My A B C of "Ba/rock stars" - a tale of three lives
This blog post is different from how I usually write. I got inspired by a Creative Writing workshop I attended where we were encouraged to sometimes put aside our usual writing style and try out different approaches to writing about art.
It is still going to be loosely based on my visit to the Caravaggio & Bernini exhibition at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna (which came up with the hashtag #barockstars for the occasion), but it will be less of a review and more of a tale..
..and I would like to dedicate this tale to my old friend Inge R. who took an early morning train to cross most of Austria to accompany me on my art adventures in Vienna.
Once upon a time there was a family who lived in a small town near Milan in Italy. The year was 1571, when, in the month of September, a boy was born to the stonemason Fermo Merisi and his wife Lucia. The parents called the boy Michelangelo, since he was born on the Feast day of the Archangel Michael. He was considered to have been born at an auspicious time, as a week after his birth, a Christian fleet beat the Ottoman forces in the sea battle of Lepanto, thereby fending off the Muslim expansion and boosting Catholic Europe's morale.
But luck didn't hold in the young Merisi's life. Just a few years later the plague raged in Italy and when he was only 6 years old, he lost his father and grandfather. So his mother was left to provide for four young children. Luckily her family was connected to the noble Marchesa Colonna, and this would benefit them, especially her first born son throughout his tumultuous life.
After Michelangelo's younger brother chose to become "the priest of the family" Michelangelo decided {to take} on the career of an artist for himself. And so, in 1584, he went to Milan to begin his 4-year apprenticeship with the painter Peterzano. Curiously enough there are no works surviving from this time, nor is there any proof that he might have earned a living as a painter in Milan once he had finished his studies.
And yet Milan was a prosperous city at that time. Already in those days it was heavily invested in the fashion industry, its embroidery and silk workers were famous throughout Europe. It was also known for producing formidable armoury and swords, and consequently, skilled swordsmen, of which Michelangelo was one. If that was a good thing remains to be seen...
Carlo Borromeo, the city's archbishop, called Milan a 'city of sin'. Surprisingly though, those were also the days marked by the Counter-Reformation. Strict and pious church leaders, like Borromeo, were enforcing the new rules on how churches had to be decorated, how the faith had to be taught and how people ought to conduct their lives.
Living in such contradictory times, torn between the church's teachings and the tough reality of life on the street, Michelangelo Merisi di Caravaggio decided to turn his back on Milan and in 1592 he made his way to Rome. There he was to become known as Caravaggio, and this is what I shall call him from here on.
Rome was as rowdy and dangerous a city as Milan, and Caravaggio continued to lead a troubled life there. In this city of men, populated by soldiers, clergy and artists, as well as the womenfolk that served them, life was rough and competitive.
We know a lot about Caravaggio's Roman years from documents about court cases that shed light on his life marred by street fights, disputes and bloody feuds. He was a dark personality, both in appearance and in character. We can read accounts about him flinging a plate of artichokes at a waiter, and throwing stones at police officers. In one famously documented case, he and some fellow artists, including Orazio Gentileschi, mocked the painter and art historian Giovanni Baglione and his work in a poem, telling him, among even stronger insults, 'to wipe his ass with his drawings'.
Nevertheless, it is at this time that Caravaggio started to develop the radical new painting style that would eventually make him the master of "chiaroscuro", a dramatic technique of light and shade that lent incredible depth and expression to his works.
Indeed, it was not only his painting style that was revolutionary; he also showed originality in the choice of his subject matter. He painted realistic scenes of street life, often peopled by dubious characters, and very much representing the world he inhabited. In a clever and orchestrated move, one of these early paintings titled "The Cardsharps" was brought to the attention of, and subsequently was bought by, the influential Cardinal Del Monte. This paved the way for wealthy patrons, including popes, entering Caravaggio's life and lucrative commissions inevitably followed.
The pope of the time, Clement VIII, having made it his aim to reassert Rome as the centre of Christendom, tried to clean up the city. He had his own constabulary, whose job it was to hunt down heretics and enforce strict curfew rules. Religious art had to conform to the rules of the Council of Trent. Often works were censored (and removed from churches) due to indecency or impropriety.
Although Caravaggio experienced censorship of this kind for some of his works, his artistic language responded well to the Church's call "..for art to remind the people that Christ had been one of them". His subjects often have bare and dirty feet, are dressed in ragged clothes and their faces are the faces of ordinary people. Have a look at his 'Madonna of the Rosary' in the picture below, it is a prime example of his vivid naturalism. He also paints his bible stories in contemporary settings that draw in the viewers, who are able to experience the drama and passions told as if they were acted out on a stage before them. One fine example of this is his painting 'The Calling of Saint Matthew' that hangs in a church in Rome.
