Lecture 29: Caravaggio
John’s hand supports Christ’s shoulder but also touches the lance wound in
his side. The Madonna’s arms are spread wide, but because they are obscured
by John and Nicodemus, we see only the hands—one in shadow and the
other in light—above Christ’s head. This seemingly disembodied hand is
given movement by light, and its gesture becomes one of benediction. This
fan of hands and heads comes to a rest in the brightly illuminated body
of Christ, only to be continued by the downward curve of his arm and the
accompanying winding sheet. Christ’s hand touches the stone slab, which is
the lid of the tomb. The stone would have been just above the altar. Christ’s
hand leads to the tombstone, to the altar, and his body seems about to be
deposited upon the altar; this alludes directly to the rite of the Mass. In
addition, it is the visualization of the metaphor of Christ as the cornerstone
of the Church.In the summer of 1610, believing that a pardon was imminent that would
allow him to return to Rome, Caravaggio sailed north. When he debarked
temporarily, he was jailed in a case of mistaken identity, and the ship sailed
with all of his possessions but without him. Apparently, he set out on foot
and fell ill, perhaps with malaria. He died on July 18, 1610, at age 38. ŶCaravaggio:
Boy with a Basket of Fruit, c. 1594, oil on canvas, 27 ½ x 26 ½”
(70 x 67 cm), Galleria Borghese, Rome, Italy.
Calling of St. Matthew, 1599–1600, oil on canvas, 10’ 6 ¾” x 11’ 2”
(3.22 x 3.40 m), Contarelli Chapel, Church of S. Luigi dei Francesi,
Rome, Italy.
Conversion of St. Paul, 1601–03, oil on canvas, 7’ 6 ½” x 5’ 9”
(2.3 x 1.7 m), Cerasi Chapel, Church of Sta. Maria del Popolo,
Rome, Italy.
Cruci¿ xion of St. Peter, 1601–03, oil on canvas, 7’ 6 ½” x 5’ 9”
(2.3 x 1.7 m), Cerasi Chapel, Church of Sta. Maria del Popolo,
Rome, Italy.Works Discussed