OTTAWA—The National Gallery of Canada’s “Caravaggio And His Followers In Rome” is truly a must-see exhibition of rare paintings on loan from esteemed galleries including the Prado in Madrid, the Louvre, and the National Gallery in London—47 public and private collections in total.
“There are 58 works in all and 12 works are by Caravaggio. It’s historic. It’s rare,” said gallery director Marc Meyer.
Put together by the National Gallery and the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, the exhibit required four years of negotiations with numerous galleries around the globe.
The National Gallery is the only Canadian venue on the tour, and will run the exhibit June 17 through Sept. 11.
‘Rome period’
Marking the 401st anniversary of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio’s death (1571–1610) are 12 of his best known works displayed thematically and in tandem with the numerous Baroque artists he so clearly influenced—the Caravaggisti.
The exhibition focuses on his “Rome period,” of 1592–1606, and includes the newly discovered “St. Augustine,” whose authenticity as a Caravaggio has yet to be confirmed.
It was in 1600 that the Italian Master’s technique became recognized in his magnificent religious art and his portrayals of everyday events. He took the chiaroscuro technique to new heights.
Caravaggio’s focused lighting and intense use of darker spaces lent drama to his paintings that was groundbreaking at the time. The up-close view of the subjects, naturalism of the models, and ability to seize a significant moment not only served to highlight the main subjects but to present them in a way that includes the viewer.
“He tries to bridge the representational gap between the painting and its audience,” explained Sebastian Schütze, professor and chair of the Department of Art History at the University of Vienna and coauthor of the exhibition, who was present for the opening.
“That is something that quite apart from iconography, quite apart from historical context, is something even today speaks very very powerfully to us as viewers. And that’s, I think, the real key to why he is so popular today.”
Widespread influence
What is remarkable about the magnitude of the artist’s influence on so many of his contemporaries is that his works were mainly studied posthumously. Very few of the Caravaggisti met the artist; at 38, he died far too early, and unlike other great masters he didn’t have a school where his techniques could be taught.
“An important part of the Caravaggio story is the incredible reception of his work, the incredible impact he had on a great number of painters all over Europe in the decades of approximately 1600 to 1630. Over these relatively few years, dozens of painters from all over Europe came to Rome to study Caravaggio’s art, and decided to imitate and further explore his pictorial innovations,” said Schütze.
The exhibition is divided into four themes: Early Youths and Musical Subjects, Genre Scenes, Individual Saints, and Religious Narratives.
“The idea of emulating and also keeping your distance is something artists do to this very day. And this is a wonderful way to see how they did it in the 17th century,” said Meyer.
A troubled life
Success, however, did not polish Caravaggio’s rough edges. In fact, the opposite occurred. He was a brawler with a long history of aggression and arrests. Copious police records provide archivists details about the numerous charges against him.
“He was like a character out of the film ‘The Fight Club’—a very tormented life. He is a controversial person, no longer a controversial artist, that’s for sure, but definitely a controversial person,” said Meyer.
Interestingly, as his life deteriorated, his works became more spiritual. In 1606 Caravaggio reportedly killed a man and fled to Naples to avoid arrest. It was here that he painted one of his most famous works, “Seven Acts of Mercy,” an altarpiece commissioned by the church of Chiesa del Pio Monte della Misericordia.
He was on the run for the last years of his life, moving from city to city to evade prosecution. However, he still managed to produce commissioned works.
Unfortunately, little is known about Caravaggio’s life other than the numerous rap sheets that don’t provide any insight into the man or his relationships.
“From his own lifetime there is not a single letter, there is not a single document really directly related to his personality,” said Schütze. “That is our loss as we can only know this troubled artist through his magnificent work.”
The gallery has scheduled several special events for the duration of the show, including Meet the Curator on July 31, and live performances of Baroque music by Musica Divina in the Rideau Chapel inside the gallery on three Sundays: July 10, Aug 28, and Sept 11.
A special lecture by Michael Fried of John Hopkins University is scheduled for July 31 at 2 p.m. Tickets for this event can be obtained by calling 613-998-8888.
Check www.gallery.ca/caravaggio for further details about the exhibition and special events.
