Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses criticizing the Catholic Church in 1517, sparking the Protestant Reformation. The Counter Reformation established rules for religious art, requiring clarity, orthodoxy, dignity, and ability to express feeling. Caravaggio's early works depicted everyday scenes and subjects, but after 1600 he received religious commissions. His realistic style brought religious scenes to life but sometimes caused controversy, as with his first version of "The Inspiration of Saint Matthew" which was refused. Caravaggio's temper led to a murder in 1606 and he fled Rome, producing some of his last works while in exile asking for mercy, before dying in 1610 at age 38.

1. Historic background
• 1517 Luther nailed his 95 Theses on the 31st of October 1517,
sparking the Reformation
• It was the custom at Wittenberg university to advertise a
disputation by posting theses on the door
• Martin Luther wrote to Archbishop of Mainz, protesting
against the sale of indulgences.
• ” Luther objected to the saying ”As soon as the coin in the
coffer rings, the soul from purgatory [also attested as 'into
heaven'] springs.“

2. The Counter Reformation
• Concilio di Trento, under pope Paolo III Farnese,
ends under pope Pio IV De Medici
• The Counter Reformation ask the artists who
depict holy subjects to follow some rules
• Clearness of the subject
• Ortodoxy
• Dignity,propriety of the posture and attitude
• Ability to express the feeling and involve the
believers

4. • He moved to Rome in 1592 at first to make his living he
painted in the atelier of Cavaliere D’ Arpino who
exploited him.
• Then after he met bishop Del Monte he could paint on
his own
• He first painted a lot of “genre scenes” , everyday life and
common people with naturalistic setting.
• Only in the late years of the XVII century he had a public
commission the Contarelli Chapel
• All the churches in that period got renewed to prepare for
the great Jubilee
• From now on his paintings will depict mostly holy subjects
•

5. Boy with a basket of fruit 1593
Roma galleria Borghese
Young man is a
self-portait of
Caravaggio

6. "The Fortune Teller" is a painting that Caravaggio executed twice. The
La buona ventura 1596-97 Parigi Museo del Louvre
riprende la prima versione del 1593-4 acquistata dal cardinal F M Del Monte e conservata a Roma Pinacoteca
Capitolina
. "The Fortune
Teller" is a
painting that
Caravaggio
executed
twice. The one
in the
Capitoline is
the first
version while
the second
version is in
the Louvre in
Paris.
A young gipsy
and a naif man

7. The swindlers I bari 1593, acquistato dal cardinale
F. M. Del Monte conservato a Fort Worth
•Three men playing cards, a man is hiding in his belt a card the naïf young man on the left is being cheated by the others players•Three men playing cards, a man is hiding in his belt a card the naïf young man on the left is being cheated by the others players•Three men playing cards, a man is hiding in his belt a card the naïf young man on the left is being cheated by the others players•Three men playing cards, a man is hiding in his belt a card the naïf young man on the left is being cheated by the others players•Three men playing cards, a man is hiding in his belt a card the naïf young man on the left is being cheated by the others players•Three men playing cards, a man is hiding in his belt a card the naïf young man on the left is being cheated by the others players
Three men
playing
cards, a
man is
hiding in his
belt a card
the naïf
young man
on the left
is being
cheated by
the others
players

8. B
Basket of fruit
Canestra di frutta 1597,Milano, Pinacoteca Ambrosiana
donato dal cardinale Federico Borromeo alla Pinacoteca nel 1607
This painting was on the
Cardinal’s Borromeo
study to reflect on the
frailty of the life
The lives are dried and
the apple is rotten.
This is the first still life to
be the only subject
depicted in a frame, not
used to decorate or to fill
other scenes
The basket of fruit set on
a woden table , coming
out towards us

9. • This is the first still life to be the only subject depicted in a frame,
not used to decorate or to fill other scenes
• The basket of fruit set on a wooden table, coming out towards us
this is a device used by Caravaggio to involve the viewers inside
the paintings

10. Giuditta e Oloferne , 1599, Roma Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica palazzo Barberini
Eseguita per Ottavio Costa , banchiere genovese e amico dei Giustiniani
•Like at the Theater a red curtain gets open to aloud us to see what is on
•The Juish heroin Judith is killing Oloferne, the chief of the enemies, after a night of love
•Caravaggio depicts the scene with a dramatic intensity the blood is running all over
•Like at the Theater a red curtain gets open to aloud us to see what is on
•The Juish heroin Judith is killing Oloferne, the chief of the enemies, after a night of love
•Caravaggio depicts the scene with a dramatic intensity the blood is running all over
•Like at the Theater a red curtain gets open to aloud us to see what is on
•The Juish heroin Judith is killing Oloferne, the chief of the enemies, after a night of love
•Caravaggio depicts the scene with a dramatic intensity the blood is running all over
As at the Theater a
red curtain gets
open to aloud us to
see what is on
The Juish heroin
Judith is killing
Oloferne, after a
night of love , the
chief of the
enemies,
Caravaggio depicts
the scene with a
dramatic intensity
the blood is running
all over

