Art + Travel Europe Caravaggio and Rome

By Museyon

Master of light and shadow, revolutionary realist, and violent street brawler—Caravaggio’s life is shrouded in mystery and myth. Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio settled in Rome in 1592, where he painted much of the best work of his brief, but brilliant, career. His violent temper, however, did not serve him well, and in 1606 he was forced to flee Rome. This book features detailed walking tours of Rome and Valletta in Malta where the artist lived, loved and labored. Readers will discover the sights and stories behind such an iconic work like "Death of the Virgin.”

• Language: English
• Publisher: Museyon
• Release date: Jan 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9781938450204

Book preview

ITALY

CARAVAGGIO and Rome

BY BARBIE LATZA NADEAU

The year was 1592 and Rome was rising after decades of degradation and decline. The Sack of Rome left glorious palaces in ruins. The Colosseum was filled with garbage and overgrown with weeds. The ancient Roman Forum was a cattle market. Disconnected intellects, poets, and artists filled the streets by day. Beggars, thieves, and whores prowled at night. This was Caravaggio’s Rome.

This period marks one of the Eternal City’s most important transformations. The Counter-Reformation was underway, and Pope Sixtus V had begun a campaign of rebuilding churches in an effort to save the citizens of Rome from Protestantism. The basilicas of St. Peter, Santa Maria Maggiore, and San Giovanni in Laterano dotted the skyline, replacing the medieval towers that had collapsed in the previous century. Rome was dangerous, but exciting. Young artists flocked here to vie for valuable commissions to fill these new churches with sacred art. One such young artist was Michelangelo Merisi from the village of Caravaggio outside Milan, but the young man who would come to be known simply as Caravaggio was not drawn to Rome just for the art. He was also running away from trouble, setting a pattern that would define his entire life. After an altercation that wounded a police officer, Caravaggio left Milan with a meager inheritance and a strong desire to be one of the best painters in the new Rome.

Caravaggio had raw talent, but he was also an ardent sinner. Police records in Milan, Rome, Naples, and Malta paint a picture of a passionate artist whose temper often got the better of him. When he first moved to Rome, he floated between small commissions until he found a permanent job in the studio of Giuseppe Cesari, the Cavaliere d’Arpino, but there he was exploited, frustrated, and developed a reputation for violence. Once in a Roman tavern, he assaulted a waiter over a plate of artichokes. "Are