Caravaggio: Biography and His Major Works: Early Masterpieces and the Revolution of Light
Caravaggio: Biography and His Major Works: Early Masterpieces and the Revolution of Light
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Caravaggio became a master of light in painting. His works reflected his own unconventional character, as he devised complex lighting systems whose source always remained unseen.
His observational power, bringing together objects of various textures, shapes, and substances and contrasting them, was certainly inspired... his hands and feet used symbolically through their gestures or pose.
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The exact number of paintings he created remains ambiguous, but estimates range from 40 to 80 works, of which we highlight a few.
Boy with a Basket of Fruit is a special work, as Caravaggio captures the very essence of what he sees, with his sixteen-year-old artist friend, Mario Minniti, acting as the model, holding a basket of fruit – truly, an offering of luxury.
Revolutionary in its painting style, Caravaggio's plump, erotic boy is depicted on the threshold of sensuality, the fruit perhaps suggesting he is ripe for the picking. The botanical aspects of the fruit and leaf transformations have been the subject of intense study.
Here we have a self-portrait of Caravaggio as Bacchus, the god of wine. The work's title, Sick Bacchus, indicates the evident frailty when the 22-year-old artist was hospitalized for months, likely treating jaundice.
The Cardsharps - It is believed that for this painting, Caravaggio used models picked from taverns, which the artist frequented from a young age. One observes the neutral background and the dramatic focus on the characters, with one of the cardsharps in the foreground.
Saint Francis of Assisi in Ecstasy - Some art historians assert that Cardinal Francesco Maria del Monte resembles Saint Francis of Assisi in this painting. Through del Monte's circles, the young painter received a groundbreaking commission at 24 years old. It was del Monte who recognized Caravaggio's talents and took him into his home when the artist arrived in Rome.
Here, the body of Saint Francis recoils from divine intervention, with one hand limp and the other clenched, while one eye is half-open and the other closed.
Bacchus - For an analysis of the work, click here to learn more
Medusa is one of Caravaggio's most popular works. It was commissioned by Cardinal del Monte, who gifted it to Ferdinando I de Medici, the Grand Duke of Tuscany.
Medusa is a figure from Greek mythology, one of the three Gorgon sisters , who was decapitated by the hero Perseus before her gaze could turn him to stone. Perseus was clever and used a shield as a mirror so that Medusa would be paralyzed by her own reflection. In this way, he could defeat her.
Martha and Mary Magdalene - One of the most compelling representations of the biblical scene where Martha is in the process of converting Mary Magdalene to a life of faith and virtue.
To understand the rest of this journey, continue with our next article: Caravaggio: Biography and His Major Works: Dramatic Pieces, Sacred Themes, and Visual Legacy.
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