rome @ the end of the 16th Century (late 1590’s) by Cardinal Farnese

Farnese Gallery by Carraci (1594 Cardinal Farnese)
• In Palazzo Farnese ( loge facing Tiber) (villa Farnese on the other side, Michelangelo bridge idea)
• Behind Main Façade
• Across Tiber nearby, council and Banquet of the Gods by Raphael (Greatest in 16th century)
• Inspired by Raphael (80 years earlier) also decided to paint based on mythology ( More Specifically , love poems)
• Now Palazzo is French Embassy, hard to visit.
• Tried to surpass Raphael , incorporate other Renaissance Giants (Michelangelo etc. ) incoorate ancient art, take from everything.
• Focus on central painting
• Architecture is painted (competition w/arch)
• Sculpture is painted (Competition with sculpture)
• “PARAGONE” coined by Leonardo, which one of the arts is best? He thought
o Painting was the best (cleaner, intellectual, close to poetry)
o Sculptor: I can show front to back
o Leo: I can too, w/mirror in picture
o Paragone coming true in the 17th century, status and architecture becomes painted
• Competition with Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel
o Sistine is religious, nudes outside of the each painting, arch painted
o Carraci’s ceiling is called the “Secular version” of Sistine ceiling.
• Imitated ancient Roman statues
• Encyclopedia of the visual arts
o Art of that time (including poetry) compared with past styles
• Especially The metamorphosis by Ovid and Aenead by Virgil
• Philostrtus (ancient Greek poet)?
o Story of old man taking boy to the museum, describing every painting mainy of these reproducedin Farnese gallery.
• SO the gallery was very intellectual, Epitome of PARAGONE, comparing and contrasting all the arts.
• Harkened back to ancient Rome, wanted to surpass with culture beauty, art (visual propoganda).
• Central painting
o Ranuccio’s Marriage to one of the most important noble families probably in the Gallery, cardinal wanted to decorate it.
o Bacchus and Ariadne, Depiction of ancient marriage ceremony
o Ariadne being crowned by Cupid
o Companion of Bacchus on donkey (Salinus?)
o Venus with another cupis, love and lust
o 2 Carriages
o Surrounded by cupids, Love
o Almost relief-like structure can read left ⇒ right like story.
o Very famous story/scene, reproduced often in art, any cultivated person would have recognized it (its symbolism)
o Titian, Venetian painter, Bacchus and Ariadne
o Way in which wealthy noble man celebrates himself, his inlutance of the past.
• Caracci’s art was really refined (Lots of Allusions), but not revolutionary (Based on imitation, ancient Rome revised)
• Arrival of Caravaggio, most important painter of the 17th century
o Born near Milan (Michelangelo Mensi da Caravaggio)
o Arrived in Rome end of the 1590’s
o Introduced to Roman world by BLANK family, quickly entered art society.
o Patron: Cardinal del Monte
o Didn’t know how to paint when he arrived
o Good @ fruits and veggies, learned quickly to paint anatomy
o School of Rome
o Northern Italian painter, influences by northern Italian art.
o Difference between northern and central Italian art
• Northern
 Venice
 Color- oil paining developed here
 Canals = humidity⇒ couldn’t paint frescoes
 Oil painting on canvas. Oil dries slowly which means that it is possible to correct, elaborate, create hues/nuances. This is impossible for frescoes.
 Oils are more subtle. Edges blend better
 Picture of woman with fruit by Titian
• Southern
 Like Rome, Florence.
 Not humid which meant that they could paint frescoes. Tempera technique cant make corrections. Preparation must be perfect.
 Frescoes are more muscular
• Picture of women with fruit by Titian (flora)
 Sensual images of courtesans now thought to be idealized women show how good the artist is what he is able to do. Shows how painting can involve emotions in viewer (she’s dressing or undressing).
• Caravaggio from this tradition

Boy with basket of fruit by Caravaggio ( 1594 Cardinal Del Monte)
• Style of “beautiful women” paintings
• Boy instead if woman, homocrotic?
o But painted for cardinal, wouldn’t have advertised even if homosexual
• Recent theory as to why Caravaggio chose to use a boy to demonstrate his skill
o Competing with antiquity (In Rome, desire to revive imperial Rome)
• Architecture and sculpture easy to imitate
• Painting more difficult, only had descriptions (Pliny the Elder, natural Histories) Most important
 Competition between 2 ancient Greek painters, painting of grapes vs. of curtain, then painting of boy w/fruit.
 Caravaggio was entering into competition with ancient masters (educated men would understand the allusion/ reference)
o Used the ekphrasis to his advantage, as he was better @ fruits and vegetables than anatomy (same as in story)
o Poetry of this time compares youth and beauty to fruits and veggies.
• So this painting shows beauty crystallized, maturing and about to decline.
o Demonstration of his skill, his entrance into art world of Rome.

Bacchus by Caravaggio (1595, cardinal del Monte)
• Reclining on Greek/Roman bed, unbuckling belt, offering wine
o Invitation to pleasure, to give in to lust
o Temptation to Cardinal? Counter reformation period
o Attract w/ its sensuality, but you’re supposed to reject. Like poetry of the time.
o Can look @ it, but cant give into lust
o Can tell that wine just poured, has ripples, unbalanced, refection of the outside
• So viewer participates (also intellectually) existentially
• Sensuality to be rejected
• Bacchic stati = in between= Condition that brings you to another level (Not here w/alcohol) that artists try to attain.

