The Taking of Christ, Caravaggio
Though he was apprenticed to Simone Peterzano, a Venetian of the later Mannerist period, Michelangelo 'Caravaggio' Marisi's career first took hold in the early 1590's under the patronage of Cardinal Francesco Maria del Monte. It was in this manner Caravaggio was taken under the wing of the Roman Catholic Church, and amidst a transformational period in religious practice when the Church was still working to revitalize the piety of the individual and to influence the arts away from the unusual scale and color that was the Mannerist period.
This transitional period in Italian art--from the Mannerist to the Baroque--coincided with what is known as the Counter-Reformation of the Catholic Church, which took roots in a set of council meetings some 30-40 years prior in Trent, northern Italy, known as the Council of Trent. The objective of the Council was a return to the indisputable power of the Church, clarification of its doctrines, and, in the visual arts as aid to its goal, a revitalization of religious fidelity through naturalism and evoking human emotion. Considering the works of Caravaggio prior to his commission by the Church, such as his first work, Boy Peeling Fruit (1592-93) (Janick, 2010), Basket of Fruit, or The Musicians (1595-1596), one can infer it was the Church's goal in making use of his tenebrism and return to realism to steady the wavering Roman Catholic spirit from Protestant Reformation.
In The Taking of Christ, the viewer is up close and personal with what feels like cutting on action during a modern film. We're cast into a pivotal moment in the story of the Betrayal of Judas, who is seen kissing Jesus Christ as a indicator to the Roman soldiers. In the single-sourced light, Caravaggio's masterful tenebrism, or dramatic use of light/dark relations with very little gradation between, is witnessed in the black armor which reflects light, and in the faces and hands of Saint John, far left; Jesus Christ, Judas, a second soldier; and a spectator holding a lantern, who is said to be a self-portrait of Caravaggio himself. (Caravaggio, 2009).
The psychological and physical impact of this carefully lit image can be seen in the alarming emotion evinced by St John's expression, Jesus' downcast eyes and clasped hands. Extrapolation of these actions, whose overall effect illustrates the nonviolence of Jesus Christ's actions, and the violence and tumultuousness of the rest of the composition, could be attributed to the interests of the Cardinal who commissioned the work, and extended to the Roman Catholic Church at the time (Caravaggio, 2009).
I learned much more about the Baroque movement delving into the life of Caravaggio, and his apparent invention of extreme chiaroscuro to achieve trompe l'oeil, or the illusion of depth and dimension. His still life work Basket of Fruit almost became my selection of work to blog about, as it had so many tells to the 'still life' movement, and apparently was incredibly accurate as far as the actual fruits that composed the painting. I would've had a hard time relaying it back to what we've covered in our reading assignments, however. Caravaggio was, surprisingly, a very interesting man who led an interesting life, to put it mildly. Though his artistic career was somewhat short, he would be greatly influential to contemporary baroque artists such as Peter Paul Rubens, Jusepe de Ribera, and even Bernini and Rembrandt. The latter decade of his career was commissioned mostly by nobles affiliated with the papacy.
The Taking of Christ, 1602 by Caravaggio. (n.d.). https://www.caravaggio.org/the-taking-of-christ.jsp#prettyPhoto.
Janick, J. (2010). Caravaggio's Fruit: A Mirror on Baroque Horticulture. Retrieved June 21, 2021, from https://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/caravaggio/caravaggio.html
Hi Addison!
ReplyDeleteGreat analysis, I almost did my blog on a piece by Caravaggio as well! One of my favorite things about many of the paintings created during the Baroque period is the use of chiaroscuro! The contrast between the light and dark and the emphasis and drama it casts on the subjects of the painting. I enjoyed your analysis on the way Caravaggio illustrates Jesus' body language. You can almost feel the simultaneous feelings of betrayal and acceptance in his facial expression. Great blog!
The first thing I seen was the picture and it had such strong emotions that I felt. It has so much detail and the line work makes it seem as if the art is coming off the page. I also love the dark contrast as well compared to the light one. I also agree with you how you can see that Jesus is showing no violence, but the others are using force and being violence. Knowing the history behind Jesus, seeing this really hit home and gives you something to think about. You did an amazing job, I think if we ever had to go on a blog post and make it longer, you could probably go on here and add some information on Jesus to possibly explain why the emotion and depth could possibly be happening. Great post!
ReplyDeleteThe lighting of the painting is intense. I'm not partial to religious themes usually but this one does well expressing how graven the moment was. I also like that Carvaggio may have painted himself as the man holding the lantern. It seems to me it would be accurate just by the expression on the man's face, and the lantern is his way of expressing the amount of detail he put into it. Like he is using the light to illuminate the image so that he can see it better to be able to paint it.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the information on this painting. I have never seen it before, and it is refreshing to see this scene of Judas marking Jesus with a kiss not done in a different setting than usual. The dark background bring a theatricality and somberness to this painting. All of the focus is shifted to what is actually happening in the picture.
ReplyDeleteThe red draped clothing above Jesus and Judas' heads continue to draw my eye to these characters. To the side you can see the hands of a guard holding the other side of the material. This painting reminds me of a movie cover, the crowded placement of the characters, and the way that the guard holds this draped clothing around Jesus and Judas as if they are background characters literally setting the stage to this iconic story.
The guards to me seem to be dehumanized to me evident by the way that they are turned away from the viewer, and the shadows that mask their facial features.