Marilyn Stokstad's Art History: Michelangelo Merisi
July 18, 1610: Porto Ercole, Italy. The ports and city on the northeastern shore of the Tuscan city remained under Spanish jurisdiction. Two days prior, a man whom resembled a Spanish outlaw, was arrested and imprisoned upon arrival in the port. Authorities were unable to identify the man's true identity because his real identity was also that of a convicted outlaw, Michelangelo Merisi. Some time before he was released from the jail, Merisi contracted malaria and it would claim his life on this day. Merisi, known throughout Europe as simply "Caravaggio" (after the city he was from), was not just a murderer on the run; Caravaggio was a famous artist, made infamously popular by his paintings of graphic and sometimes violent biblical scenes.
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Even today artists, historians, and students marvel at the expression and realism Caravaggio maintained throughout his master works (6). In 1891, historians and artists began to investigate the possibility that many Renaissance painters traced their masterpieces with the help of a camera obscura. Today they are still finding evidence that questions the talent of some of history's most astounding masters (10). But could Caravaggio have really forged his entire career; or are the mistakes made by the "masters of tracing" being wrongfully assigned to the real innovators of art? First, let's understand what exactly a camera obscura really is.
As defined in Marilyn Stokstad's Art History, the camera obscura is an early developed camera-like device used mostly in the Renaissance. Later it would be used widely for recording images from nature. Construction and operation of the camera was fairly simple: beginning with a dark room or box, a hole would allow light in from one side of the room. The camera then operates by flashing a bright light through the opening (and occasionally passing through a lens). An inverted image of an object from outside of the camera would then be cast onto the inside wall of the box or room allowing the operator to duplicate the exact image being projected (11). Although there are no specific documents confirming or disconfirming that Caravaggio traced images from the camera for use in his master works, historians and artists of the present have found disputable evidence that the great masters of the Italian Reniassance may have in deed utilized convex lens technology. …show more content…
(10.) (13) The painting above, Officer and Laughing Girl, was started by Johannes Vermeer in 1658 and finished by 1660 (13). As a master painter of his time and a popularly commissioned artist Vermeer was praised for his precise attention to detail and form. Some believe a little too precise. Although history does not provide us with proof that Vermeer used the camera obscura, many artists and art historians have suggested its use. The "photographic perspective" and its geometrically perfect features given to the painting's details have convinced a great deal of art enthusiasts. American artists Joseph Pennell was one of the first to begin exploring the possible use of the camera in Vermeer's paintings. The graphic artist calculated the angles of the actual setting in 1891 which proved in a few different ways exactly how picture perfect the painting was (10).
In modern photographs the foreground of the chosen setting will appear closest to the viewer when in focus. The shoulder of the man is showing just that. In comparison to the head of the girl, it is clear the lens was in focus on the closest subject. But even in the background the maps tell the same story. An art historian named James Welu investigated the maps and globes of Vermeer that can be found throughout the world preserved by museums. The map of shown here is of Holland, and shows Vermeer had painted every last detail in his work exact to the map he owned (10). (12)
Similar geometric details have been argued about the painting to the left, The Aronlfini Portrait, done by Jan Van Eyck in 1434 (12). It has been suggested Van Eyck used the camera in a great deal of his work. In The Arnolfini Portrait many historians and critics believe the artist is exposing himself to the viewer by painting the details within and around the mirror on the back wall of the room. By showing himself and another witness in close detail it's been said Van Eyck is hinting the camera's use by showing the reflected image within the convex mirror inside of the painting (10).
Renowned artist David Hockney deconstructed the chandelier pictured in the Arnolfini Portrait. When taken from a photographic perspective the chandelier is one hundred percent geometrically correct. If compared to the perspective learned through the artists' perspective, the chandelier would have been painted in an extremely different perspective (10). But, no proof that obvious has been found in any of the paintings created by Caravaggio.