Self-Portrait as Sick Bacchus by Caravaggio (1594, cardinal del Monte)
• Dirty fingers, sick face, gray-green skin.
• Engages viewers but separates viewer from painting
• Different than frontal. ¾ view. This is almost back view.
• Turning toward painter
o Classical ritaratto di spalla (portrait seen from shoulder). Invented/elaborated in the renaissance
• Painting by Titian, supposed to react, only have a second to engage the face, psych, dialogue, emotional viewer supposed to respond, fill in meaning, then have time to see the beauty of the painting.
• Bacchus statue by Michelangelo (first in Rome) has smaller Bacchis figure in Ritratto di spalla posture. Where he got inspiration , competing with sculpture of Michelangelo.
• We know Caravaggio was sick in the hospital for a time painting reality of Bacchic state, reality of creativity
• Hard to attach meaning to his work.
• All dramatic close ups of figures, not narrative like carraci.

Boy Bitten by a lizard by Caravaggio (1596, Cardinal del Monte)
• Mixture of ¾ and back posture
• We are supposed to react to what he is feeling
• Reveals secrets of Caravaggio
o Often painted himself w/morrior (have to memorize, be in between mirror and canvas) left hand looks like holding brush, psychology to how he paints
o Reflection of studio in vase⇒ water becomes mirror itself
o Always starts with self portrait through mirror, then distances himself to change the figure (many boys worked in his studio).

Lute Player by Caravaggio (1596, Cardinal del Monte)
• Again, fruit alluding to poetic competition
• ¾ profile turning forward toward viewer to engag in psych- intensity
o artist between canvas and mirror
• Know what he is playing, shows libretto from 16th century.
o Starts with words “you know that I love you” musical composition for violin and lute.
o In the 16th century, idea that ideal harmony required both players, so painting no complete with viewer participation.
o Engaging @ different level, we’re invited to participate in music.
o (Shows how much these paintings were directed @ cultivated viewers)
• Montoya, young castrato considered most beautiful and talented. Lived near Caravaggio (so can see from painting where he lived).

Concert of Youths by Caravaggio (1595, Cardinal del Monte)
• Changing from close-up, single figure ⇒ groupings narratives
• Compare to Titian, The concert (early 16th century)
o 3 figures playing music
o One in white hat looks @ us, recognizes that there is a viewer. We are instantly involved
o Middle figure still playing but turning, about to stop.
o Why are they stopping? We have just arrived in front of the painting intruding, destroying harmony
o The Positioning is related to viewer.
o In Caravaggio’s even more complex
• Back figure turning toward us, one adjusting lute
• Another lone violin, inviting us to play.
• At left, more ambiguous figure
o Near grapes, symbol of bacchus, similar to Bacchic posture
o But he has wings and arrows ⇒ cupid, god of love
o Which one? Ambiguous
o Grapes are standard for Caravaggio, still alluding to painting contest from Greek poetry
• Ghostly presence, very spirit of music not seen by players only by viewers.
• One of last for del monte, one of first with multiple figures getting better @ anatomy

Saint Francis in Ecstacy (1595-6, Cardinal del Monte)
• New revolutionary style (very different from Carraci)
o Grew into competition between tradition and innovation
• St. Francis in Ecstatic moment
o Poverty, barefoot, humility
o In his maturity, he received the 5 wounds of Jesus (stigmata)
• In painting, emphasis last wound: Jesus only killed by lance other were just torture; so was last blood of Jesus (center of painting, St. Francis is pointing to it)
o Not completely Asleep, one eye is open
o Scene described in literature, angel holding him
• Caravaggio is commenting on what heard about the ecstacy
o 3 sources of light: natural artificial… moon and fire
o Comments on Bible called exegesis
• Painter commenting on writing: exegetical painting explanation, vision own pov. Of ecstacy.
o St. Francis became like Christ⇒. Caravaggio thought about Christ. (allusion to Michelangelo’s pieta)
• Mary pointing to wound of Jesus, holding him but Francis not dead
• The way Mary looks @ Jesus, the way tangel looks
 2 Exegetical works, commenting on Biblical and religious events.

Betrayal (of Christ) By Caravaggio (1599, ciriaco Maffei)
• Natural and supernatural light
• Not full figures, dramatic, focus one thing
• Beginning of Passion of Christ (after last supper, kiss of Judas)
o In that moment, Jesus abandoned by apostles
• John Fleeing painting, afraid, Jesus and Judas Framed by Mantle
• 3 Soldiers, one man holding lantern, illuminating scene also from the outside
• “evil” soldiers almost masked, shadowed
• Caravaggio himself as spy, lighting scene, allowing us to see the scene
o Lantern as an allegory of the brush
• 3 Days after crucifixion of darkness, resurrection saved hum. Brought back light
o Caravaggio commenting on dark vs. light (need both)

Supper in Emmaus by Caravaggio (1600, ciriaco Maffei)
• Emmaus: village in Israel; after crucifixion and resurrection , Jesus wandered around, visited Magdelene.
• Two apostles walking to Emmaus, met pilgrim, didn’t recognize, had dinner w/ him in Emmaus, moment when pilgrim blessed food, 2 apostles recognized him.
• Christ in center. James on the right. (shell)
• James’ arm shortens dist., parallels crucifixion posture
• Jesus’ pose parallel of the posture of Jesus in Michelangelo’s Last Judgment
o Comment that Jesus after resurrection, promising Last Judgment
o Shadows and light heighten drama.