In Struggle with Darkness
Years ago I saw the film "Caravaggio" by Derek Jarman and it was unique as Caravaggio himself. As far as I remember, I was always attracted to Caravaggios' paintings. First, of course, I could see his work through books and albums and then I saw the real thing. He was a thoughtful man and his compositions are very playful, in some sense - cinematic.
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was born in the Northern Italy in a small town of Caravaggio in 1573, trained by Simone Peterzano in Milan, Michelangelo developed as an artist in Rome 1. He started there as an apprentice of a popular then Mannerist painter, Cavaliera d'Alpino, with whom he mostly painted flowers and fruits. Caravaggio executed the first Italian independent still life with fruits, so called Ambrosiana.2
His life was a struggle with darkness. As he lived among wealthy, educated people like Cardinal del Monte and poor tavern fellows, so his paintings were in broad range of subjects, between the pure and lusty, the light and its shadow. Chiaroscuro in his paintings was very authentic and, I can say, mirroring his life. Caravaggio had many sponsors and collectors, who admired his art and even, as some insist, spoiled the young artist "because of the novelty and audacity of his painting." 3 He died on August 15, 1610, knowing nothing about the official clemency document from July 21, 1610, forgiving him homicide. 4 His two versions of St.John the Baptist and Mary Magdalene, like prophetic signs of his life, were swimming on the boat to Rome, leaving behind forever Caravaggio, dying at the Porto Ercole at the age of thirty six.
Michelangelo Merisi, son of Firmo of Caravaggio - in painting not equal to a painter, but to nature itself - died in Porto Ercole - betaking himself hither from Naples - returning to Rome - 15th calend of August - In the year of our Lord 1610 - He lived thirty-six years, nine months and twenty days - Marzio Milesi, Jurisconsult - Dedicated to a friend of extraordinary genius.5
His violent, controversial and uncompromising character was pushing him into chain of constant troubles. There is a long police record of Caravaggio's passionate behavior. He himself left more subtle record of his dramatic life in his work in the form of chiaroscuro. To understand the revelation of Caravggio's work, it is indispensable to present the ideas of light of Leonardo da Vinci and High Renaissance in general.
Modeling the dimension with light and shade is, along with scientific perspective, the most characteristic feature of European painting which distinguishes it from any known then culture. Its implications already are perceivable in the late antique painting, for example in Roman art, like The Leastrygonians Hurling Rocks at the Fleet of Odysseus from 1 B.C. or even in Hellenistic painting known by its Roman copy under the title The Battle of Issus. In the Medieval time it completely disappeared and came back in the quattrocento. Progressing in time with generations of painters, tones of the paintings have the tendency to darken, so to speak; paintings of the cinquecento are already darker than these of the quattrocento.
The problem of light and shade became a fascination particularly during Leonardo da Vinci's time. In his theories about shade, he noted that shade is even more powerful than light, because light cannot ever completely annihilate the shade. For Leonardo the diffused daily light, "lume universale", was a main artistic interest. His "sfumato" is this light, as if filtered through clouds. The artificial light of a candle, torch or a daily light lurking through a small window into the dark did not enjoy his recommendation, but it found full expression in Caravaggio's art.6
The one of the four large paintings from the west wall of the Contarelli Chapel in the St.Luigi dei Francesi at Rome is Calling of St.Matthew. Its size is 3.38 x 3.48 m. The commission for this series of paintings was initiated by Cardinal Francesco Maria del Monte, one of the patrons of Caravaggio's genius.7 Other paintings, also stories from St.Matthew's life, are two versions of Inspiration of St.Matthew, (one of which was rejected by the church officials) and Martyrdom of St.Matthew.8 All paintings were executed by Caravaggio between 1598 and 1602. In Calling of St.Matthew I sense his fully developed "maniera tenebrosa" and revolutionary luminosity effects.
The Calling of St.Matthew is a scene of silent gestures, eyes sights, light and dark conversation. Around the table are sitting people in the clothes of contemporary gamblers, fashion gallants and soldiers. To the right side of the painting we have Jesus with his disciple carved out of the deep shade. Behind and above his head the light is gently splashing from unknown source.
Caravaggio's magic of light has come to fruition. It is not the light of day or of night, but the spiritual light which lends dramatic momentum to the religious event; light which we call magic because its source is not explained and its logic is hidden, a transcendental force which pierces the shadows and picks out the silent points of the story. This metaphysical light needs no natural justification.9
The crawling light on the wall is embracing another window with a cross construction within - a hidden symbol of new message. The whole scene, altogether with the theatrical gesture of the Jesus hand, is underlying the new faith predestinated for Matthew. The depth of the moment is accentuated through the elaborate psychological interaction of participants. Jesus, like in a slow motion, pointing at Matthew, is reflecting the inner spiritual, meditative state. "The miracle of the apparition of Christ has become human, it might almost be said, Protestant." 10The whole grouping I see as a one thought movement in a human mind or as the sentence from the book of visual sophistication. Every character in the painting might be as well a symbolic figure representing the stages in the process of the inner awakening to higher truths within. One aspect of the painting is a physical reality, a story from the New Testament, the other is this intuitive sense of spiritual journey of a single soul, expressed through different bodies. Matthew's inner spiritual unawareness is depicted in his physical placement. In this composition, he is placed exactly on opposite site of Jesus and seated between two groups of companions. Soldiers, closer to the light and Christ, are gazing at Jesus intensively. In the breathless spark of the moment, the self-confidence masterfully captured in one of them, through the body language and facial expression, is interrupted by a tiny shade of surprise - “who are you?” Another man, painted from the back in twisted position, is ready to stand - mirroring inner state of readiness and unexplained rush of respect. Something inside him that knows the truth very well was touched. On the left side of Matthew's is another companion bending over him. Together with Matthew, they counterbalance the alertness of the other two. Matthew is preoccupied with money and unaware of the new situation. His silhouette is at the edge of the wall and partially still in the abyss of darkness behind, perfectly in opposition to the source of the light. To me, all of them together and each one separately, can as well symbolize inner movement from ignorance to realization. The sequence is starting from Matthew and the first silhouette of the soldier, so unaware of Jesus' presence, completely hypnotize by the metallic sound of coins in Matthew's hand and fully attentive to the worldly power - moving toward right, through more expressive gestures of others. The most seductive element in Caravaggio's work is the psychological richness very well supported by his artistic talent. Through interaction of different characters, he was able to capture complex and subtle aspects of the given subject.
This painting exemplifies one of the most significant points of Caravaggio's revolution and makes me understand the sudden popularity of his style and broad influence from then on. His models for saints are taken from the poorest part of society. Also, in his work, the sensual element, so important later in Baroque art, was in his days revolutionary, touching the moral climate of 17th century Italy and "shows that Carravaggio, who seemed to his contemporaries as if rebel, was in fact a prophet." 11 In the genre paintings often with homosexual and erotic implications, he was able to depict the delights of sensual pleasure as well as its decaying, inert character.
The list of his immediate followers is very long. Highlights of his influence can be found in the work of such artists like George de La Tour or Rembrandt, ending the list with the contemporary Polish painter Zbylut Grzywacz. "Even Rubens, though he was, by nature, a painter of exuberance and radiance, found himself momentarily attracted by the dark Caravaggian drama." 12 In Grzywacz cycle Opuszczona and some other work we can still find echoes of Carravagio's (Opuszczona XI) struggle with darkness.
written by Adam Rupniewski © |