During the time that Caravaggio apprenticed with other painters, the Baroque period of art and style was influencing most parts of Europe. On top of that, Lombardy and other areas of Italy were beginning to make tenebrous painting more and more popular (7). By definition in the Stokstad text, tenebrism is the strong use of chiaroscuro and artificially illuminated areas of scenes to create a dramatic contrast in the light and dark areas within a painting (11). Chiaroscuro technique is defined as the Italian word used to designate the contrasting of light and dark values within a painting, drawing, or print. Chiaroscuro technique creates space, depth, and volumetric forms through gradations in shadows and intensities in light (11). Some believe Caravaggio is the genius behind the chiaroscuro technique (6). He influenced, and continues to influence artists painting styles; including Artemisia Gentileschi whose paintings like Judith and her Maidservant, can still be mistaken as works of Caravaggio to uneducated viewers today (2). (2) (5)
In The Taking of Christ, painted by Caravaggio in 1602, the application of the chiaroscuro technique shows through (5). On the faces and armor notwithstanding the lack of a visible shaft of light the view can see the extremes in contrast and precise attention to detail (6); however, this precision does not appear to prove the use of the camera obscura (14). As a popular and controversial artist of the time, records of Caravaggio's followers noted his unwillingness to work his paintings from sketches (9). Artists' such as Jan Van Eyck have had sketches discovered by art historians containing evidence that he "blew up" the camera obscura sketches using a grid in order to keep the perfect perspective when transferring it to a painting (10).
Obvious displays of his raw and amazing talent are seen also in the painting David with the Head of Goliath (4). The details seen within the painting could leave viewers believing the painter may have had assistance by use of a camera obscura. And because of the enormous attention to the detail of colors and photograph-like placement of David's hand, artists' like Hockney have tried to point out similarities to paintings that were traced from a camera obscura (10); however, historians believe the head of Goliath is actually a self-portrait created by the artist to disprove the non-believers. Letters that are barely legible have been interpreted as saying "Michael Angelo Caravaggio Opus". This has lead to a universal acceptance within the art world that the face is in fact that of the painter, Michelangelo Merisi (6). (4)
Throughout his short, thirty-nine year life, the artist known as Caravaggio created some of the highest quality paintings in the history of art. Not only did he create beautiful artwork, he apprenticed some of the best painters of the time and was commissioned by some of the most elite art collectors and religious leaders of his era (7). No matter how detailed or precise his skill appears in his works, the only trait the paintings of Caravaggio and those of the Renaissance convex mirror explorers' share is their historical status as some of the greatest masterpieces ever created in art.
Endnotes:
1. Caravaggio. Cleveland Institute of Art. 20 March 2006. http://www.artchive.com/artchive/C/caravaggio.html.
2.
Gentileschi, Artemisia. Judith and her Maidservant, 1612-1613, 1625. Galleria Palatina (Palazzo Pitti), Florence.
3. Harr, Jonathan. The Lost Painting: The Quest for a Caravaggio Masterpiece. Random House, 2005.
4. Merisi, Michelangelo (Caravaggio). David with the Head of Goliath, 1607 or 1609-10. Borghese Gallery, Rome.
5. Merisi, Michelangelo (Caravaggio). The Taking of Christ, 1602. National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin.
6. Moir, Alfred. Caravaggio. New York, Harry N. Abrams, Inc. 1982.
7. Prose, Francine. Caravaggio: Painter of Miracles. Eminent Lives, 2005.
8. Robb, Peter. M: The Man Who Became Caravaggio. Picador, 2001.
9. Seward, Desmond. Caravaggio: A Passionate Life. William Morrow & Company; 1st ed edition, 1998.
10. Steadman, Phillip. "Vermeer and the Camera Obscura." BBC.co.uk/history (2002). Art Full Text Online. Gund Library, Cleveland, OH. March 20, 2006. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/society_culture/art/vermeer_camera_01.shtml.