11. Giuditta , Particolare

12. Chiesa di san Luigi dei Francesi, Roma

13. Contarelli Chapel , general view of Saint Matthew."
Caravaggio uses a
device to involve
believers, knowing
where the natural
light comes from in
the chapel, and
knowing where the
paintings would be
he made the light
of window
correspond to the
light in the pictures
."

14. "The Calling of Saint Matthew-1599-1600Jesus points his
hand to the tax
collector
Jesus and Saint
Peter are wearing
with their time
clothes, while all
the others are
wearing
Caravaggio’s time
clothes- to bring up
to date the event
The light is the
Mercy of God,
the room is
gloomy, Jesus is
saying “follow me”

15. "The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew."
Two diagonals give
dynamic effects to the
tragic event
Caravaggio to involve
the viewers and make
them feeling part of the
scene depicts his self-
portrait in the
background peeping
from a column , while on
the foreground two
young men seem coming
out of the frame

16. 1602 San Matteo che trascrive il Vangelo
Prima versione realizzata per il card. Contarelli che aveva lasciato disposizioni prima di morire, rifiutata perché
indecorosa,acquistata da Vincenzo Giustiniani è andata distrutta
“
"Inspiration of
Saint Matthew,“
first version
refused by the
Church
Too much
humblest
Matthew has
bare dirty feet,
Illiterate,(the
angel has to
guide his hand)
partly bold
head
Set with his legs
crossed,
in an inapropriated
posture
The angel is
touching him, not
only guiding him

17. San Matteo che trascrive il Vangelo, 1602, versione definitiva
"Inspiration of
Saint
Matthew“
second version

18. His self - portrait, detail from “ The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew."

19. Engraving of Piazza di santa Maria del
Popolo 1752, opera di G. Vasi

20. Chiesa di santa Maria del Popolo
in 1600, Caravaggio
received the
commission to paint
two works to
decorate the lateral
walls of a chapel in
the Augustinian
church of Santa Maria
del Popolo. These are
his famous canvases
of The Conversion of
Saint Paul and The
Crucifixion of Saint
Peter.

21. 1600-1601 Cerasi Chapel general viewel Popolo

22. The Conversion of Saint Paul Cerasi Chapel

23. The Conversion of Saint Paul , detail

24. The Crucifixion of Saint Peter. 1600-01, Cerasi Chapel

25. 1604 The Death of the Virgin in the Louvre
Red curtain
displays the scene
like at the theatre
The Virgin has dirty
and bare feet in
foreground
Part of her legs are
naked
Her corpse is
swollen

26. 1604 The Death of the Virgin detail
The painting was rejected by
the Carmelite monks whose
church in the popular quarter
of Trastevere it was to decorate
It was purchased by the Duke
of Mantua on the
recommendation of Peter Paul
Rubens.

27. Madonna dei Palafrenieri,1605, Roma , Galleria Borghese

28. • In the last years Caravaggio's temper became
hotter
• Wrote one observer: "After a fortnight's work he
will swagger about for a month or two with a
sword at his side and a servant following him,
from one pub to the next, ever ready to engage
in a fight or an argument."
• His violence finally erupted with force in 1606,
when he killed a well-known Roman pimp named
Ranuccio Tomassoni Immediately following the
murder, Caravaggio fled Rome and sought refuge
in different locations: Naples, Malta and Sicily

29. "David with the Head of Goliath,", 1609,Roma, Galleria
Borghese
•One of the last painting , C. is asking for Mercy, depicting himself in the c head of Goliath•One of the last painting , C. is asking for Mercy, depicting himself in the c head of Goliath•One of the last painting , C. is asking for Mercy, depicting himself in the c head of Goliath
In order to avoid punishment for
murder, Caravaggio's only salvation
could come from the pope, who had
the power to pardon him.
Most of his friends were working to
secure his pardon, in 1610 Caravaggio
began to make his way back to Rome.
Sailing from Naples, he was arrested
then released, arrived at Port'Ercole,
where died just a few days later, on
July 18, 1610.
One of the last painting ,
C. is asking for Mercy, depicting
himself in the head of Goliath

30. Detail – Golia’s head (His self – portrait), 1609,Roma- Galleria Borghese