As these examples show, Caravaggio was able to depict the sacred and the profane in one scene. He didn't idealise his subjects and he never shied away from painting their flaws. The darkness of his own life always seems to come through in his work. With upheaval being a constant in his life, in 1606 his already troubled existence was to take a turn for the worse: Caravaggio killed a man during a sword fight. There are several theories as to what caused the fight; it might have been a dispute over a simple tennis game or gambling debt, or possibly an illegal duel over family honour.
Whatever the reason that sparked the fight, the consequence was that Caravaggio had to flee Rome. First he went to Naples, where he managed to stay and work for a while under the protection of the Colonna family. But soon his past caught up with him and he had to leave the city again, making his way even further away from Rome. He set out for the island of Malta, drawing again on the help of the Marchesa Colonna, whose son had been made General of the Galleys in the Order of Saint John - the Knights of Malta.
In Malta Caravaggio hoped to find freedom and forgiveness, and to fulfill his ambition of becoming a knight. His contacts in Italy were trying to arrange a papal pardon for his crime, which would enable him to eventually return to Rome. With these plans in mind, Caravaggio arrived in Malta in the summer of the year 1607.
Around that time, back in Rome, a sculptor and his family had just settled after arriving from Naples the year before. The incredible talent of Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the sculptor's son, soon became apparent and the prodigy was presaged 'the Michelangelo of his age'.
Meanwhile, in Valletta, Caravaggio was gaining access to Grandmaster Wignacourt of the Knights of Saint John, whose portrait he painted. As his reward, he was granted the opportunity to enter the order as a Knight of Magistral Obedience, a knighthood reserved for men of merit, without noble lineage. One of the conditions Caravaggio had to fulfill was to pay tribute in the form of a painting.
The oratory of St. John's co-cathedral in Valletta needed an altar piece. And thus in 1608 Caravaggio painted 'The Beheading of Saint John', a monumental masterpiece that to this day hangs in the chapel for which it was created.
It was in this oratory that the young knights were being rigorously trained and prepared for life in the military order. Yet the strict discipline of the Order of St. John was not enough to tame the belligerent temper of Caravaggio. In yet another incident, Caravaggio became embroiled in a fight with a noble knight, higher in rank than himself. This led to his arrest and, of course, his fall from grace. Instead of watching his altar piece being unveiled on the feast of St. John, Caravaggio spent the day incarcerated at Fort Saint Angelo.
Miraculously Caravaggio managed to escape from his prison cell and he made his way to Sicily by boat, where he evaded arrest by moving from Syracuse to Messina, and from there to Palermo, always marking his trail with the paintings he left behind. Notably, the light in his paintings was replaced more and more by darkness, reflecting yet again the desolation in his life.
It was in the autumn of the year 1609 that he felt no longer safe in Sicily and made his way to Naples, again finding refuge in the house of the Marchesa Colonna. Things seemed to be improving for him, and thinking that his fortune was about to change Caravaggio dared to venture out to one of Naples' notorious taverns. Unfortunately, his enemies were still pursuing him, and so, while leaving this house of ill repute, he was ambushed and gravely injured.
The nature of his injury indicates a kind of vendetta, rather than an attempt on his life. His attackers cut his face, which was known to be punishment for an insult to honour and reputation.The injury must have been crippling though, as Caravaggio's health deteriorated from then on, and obviously affected his ability to paint.
Despite his injury, he still managed to produce what was to be his last work, 'The Martyrdom of Saint Ursula'. Confident of finally being granted a papal pardon, Caravaggio embarked on his journey to Rome. He carried with him three of his works that were to be his payment to Cardinal Scipione Borghese, the pope's nephew and art collector extraordinaire. The cardinal, already owner of two of Caravaggio's paintings, had offered his help in obtaining the pardon in exchange for more of Caravaggio's works.
One last time, during this voyage, Caravaggio got into trouble with the authorities and was arrested and held on land while his paintings sailed on to Porto Ercole. Having been released, and most probably trying to catch up with his belongings, Caravaggio must have made his way overland to Porto Ercole, where he fell ill and died a lonely death. It was July of the year 1610 and he was only 38 years old.
Five years after Caravaggio's untimely death, Bernini, aged 17, made his grand entrance onto the artistic stage of Rome with the completion of Saint Lawrence, his first mature sculpture. From then on he produced large-scale sculptures in marble, imbued with wonderful realism and theatrical emotions, that were as innovative as Caravaggio's paintings had been. He also became famous for his ability to create lifelike portrait busts that seemed to be catching the sitters in mid movement or speech and were very different from the formal static busts commonly produced for tombs in those days.
Bernini was not only a talented sculptor but also an accomplished architect. Having been brought to the attention of the reigning pope, Paul V, by none other than his patron Cardinal Scipione Borghese, he went on to produce amazing works for six different popes during his career. Bernini left his mark on Rome by remodelling St. Peter's Square and many of the city's piazzas are graced by his works to this day.
