Caravaggio Essay

In this artwork, the moment of the beheading itself, those things painted are display in a flat stage, emphatically lit from the margin, segregated against the dark, shadowy background. Judith and Abra, who was her maid and stand to the right in the picture, partly over Holofernes, who was susceptible on his back. During the creation, Caravaggio adjusted the position of Holofernes' head as he proceeded, isolating it slightly from the middle and moving it marginally to one side, which was uncovered by X-rays (Bissell, 2005). His mastery of feeling and emotion was demonstrated by the faces of those characters, Judith was specifically appearing in her face a mix of repulsion and determination. Artemisia Gentileschi and other artists were profoundly influenced by this work, and even surpassed Caravaggio's physical authenticity, but it has been contended that none matched his catch of Judith's mental inner conflict (Varriano,

David M. Stone has made some great points in his article, “Signature Killer: Caravaggio and the Poetics of Blood.” Stone set out to explain his ideas about Michelangelo Merisi Caravaggio’s honorary knighthood and the social standing it gave him, and what it meant for Caravaggio to sign his name in The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist, in the blood of St. John the Baptist himself. Stone gave great insight into the world of Caravaggio’s life and what he could have been implying through the act of signing in blood.

This painting is much more sensual than Giorgione’s painting due to Titian’s because he engages the woman with the audience by making her look straightforwardly at the audience and his use of chiaroscuro (Grabski, Józef).

An artist has the ability to connect with one’s audience through their art and the obscure connotations that appear beneath it, not just the image that lies on the surface. Artists Jan Van Eyck and Caravaggio communicate these implications through their work, utilising symbols and motifs. Van Eyck’s The Arnolfini Portrait (1434) explores the social status of the time, along with the issue of marriage between two unequals. Caravaggio’s The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist (1608) reflects the world of his time’s attitude on violence and the insensitivity of a positive resolution. Although, these two paintings showcase incredible technique and attention to detail, the context is what is integral to the audience’s understanding of their world

Caravaggio lived through a dark period of time. His behavior, however became more and more violent as he began to challenge the beauty of art. He becomes more and more of a murder and uses more dramatic composition heightening his view of the situation.

Michelangelo Merisi; also known as Caravaggio was a historical painter that can be traced back to Northern Italy. He was born on September 28th, 1571 in a town called Milan. At an early age, Michelangelo would flee with his family to Caravaggio to escape a plague that devastated their hometown. This was a major aspect in his life as he would soon be known by that name. Both his father and grandfather would pass away there just a few years later, coincidentally on the same day. It is believed that his family had close connections with the Sforzas which were a ruling class group in Italy at the time. They ended up playing a major part in the following years. Merisi was a man filled with intersecting personalities. During his early ages, he was a well trained painter.

When he was a young boy, Michelangelo's father sent him to school to learn grammar, but he did not care for it. His dream was to learn and become skilled at art. His father did not want him to go into this profession because “artists are laborers, no better than shoe makers”(Bonner, Neil. “Michelangelo Buonarroti”.Neil Bonner — Thoughts on innovation in government, IT strategy, public policy & culture.). While he was at school, Michelangelo met a boy much older than himself who was friendly and kind to him. His name was Fancesco Granacci and he was learning the art of painting in the Ghirlandaio's studio. Granacci urged Michelangelo to follow his own path and become an apprentice.

The period of Baroque art was from 1600 to 1750, and relates to the style

The Baroque style, used by Caravaggio, was the absolute opposite of any Renaissance painter that had lived before him and because of this; it was probably the reason why he became the most radical artist of his time. He deserted the rules that had guided a century of artists before him and because of his theatrical break in style from the Italian Renaissance; he carefully brings a completely distinct treatment of narrative. Caravaggio's action of form in his Conversion of St. Paul is extraordinarily different from Perugino's work of art. One of the choices he decided to use was instead of outlining Paul and his horse with lines, Caravaggio abandons this unique style and adds movement by using a painterly style in which he uses paint to create an image and not rigid outlines. He uses color and value to produce a unique form, causing a sense of movement in the figures. They are not locked in time like Perugino's figures and express the exact opposite message of classical, passive figures. These are strong, vibrant, and emotional figures. Perhaps the emotional aspect of the figures is created by Caravaggio's introduction of dramatic light and dark effects, termed tenebrism. This technique was a great breakthrough in art, which added great emotional effects and mystery to the art. Caravaggio doesn't light Paul with a clear even light like Perugino

Given the many versions and accounts of famous artist’s lifetimes, we’re shown the vast underlying meaning, and situational ironies, to several of well- known pieces of work we still admire today. Donatello, Verrocchio, da Vinci, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Bernini; All of these artist left unique and controversial imprints on the timeline of art and life. Though many follow one right after the other, we see the changing of times through the midst of the creation of their works. Through the Renaissance and to the Reformation period, these artists help shape the nature of society. Coming to the end of the Renaissance era, an artist nicknamed “Caravaggio,” because of where he came from, pushed his world into the times of a more sound

The great thing about art, is that there are multiple portrayals of one idea but, the artist’s own personal style allows one to feel something that another may not. Early Renaissance painters, Giotto di Bondone and Duccio di Buoninsegna established their own unique style to depict a biblical scene known as, The Betrayal of Christ. Through a close analysis of each artist’s representation of, The Betrayal of Christ, one is able to compare and contrast the artists own understanding of the scene through their attention to detail, character, and space throughout the painting. When examining these two works, one will have a stronger emotional response towards Giotto’s interpretation rather Duccio’s, due to his methods of handling organization, figures, and space.

The work shows a conflict between line and form with the muscles of the adolescent frame and the flat planes. The dynamic emotion is conveyed through the tightened muscles and wrinkles upon the face in concentration, just as those of every man before a fight (Hart 112). David’s large hands represent his strength and are characteristic of the later mannerism style, while the rest of his form is somewhat true to the conventions of the High Renaissance (Shaked 1). Michelangelo’s work embodies the influences of his time just as Bernini’s.

The present work is focused on undertaking an in-depth analysis of two famous religious paintings: The Virgin and Child by Barnaba da Modena, an Italian painter from the fourteenth century, and The Elevation of the Cross by Peter Paul Rubens, a seventeenth century Flemish artist and diplomat. Following, by comparison, a thorough account of the two works' features, careful observation reveals more than one interpretation.

The era of Mannerism is renown for its increasingly complex works of art, much like the High Renaissance before it, and the discipline of sculpture is no exception. Out of this period comes more intricate poses, forms, and emphasis on the illusion of movement which is perhaps most evident in Giambologna's "The Rape of the Sabine Women". His sculpture depicts a young man attempting to carry a struggling young woman as he stands over the contorted body of an older man, either the woman's husband or father. What is interesting about this work is not only the realistic human forms and perceived chaos of the moment, but also the lack of a dominant side from which this sculpture would be viewed. In order to achieve these features, Giabologna utilizes a combination of various textures and diagonal lines to create the complete illusion of muscle, flesh, energy, and multiple focus points.

It is when the artist begins to add nuances and harmonies to the melody that the work becomes inaccessible to the unlearned ear, thus isolating a portion of the audience. When works of art are created to express the universality of humankind they are more beneficial to it. As an example, this view is dissimilar to the view if Dante, who believed that the language of a work should be elevated. Tolstoy argues the more details that are given in the work the more opportunities for disconnection from its message the audience has (391).