Caravaggio and the Oregon Trail

Today the weather consisted of nothing but clear, blue skies. It was a bit chilly, but spirits were high and the chance of cholera low. Rations cut to half. The topic of the day was presented to us by Amy, on the artist Caravaggio.

Caravaggio was the son of a master architect, and was apprenticed early in life after his skills were made obvious. He had many friends who were also artists, and they may have influenced his style in various pieces. It is interesting to note that Caravaggio never learned how to create frescoes, one of the more important types of art at the time. Instead, Caravaggio mastered the use of oil paints on canvas. In an even more interesting note, Caravaggio stood slightly outside the swirl of Humanism, as he simply was not that interested in antiquity. As many other brilliant artists, Caravaggio was violent and a drunkard.

We began our trek from the portone towards a church that housed Caravaggio's first piece we were going to learn about. Unfortunately the church was closed until 10 AM, and we were there at 9:30. So onward we went to the next church, but there was mass being held so we couldn't go inside to view the work there, either.

Cardinal Delmonte was Caravaggio's first patron, as the Cardinal was heavily keen on art. Caravaggio finished up a chapel, taking over the work of another artist. Rather than fresco, Caravaggio used oil -- and was so skilled that he maintained the same payment for the job as the other artist. There are some who say that Caravaggio was gay, citing the fact that he never painted women. However, Caravaggio painted two seperate works of women, and there is evidence of Caravaggio entertaining the ladies.

Due to the Counter Reformation within the Catholic Church, there was a re-emphasis on the basics. Subsequently, Caravaggio could have his choice of Biblical scenes including the Last Supper, the Madonna, and any of the Saints -- Caravaggio stressed the reality of these images. Ironically, Caravaggio much preferred painting scenes of nature to people. After leaving Cardinal Delmonte's patronage in 1600, Caravaggio sought out new sources of work.

Caravaggio created the Crucifixion of Saint Peter at the Del Popolo, as well as the Conversion of Saint Paul. Originally the chapel was to be decorated by another artist named Caracci. There was a myth that all the crows in the Piazza del Popolo were evil demons sitting in a tree. As a sign of victory, this walnut tree was cut down and replaced with an oak tree.

One aspect unique to Caravaggio's painting of St. Peter is that only St. Peter's eyes are visible, and they emphasize a focal point. The figure is almost full size, and they were Caravaggio's first to be publically displayed. In the painting, there were different styles of clothing used, and Jesus' hand is very similar to that of God's in the Sistine Chapel. Unfortunately for us today, the original painting of Saint Matthew was torn down due to a few problems such as St. Matthew's bare feet, his dirtiness, and the fact that the painting itself was simply too small. Recently, researchers have discovered incised lines in the canvas, used for the purpose of creating outlines of objects to help guide the artist.

After Amy's presentation, we returned to the Rome Center to break for lunch, and then had Professor O'Neil's class at 2 PM. Nobody died from malaria or whooping cough. Crossed South Pass.