Today in class we talked about Italian Baroque. We discussed Caravaggio and the things that made him stand out from the rest and perdure as an influence in the movement. He pioneered Tenebrism, which utilizes dramatic lighting to evoke a mood. He painted in a studio, which is what allowed him to reate such harsh contrasts and imitate them perfectly in his paintings. He didn’t draw, which is a hard thing to grasp especially if you are someone who paints. It is marvelous what he was able to create without the aid of pencil. We also talked about how he had a violent history and about how he was essentially a criminal.
A painting that we did not talk about in class was his original San Matteo E’lAngelo, one of my favorite works of his. We talked about The Calling of Saint Mathew, but not about the original painting that was supposed to hang beside him. San Matteo E’lAngelo depicts Saint Mathew not as this glorified Saint full of wisdom but rather as a fisherman, a simple man who can’t quite grab the pen in order to write the gospel. It is clear to me why the work would be rejected, but it also speaks to the genius of Caravaggio that it was his choice to give Saint Mathew humility and reality.