11. Stokstad, Marilyn. Art History. Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice- Hall, 2005.
12. Van Eyck, Jan. The Arnolfini Portrait, 1434. National Gallery, London.
13. Vermeer, Johannes. Officer and Laughing Girl, 1658-60. Frick Collection, New York
City.
14. Wittkower, Rudolf and Jennifer Montagu. Art and Architecture in Italy. Yale University Press, 1999.
Even today artists, historians, and students marvel at the expression and realism Caravaggio maintained throughout his master works (6). In 1891, historians and artists began to investigate the possibility that many Renaissance painters traced their masterpieces with the help of a camera obscura. Today they are still finding evidence that questions the talent of some of history's most astounding masters (10). But could Caravaggio have really forged his entire career; or are the mistakes made by the "masters of tracing" being wrongfully assigned to the real innovators of art? First, let's understand what exactly a camera obscura really is.
As defined in Marilyn Stokstad's Art History, the camera obscura is an early developed camera-like device used mostly in the Renaissance. Later it would be used widely for recording images from nature. Construction and operation of the camera was fairly simple: beginning with a dark room or box, a hole would allow light in from one side of the room. The camera then operates by flashing a bright light through the opening (and occasionally passing through a lens). An inverted image of an object from outside of the camera would then be cast onto the inside wall of the box or room allowing the operator to duplicate the exact image being projected (11). Although there are no specific documents confirming or disconfirming that Caravaggio traced images from the camera for use in his master works, historians and artists of the present have found disputable evidence that the great masters of the Italian Reniassance may have in deed utilized convex lens technology. …show more content…
(10.) (13) The painting above, Officer and Laughing Girl, was started by Johannes Vermeer in 1658 and finished by 1660 (13). As a master painter of his time and a popularly commissioned artist Vermeer was praised for his precise attention to detail and form. Some believe a little too precise. Although history does not provide us with proof that Vermeer used the camera obscura, many artists and art historians have suggested its use. The "photographic perspective" and its geometrically perfect features given to the painting's details have convinced a great deal of art enthusiasts. American artists Joseph Pennell was one of the first to begin exploring the possible use of the camera in Vermeer's paintings. The graphic artist calculated the angles of the actual setting in 1891 which proved in a few different ways exactly how picture perfect the painting was (10).
In modern photographs the foreground of the chosen setting will appear closest to the viewer when in focus. The shoulder of the man is showing just that. In comparison to the head of the girl, it is clear the lens was in focus on the closest subject. But even in the background the maps tell the same story. An art historian named James Welu investigated the maps and globes of Vermeer that can be found throughout the world preserved by museums. The map of shown here is of Holland, and shows Vermeer had painted every last detail in his work exact to the map he owned (10). (12)
Similar geometric details have been argued about the painting to the left, The Aronlfini Portrait, done by Jan Van Eyck in 1434 (12). It has been suggested Van Eyck used the camera in a great deal of his work. In The Arnolfini Portrait many historians and critics believe the artist is exposing himself to the viewer by painting the details within and around the mirror on the back wall of the room. By showing himself and another witness in close detail it's been said Van Eyck is hinting the camera's use by showing the reflected image within the convex mirror inside of the painting (10).
Renowned artist David Hockney deconstructed the chandelier pictured in the Arnolfini Portrait. When taken from a photographic perspective the chandelier is one hundred percent geometrically correct. If compared to the perspective learned through the artists' perspective, the chandelier would have been painted in an extremely different perspective (10). But, no proof that obvious has been found in any of the paintings created by Caravaggio.
