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Walking With Caravaggio

Today, I wandered the streets of Rome with Caravaggio. Now, this sentence seems absurd, right? Traveling the streets of Rome with a man dead long for over 400 years. Crazy, I know. But, let me continue anyway. I suppose it is best to start from the beginning.
The Inspiration of St. Matthew by Caravaggio
The Martyrdom of St. Matthew by Caravaggio
Caravaggio was a hipster. He could not stand the status quo of the Renaissance that preceded him by 50 years, nor could he sympathize with the Mannerists, who were much more recent and vivid in the artistic memory of Rome. He was a revolutionary, completing the innovation began by Giotto--the artist who gave the first inklings toward a new age in the Renaissance. Giotto was 300 years before Caravaggio. It takes some guts to imagine it, but do you think Caravaggio knew the impact of his work, his completion of the new revolution of art? There is no way to know, but it is certain Caravaggio was willing to break from all that was previously known within the canon of the Renaissance and even Greco-Roman times.

Caravaggio executed this revolution in three ways. First, Caravaggio broke free from the techniques of fresco used in the Renaissance, preferring to instead use oil paints. This distinction was popular for Caravaggio because oil paints allowed him more control over the shades and also allowed for mistakes to be removed in an easier manner than the costly methods used to remove fresco errors. Second, Caravaggio's work is easily recognizable from his contrast between light and dark. Below is the image of The Calling of St. Matthew. This painting depicts Christ (far right) pointing to Matthew (bearded figure) calling him to a life of service under his leadership.
The Calling of St. Matthew by Caravaggio
You can see the dramatic change from a pitch black to a perfect white within several parts of the painting. This contrast between the light and the dark, the good and evil, seeks to describe the tension of Carvaggio's time through the Reformation and Counter Reformation. Another innovative use of light by Carvaggio is the source of the light, the place in which the light originates, is not in the painting. It is located to the right behind the figure of Christ. The light, stemming from beyond Christ, signals to the one who sent Christ, namely his Father. This light shines forth across the picture, leading your eye from right to left until you meet the figure of Matthew who is pointing to himself as if to ask, "Me? Are you sure you want me?" This light, originating in the Father and passing through Christ, has found its rest in the person of Matthew. Human dignity comes from the intrinsic creation by the Father. The separation between the source of light (the Father) and the figure of Matthew indicates the humanity of the figures, but the depiction of Christ on the same level and ground as the other figures shows the possibility to overcome that humanity and reach the source of light i.e. the Father.

Third, Caravaggio depicts the figures in this piece as commoners, even the figure of Christ. This a radical transformation from the stoic, rigid figures of holy people in the Middle Age and Early Renaissance periods. On my trip to Florence, I saw the Ognissanti Madonna by the early Renaissance artist Giotto. 
Ognissanti Madonna by Giotto
Now, I have no doubt that this piece of art is beautiful. The colors, the aesthetics of the different grounds, the physical beauty of the Madonna: it is balanced and elegant. The figures may represent humans, however they do not in the slightest represent everyday human beings, living average lives. Proceeding in time 300-400 years to Caravaggio, it is evident that he understood that these figures were not enough to convey the message and story he sought to tell. To show the people that Christ's message was for all and that Christ wished to have an encounter with even the poorest of these, Caravaggio depicted commoners. Through these three revolutionary artistic techniques, I hope I am able to rest my case that Caravaggio was a hipster.

All of these elements intertwine in Caravaggio's Madonna di Loreto or the popular title in English The Virgin Mary of the Pilgrims

Madonna di Loreto by Caravaggio
The contrast of light and dark is obvious. It seems as if the Virgin Mary, holding Jesus, is coming out of the darkness. It is not coincidence that the Virgin is the brightest figure in the entire piece. She is depicted differently than the Madonna in Giotto's work. She is given emotion: compassion, tenderness, as if she is truly invested in the well-being of the poor pilgrims who have traveled to greet the Child. The innovation does not end there. Upon closer inspection, you can see that the pilgrims are dirty, ratchet, and overall obviously not upholding of the standard of beauty set in the Renaissance. In addition, their feet are dirty. Dirty people or dirty feet, it didn't matter. If you were in any way unclean, you were not worthy of entrance into the churches. Caravaggio had the guts to go against the times. He painted the people as they were. When asked why he did not join an art studio, which was typical of the successful artists of the times, Caravaggio replied, "The street is my school." 

More importantly, Caravaggio brought the Divine off of the pedestal it stood on in the Renaissance and Middle Age. He brought Christ to all, and especially to the poor. Furthermore, Caravaggio includes in this depiction of the Virgin Mary a deliberate jab at the corrupt Catholic hierarchy. The model who posed for the figure of Virgin was a prostitute. In fact, her name was Lena and she was the most famous prostitute of the times, having multiple affairs with several high ranking Cardinals. These hypocritical prelates lived dual lives, the religious life inside the church and the secular life outside the church. By depicting the Virgin Mary in this way, Caravaggio brought the scandal of the Cardinals to the one place they consider to be safe, inside the Church.

Now, this is where I state my opinion. Read this knowing that you are entitled to disagree and I respect that. On this trip, this journey to Roma, I have seen this hypocrisy that Caravaggio saw in the Cardinals. Perhaps not in the affairs of high ranking officials, but in the actions of some of the peers I interact with everyday.  I am optimistic that everyone acts according to their best intentions, but I have seen the nature of privilege here--the privilege that Americans feel they have and are entitled to possess. I have seen a refusal to adapt to the Italian culture, to never meet the Italian people where they are or where they come from. A refusal to appreciate their food and their art. Do you think the Virgin had reservations about receiving the pilgrims in the painting because they were dirty or unlike herself? It is certain, but this skepticism was overcome out of a duty to be compassionate and understanding. Do you think Matthew had reservations about his call from Christ? Of course, but they were overcome. Caravaggio went beyond these reservations as well. He refused to be constrained by hypocrisy and lies. He wanted truth and truth led him to open his mind to other possibilities. It led him to ugliness and poverty. But, it was always visible because of the light. This is the ugly truth on my heart, and I cannot let it dwell on my mind any longer. I sincerely do not intend to offend anyone with this message, but I must be true to what I see otherwise this blog would be full of ethereal lies and surface level observations.

I understand that this place is foreign to me. I get that. But, it benefits no one to sit around and complain about the differences from my own culture back home. I wish to walk the streets with the mindset of an Italian. I want to experience life here as Michelangelo would have, or Caravaggio, or even as a common pilgrim. This city has welcomed me and held its arms wide open to the millennia of history, art, architecture and culture. And I have met people who refuse to accept this gift. I want an open mind ready to receive the gift of the world. I want to be like the Madonna di Loreto: compassionate even when I do not understand, gentle when I might be moved to anger, and receptive to even the least of these. The Italians have loved me despite my differences. The least I can do is love them back. I walk the streets with Caravaggio. I see everything they taught him: the ugliness of truth, the redemption of light, and the beauty of the common life.

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