Art Fun Facts
First edition: Caravaggio’s Radical Realism
The name Caravaggio is frequently heard in art classroom hallways, but his artist history and paintings have greater complexity than what we have learned during our school career. Michelangelo Merisi, which is the real name of the artist, is recognized for the dramatic way that light and shadow interact to give his portraits life. Caravaggio, best known for his still-life paintings, was also a skilled human portrait painter, focusing on biblical stories. What is interesting about this, is understanding why he decided to omit painting a key biblical figure like the risen Jesus.
For his time, Caravaggio’s idea of art was beyond any kind of revolution. Caravaggio was indeed a painter of the 1600s who detached himself from Renaissance art and inspired Baroque art. His works belong to the Naturalism current, representing reality as it is, contrary to the Renaissance’s reliance on gods, classical nudity, and ancient heroes.
To better understand this breakthrough artist, keep in mind that the Catholic Church used art throughout the Counter-Reformation to promote religious themes and attract followers. Artists were basically doing propaganda for the Catholic Church and themes like Jesus Resurrection were a recurring motif, suggesting Christ’s divinity, hope, and rejuvenation. Caravaggio, nevertheless, chose not to pursue this idea further.
Art historians frequently establish connections between Caravaggio’s violent and controversial life and his artistic choices. It’s possible that his struggles directly influenced his unwillingness to deal with themes of glory and divinity. Although, the artist stated quite clearly his idea of art even in his profane works.
Caravaggio’s goal was to capture reality as he saw it, giving his subjects imperfections and emotions that could be familiar to viewers. As a result, his characters come across as non-idealized. He chose to focus on the most vulnerable and human parts of the story to represent the divine. Paintings such as “The Entombment of Christ,” “The Crucifixion of Saint Peter,” and “The Conversion of Saint Paul on the Road to Damascus” are excellent examples of this approach.
The work of art “The Calling of St Matthew”, reveals the artist’s preference for human aspects over supernatural representations, even though this painting has nothing to do with Jesus’ resurrection. Here, instead, is the depicted the moment when Matthew is called to follow Jesus Christ. Matthew, a tax collector, is sitting at a table with others in a poorly illuminated space.
Pay particular attention to the closed window in the upper-right corner of the painting. Caravaggio clearly had confidence in his ability to control light, so the lack of natural light sources implies the presence of something supernatural or out of the ordinary. Moreover, human reactions to the light coming in allude to a supernatural present, indicating that the realization urges significant, introspective reflection. Consequently, we can deduce that Christ is identified by his halo, pointing directly to Matthew.
A similar thing occurs in the painting “The Conversion of Saint Paul on the Road to Damascus” , where Caravaggio portrays Saul falling off a horse on the road to Damascus, seeing a blinding light, and hearing the voice of Jesus. Even here, we do not have a clear representation of Jesus Christ but only his halo, surprising not only Saul but even the house that seems to withdraw from the light.
So why was Caravaggio’s choice to omit the direct depiction of Jesus in his resurrection so powerful? The reason is pretty simple, since it basically gives us a huge hint about the artist’s unique approach to religious art. At this point, we know that by focusing more on human experience and emotions, rather than on the traditional glorification of divine subjects, viewers connected more deeply with the religious stories Caravaggio portrayed. Consequently, we can strongly affirm that his contribution to art history has gone beyond the mere beauty of his paintings; it should also include his ability to bring the sacred into a more intimate and accessible light, transforming the way religious art was and is perceived.
