Caravaggio - the artist of nightmares and pretty boys.

in #painter8 years ago

I've written several posts about artists.
But there is perhaps the most controversial artist whose works of mixed feelings.
It is the Italian Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571 - 1610).


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Already with a portrait having a few issues.
This portrait painted in 1621 by Ottavio Leoni. 11 years after the artist's death. Why through so many time?

Caravaggio is considered the founder of realism in painting. I would even tell sometimes excessive.
Amazing technology of the drawing. There is no sketch or a sketch.
It turns out at once wrote on a canvas.
Given the complexity of his paintings is already surprising. All paintings are on dark, or sometimes black background.
This is very clearly can be seen on his most famous painting "the Kiss of Judas".


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You can see how it shines each rivet on the armor. Amazing drawing each hair, each wrinkle.
But the main effect in his paintings is a sense of presence. As if you are near these events.
But I have his paintings sometimes evoke the desire to turn away. For example, "the Unbelief of St. Thomas".


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From Caravaggio traced strongly wish strongly to emphasize the points that other artists tried to either not show or soften.

Here is another picture of the "assumption of the virgin".


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Here we see the body of a dead woman. But this is the mother of Jesus. In honor of this event now celebrated the festivals of the Church (which has always surprised me, celebrating the death of someone).
This is usually portrayed with a divine orientation. Here obviously the artist's attempt to show it in more "mundane" form.

But most of all I, of course, the shock the painting "Judith slaying Holofernes".


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I will not retell the story (you probably know). Indeed there there is such episode. But this artist came up with the idea to portray is so detailed and bright.

I think that Caravaggio can be called the founder of the genre "Thriller". His desire to draw the severed head is very noticeable.
We can see this in the painting "the Beheading of John the Baptist."


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The executioner cut off the head and going to pick it up to put on the tray.

The same theme is depicted in the painting "David and Goliath".


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According to critics, to cut off the head the artist has depicted his face. Apparently and there was a picture with a portrait of Caravaggio.

But Caravaggio did not stop at one image of a victory of David over Goliath.
He drew two more. He had one picture up to the end. It's "David with the head of Goliath".


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Not to say that Caravaggio's only a gloomy picture. There are quite joyful, but with a kind of suspicious tone.
One of these paintings is called "Boy with a basket of fruit".


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And such boys and naked boys flashed quite often.

For example, another painting "Boy bitten by a lizard".


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There are a few images of the young John the Baptist.
Very mixed impression from the painting "Cupid the conqueror". What is he doing with his left hand behind him?

Just because of these pictures, I can't call myself an admirer of his talent.
And talent is really amazing. To draw, as they say, such pictures are subject is not for everyone. But stories....

This artist of course was quite a decent picture. He portrayed women.
Was subjects without cutting heads.
Here I showed the ones that make me wince.

Although maybe this was achieved by the artist. Maybe it was the clever trolling of the society in which he lived?