Bernini is said to have been witty, well-connected, cultured and a disciplined artist, in short, seemingly the opposite of Caravaggio. Yet, he did not have a demure character, on the contrary, he had a quick temper that was to provoke what might have been the most fateful episode of his life.
When he was about forty years old, Bernini was conducting an affair with his assistant's wife, Costanza Bonarelli. When we look at the sculpture he created of her, the intense passion of their relationship becomes apparent. Her likeness is lovingly carved, the open shirt buttons reveal her decolletage and speak of the intimacy that must have existed between the artist and his model. But Costanza betrayed Bernini's love, and when he found out that she was seeing his younger brother he went into a rage. He chased and severely beat his brother and sent a servant to slash Costanza's face.
The consequences were dire for Costanza. She was disfigured, which marked her as a fallen woman, and she was sent to jail for adultery, whereas Bernini had the fine for his crimes waived by the pope. He was then ordered to marry a beautiful young girl with whom he went on to have eleven children. While this, of course, seems an ideal 'man's solution' to the problem, the fact remains that Bernini had carved his love for Costanza in stone for all to see. The bust spoke volumes and Bernini only gave it up to be sold off - and not destroyed - on insistence of his new wife. This leads me to believe that losing her had a deep impact on his life and happiness.
As this story illustrates, Rome was a city ruled by men, with rules that advantaged men and men only. But, of course, girls were born and raised in the city too. In the year 1593, shortly after Caravaggio had arrived in Rome, the wife of the painter Orazio Gentileschi gave birth to their daughter, Artemisia. Unfortunately, when Artemisia was 12 years old, her mother died in childbirth, leaving her to take care of her brothers and father.
As we already saw, Orazio had somewhat infamous connections with Caravaggio. However, he is also considered to be one of the very first 'Caravaggisti' - or followers of Caravaggio's painting style. Orazio was an accomplished painter and growing up in his studio, Artemisia was introduced to painting at an early age. She helped her father in his workshop, but her tasks weren't restricted to mixing pigments or preparing canvases; her father, recognising her talent, allowed her to paint.
He also engaged one of his painter colleagues, Agostino Tassi, to teach Artemisia. Tassi, previously convicted of incest and arranging the murder of his first wife, takes advantage of the situation and rapes the 17-year-old Artemisia. This results in one of the most infamous trials of the time and, unsurprisingly, it causes more harm to Artemisia, the victim of the crime, than to Tassi, the perpetrator.
Artemisia's innocence is proven because she is willing to testify under torture. As a solution to reinstate her honour, she was married off to another one of her father's colleagues. The positive outcome of this marriage was that Artemisia moved to Florence, where she was the first woman ever to be accepted by the Accademia dell' Arte. Her talent flourished, and she went on to a prolific and successful artistic career until her death in 1654.
Although she was a sought-after artist in her lifetime, art history forgot about her until very recently when, luckily, she was discovered again as the masterful painter of women of strength, passion and vulnerability that she was.
And the morale of this story? Well, each of these three protagonists left us an artistic legacy that is marvellous and inspiring to this day. Nevertheless, Caravaggio died a lonely and miserable death far from anywhere he could have called home and his body was never found. Bernini enjoyed a long and successful career, but lost the love of his life under terrible circumstances, in a rather gruesome vendetta.
Artemisia, on the other hand, overcame the trauma of her rape and trial and went on to a prolific painting career that was marked by amazing strength. Art historians like to claim that the way she depicts women in her work reflects the revenge she wanted to take on the men that wronged her. I, on the other hand, would suggest that she merely told the story from the women's points of view - very little to do with revenge, but everything to do with perspective.
So may I ask you now to take a look at the photos below and then tell me who was the one Ba/rock star that you might say lived happily ever after?
The exhibition at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna closed on 19 January 2020 but it will soon be shown at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam opening on
14 February 2020.
A big Artemisia Gentileschi retrospective is planned for April - July 2020 at the National Gallery in London. You can also read more about the amazing Artemisia here.
If you want to see more of Bernini's work, a quick trip to Rome is all you need. The entire city is a bit of an open air museum of this Baroque master and the Villa Borghese houses many of his masterpieces.
As you have just read, in Malta we have one of Caravaggio's masterpieces, 'The Beheading of Saint John'. If you have never been to see it, make your way to Valletta soon (especially if you live on these islands..), as this time of the year the visitor queues are shorter than during the summer months. Opposite The Beheading, you can find another one of Caravaggio's paintings, titled "St. Jerome", which had been commissioned by Ippolito Malaspina, one of the Grandmaster's advisors.
If you prefer to read a more traditional review of this exhibition, here are a few links where you can: in The Art Newspaper or in Apollo Magazine
If you'd like to find out more about the lives of the two male "Ba/rock" stars, follow my example and watch this interview with Andrew Graham Dixon where he talks about his book "Caravaggio A Life Sacred and Profane". Or watch this BBC documentary
For Bernini's life I drew mostly on information from Simon Schama's series "The Power of Art: Bernini".