During the time that Caravaggio apprenticed with other painters, the Baroque period of art and style was influencing most parts of Europe. On top of that, Lombardy and other areas of Italy were beginning to make tenebrous painting more and more popular (7). By definition in the Stokstad text, tenebrism is the strong use of chiaroscuro and artificially illuminated areas of scenes to create a dramatic contrast in the light and dark areas within a painting (11). Chiaroscuro technique is defined as the Italian word used to designate the contrasting of light and dark values within a painting, drawing, or print. Chiaroscuro technique creates space, depth, and volumetric forms through gradations in shadows and intensities in light (11). Some believe Caravaggio is the genius behind the chiaroscuro technique (6). He influenced, and continues to influence artists painting styles; including Artemisia Gentileschi whose paintings like Judith and her Maidservant, can still be mistaken as works of Caravaggio to uneducated viewers today (2). (2) (5)
In The Taking of Christ, painted by Caravaggio in 1602, the application of the chiaroscuro technique shows through (5). On the faces and armor notwithstanding the lack of a visible shaft of light the view can see the extremes in contrast and precise attention to detail (6); however, this precision does not appear to prove the use of the camera obscura (14). As a popular and controversial artist of the time, records of Caravaggio's followers noted his unwillingness to work his paintings from sketches (9). Artists' such as Jan Van Eyck have had sketches discovered by art historians containing evidence that he "blew up" the camera obscura sketches using a grid in order to keep the perfect perspective when transferring it to a painting (10).
Obvious displays of his raw and amazing talent are seen also in the painting David with the Head of Goliath (4). The details seen within the painting could leave viewers believing the painter may have had assistance by use of a camera obscura. And because of the enormous attention to the detail of colors and photograph-like placement of David's hand, artists' like Hockney have tried to point out similarities to paintings that were traced from a camera obscura (10); however, historians believe the head of Goliath is actually a self-portrait created by the artist to disprove the non-believers. Letters that are barely legible have been interpreted as saying "Michael Angelo Caravaggio Opus". This has lead to a universal acceptance within the art world that the face is in fact that of the painter, Michelangelo Merisi (6). (4)
Throughout his short, thirty-nine year life, the artist known as Caravaggio created some of the highest quality paintings in the history of art. Not only did he create beautiful artwork, he apprenticed some of the best painters of the time and was commissioned by some of the most elite art collectors and religious leaders of his era (7). No matter how detailed or precise his skill appears in his works, the only trait the paintings of Caravaggio and those of the Renaissance convex mirror explorers' share is their historical status as some of the greatest masterpieces ever created in art.
Endnotes:
1. Caravaggio. Cleveland Institute of Art. 20 March 2006. http://www.artchive.com/artchive/C/caravaggio.html.
2.
Gentileschi, Artemisia. Judith and her Maidservant, 1612-1613, 1625. Galleria Palatina (Palazzo Pitti), Florence.
3. Harr, Jonathan. The Lost Painting: The Quest for a Caravaggio Masterpiece. Random House, 2005.
4. Merisi, Michelangelo (Caravaggio). David with the Head of Goliath, 1607 or 1609-10. Borghese Gallery, Rome.
5. Merisi, Michelangelo (Caravaggio). The Taking of Christ, 1602. National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin.
6. Moir, Alfred. Caravaggio. New York, Harry N. Abrams, Inc. 1982.
7. Prose, Francine. Caravaggio: Painter of Miracles. Eminent Lives, 2005.
8. Robb, Peter. M: The Man Who Became Caravaggio. Picador, 2001.
9. Seward, Desmond. Caravaggio: A Passionate Life. William Morrow & Company; 1st ed edition, 1998.
10. Steadman, Phillip. "Vermeer and the Camera Obscura." BBC.co.uk/history (2002). Art Full Text Online. Gund Library, Cleveland, OH. March 20, 2006. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/society_culture/art/vermeer_camera_01.shtml.
11. Stokstad, Marilyn. Art History. Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice- Hall, 2005.
12. Van Eyck, Jan. The Arnolfini Portrait, 1434. National Gallery, London.
13. Vermeer, Johannes. Officer and Laughing Girl, 1658-60. Frick Collection, New York
City.
14. Wittkower, Rudolf and Jennifer Montagu. Art and Architecture in Italy. Yale University Press, 1999.