ЗападноеврЗападноевропейское искусство от Джотто до Рембрандта

The real giant of seventeenth-century painting in Italy is Michelangelo Merisi, called Caravaggio after his native town in Lombardy. After studying with an obscure local master, he arrived in Rome around 1590. Considered a revolutionary painter Caravaggio was the leading artist of the Naturalistic School. He lived on the fringe of respectable society. His short life was marked by violence and disaster. Caravaggio was a lifelong rebel against convention. He shocked conventional people by representing religious scenes in terms of daily life. He was in chronic trouble with authority and had to flee Rome in 1606 after he killed a man in a brawl over a tennis match. During the next years he wandered around Italy. Caravaggio died of malaria in his thirty-seventh year on his return journey to Rome, with a papal pardon in sight. Nevertheless the style of this unruly genius revolutionized European art.

In 1597 Cardinal del Mount obtained for Caravaggio the commission to paint three pictures of Matthew and scenes from his life for the Contarelli Chapel in the Church of San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome. The greatest of these is the Calling of Saint Matthew, painted about 1599-1600, an event often represented but never in this soul-stirring way. The background is a wall in a Roman tavern; a window is the only visible background object. Matthew is seated «at the receipt of custom» (Matthew 9:9) with three gaudily dressed youths at a rough table on which coins are visible; figures and objects are painted in a hard, firm style that seems to deny the very existence of Venetian colourism. Suddenly, Christ appears at the right, saying, «Follow me». His figure is almost hidden by that of Peter. Christ shows only his face and his right hand, illuminated by a strong light from an undefined source at the upper right.

Despite his oft-expressed contempt for Renaissance masters, Caravaggio often visually, as if in a vernacular translation, quoted Michelangelo BuonarrotI. Christ points along the beam of light with a strikingly real hand whose gesture repeats that of God the Father in the Creation of Adam. Matthew points to his own breast as if to say, «Who, me?» In this realistic scene happens the triumph of divine love. Christ instils a new soul in Matthew.

In 1601 Caravaggio painted the Conversion of Saint Paul. It was a favourite subject during the Counter-Reformation. This scene was usually shown with a vision of Christ descending from heaven, surrounded by clouds and angels. Against a background of nowhere Saul has fallen from his horse toward us, drastically foreshortened. He hears the words; but his servant hears nothing and looks down at his master unable to account for the light that shines all around and has blinded Saul. In this picture climax reaches the stage of cataclysm.

Caravaggio's paintings were condemned by Bolognese artists and critics in Rome, and some were even refused by the clergy. Nonetheless, a decade after his tragic death Caravaggio's everyday naturalism, his hard pictorial style, his intense light-and-dark contrasts had inspired a host of followers in Rome, Naples, Spain, France, the Netherlands. His revolutionary art must be considered a major factor in the formation of two of the greatest painters in the 17-th century Rembrandt and Velazquez.

Make sure you know how to pronounce the following words:

Caravaggio; Rembrandt; Matthew; Saul; Lombardy; Netherlands

Notes

Calling of Saint Matthew – «Призвание апостола Матфея»

Conversion of Saint Paul

– «Обращение Савла»

«at the receipt of custom» (Matthew 9:9) – «у сбора пошлин»

Tasks

I. Read the text. Make sure you understand it. Mark the following statements true or false.

1. Caravaggio's life was happy and eventless.

2. The style of this genius revolutionized European art.

3. Caravaggio never rebelled against convention.

4. The Calling of Saint Matthew is a realistic painting.

5. Saint Paul was pictured drastically foreshortened.

6. Caravaggio's naturalism inspired a great number of followers in Europe.

II. How well have you read? Can you answer the following questions?

1. Where was Caravaggio trained? What society did Caravaggio live in? What was Caravaggio's relationship with authority?

2. How did Caravaggio protest against convention?

3. How did Caravaggio arrange the figures in the Calling of Saint Matthew? What did Caravaggio deny in this painting?

4. What was Caravaggio's attitude to the Renaissance masters? How did Caravaggio quote Michelangelo in the Calling of Saint Matthew? What was the source of this quotation?

5. What was the favourite subject during the Counter-Reformation? How did Caravaggio picture it? Did Caravaggio paint Saul against a background of nowhere? Was it Caravaggio's greatest achievement? What were his other achievements?