A genius beyond his time
An exhibition at the National Visual Arts Gallery brings together 34 reproductions of Caravaggio’s works.
The Caravaggio Opera Omnia exhibition at the National Visual Arts Gallery presents true-to-scale reproductions from one of the most important Italian painters of the early Baroque period.
IT is not always interesting to imagine the artist behind the painting.
But in the case of Italian painter Caravaggio, tales of his wild escapades and propensity for getting on the wrong side of the law, would be enough to pique the interest of even a casual passer-by, or at least raise a few eyebrows.
Born Michelangelo Merisi in 1571, here was a man whose name appears on numerous police reports and trial proceedings, from Naples to Sicily to Malta to Rome, until his death in 1610 at the age of 38.
His enthusiasm for public brawls were hardly a secret, he carried weapons in the streets, hired prostitutes to pose as models for his paintings, and was said to have made a hole in the ceiling of his rented studio so his paintings could fit.
A 1604 published account on Caravaggio described how he would complete a fortnight’s work, then “swagger about for a month or two, with a sword at his side and a servant following him ... ever ready to engage in a fight or an argument, so that it is most awkward to get along with him”.
A huge part of his adult life was spent on the run, in jail, or out on parole awaiting a pardon. In Rome, he killed a man in a sword fight, and subsequently had a death sentence imposed upon him by the Pope.
Despite his rogue behaviour and tempestuous personality, he was a prolific painter and managed to carve out quite a name for himself. At one point in the early 17th century, he was considered the most famous painter in Rome and was under powerful patronage.
“Caravaggio was for sure a ‘bad boy’ and even a murderer, but these incidents were not unusual during the time in Rome. Artists, and men in general, walked with their hand on their swords at all times, and fights were common and frequent in the Roman streets.
“He may have been unpredictable, passionate, and deeply and endlessly rebellious, yet he was an incredibly productive artist,” says Singapore-based art historian Sabiana Paoli, who was recently at the National Visual Arts Gallery (NVAG) in Kuala Lumpur to present a series of talks, held in conjunction with the Caravaggio Opera Omnia exhibition.
A selection of 34 true-to-size reproductions of his paintings, now scattered across various locations and museums around the world, are brought together in this show in Kuala Lumpur, fresh off its Bangkok run in June. It previously toured Georgia, Azerbaijan,Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Kuala Lumpur is its last stop; it will return to Italy in September.
“Opera Omnia offers a historical and thematic journey along the whole artistic and human experience of the Lombard master through his celebrated paintings, which combine a realistic observation of the human condition, both physical and emotional, with dramatic use of lighting; one of the deepest innovations in the lan-
guage of painting that the history of art has known. His contribution to Western art is undeniable,” says Cristiano Maggipinto, ambassador of Italy to Malaysia.
The exhibition is a collaboration between the Embassy of Italy in Kuala Lumpur and the NVAG, supported by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and Italian public television RAI, through its subsidiary RaiCom.
Caravaggio’s oldest paintings date back to the early 1590s: Young Sick Bacchus and Boy With A
Basket Of Fruit are housed at the Borghese Gallery in Rome. Both reproductions, as well as that of his last work, can be seen at Opera
Omnia at the NVAG.
“His earlier works tend to be more profane and secular, while his later ones have clear religious themes. His last work, which is also his most tragic, is David With
The Head Of Goliath, which he painted between 1609 and 1610. It is thought it may contain two self-portraits of the artist, one in the last months of his life, prey to remorse for leading a dissolute life, in the beheaded Goliath; and a younger version of himself, without the stain of sin, in David,” says Maggipinto.
Caravaggio was a revolutionary in his own right, his paintings a clear departure from the convention of exaggerated beauty ideals of those times. His were realistic depictions of people and objects, defined by his intensely dramatic use of light and shadow, and heavy on drama and tension.
“He will always be considered an iconic genius mainly because of the way he used the chiaroscuro technique. His talent in using the contrast between light and darkness was pathbreaking for the time,” muses Paoli.
Light, in Caravaggio’s paintings, often comes from a small window or an opened door in his works, or in other unexpected and unconventional ways.
“It could be interpreted as divine in several of his paintings, such as in The Calling Of San
Matteo, or simply seen to accentuate the contrast between obscurity and brightness. It is truly impressive and every single stroke he places was not just a piece of him as an artist, but also as a human being,” she adds.
Paoli points out that the people featured in his paintings feel “very real and human”, in the expressions captured by the artist, as well as other details. Blemishes, warts, dirty feet and all, are in every painting, as opposed to the grand depictions of perfection that was the convention then.
“This is the basis of his art, and in that I have always found his representation of passion and feelings in great dramatic exasperation, or sometimes in a playful scene, most interesting. Those who granted him commissions provided him with instructions and the subjects, but even with these restrictions, he was still always able to find his own originality,” she concludes.
In conjunction with this exhibition, there will be a free screening of the 2007 biographic movie,
Caravaggio, by Angelo Longoni, at GSC, Quill City Mall in Kuala Lumpur, on Aug 14 (7.30pm). To reserve your seat, email kualalumpur.stage@esteri.it. The movie will be screened in Italian with English subtitles.
Caravaggio Opera Omnia is on at the National Visual Arts Gallery (NVAG), Jalan Temerloh, off Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur till Sept 5. Opening hours: 10am-6pm daily. For more information, call 03-4026 7000 or visit artgallery.gov.my. Free admission.