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Skeptical Debunker

Celebrating Caravaggio: First Of The Bad-Boy Artists : NPR - 2 views

  • Art scholar Stefania Macioce points out the modernity of these works. "If you think of the age, 16th century, there is same way to use the light like modern photography," she says. "It’s fantastic."Caravaggio's use of light and shadow mirrored the ups and downs of his turbulent life.It was the time of Galileo and Monteverdi, and the painter's life reads like a play by Shakespeare, another of his contemporaries.Born in Milan in 1571, Caravaggio arrived in Rome at the height of the Inquisition, when the church was all-powerful. But Rome also had a rich low-life of courtesans, gamblers and brawlers. Caravaggio led a double life, dividing his time between the gilded salons of the powerful cardinals who were his art patrons, and the back-alley demimonde of whorehouses and taverns — the inspiration for his paintings.Art historian Maurizio Calvesi says the artist rejected the uplifting Baroque style so dear to the church, and plunged biblical narratives into the gloom and desperation of contemporary reality. "Caravaggio is the opposite of the Baroque, which glorifies wealth, luxury and the triumphant Catholic Church," Calvesi says. "He was deeply revolutionary; he brought the human aspect of God back to earth." For models, Caravaggio used laborers, prostitutes and gypsies. The church was outraged. Painting after painting was rejected: a dead Virgin that looked like a bloated corpse, a jailer yanking Christ's hair, saints with dirty feet.Cardinal Federico Borromeo wrote in indignation, "Contaminated men must not deal with the sacred."The 19th century art critic John Ruskin called him the "ruffian Caravaggio," and described his work as ''horror and ugliness and filthiness of sin.''Rome's Sant'Agostino Church is filled with treasures — a Raphael, a Sansovino and a Bernini — but visitors all flock first to a corner chapel on the left and drop coins in a machine to illuminate the canvas. Madonna of Loreto shows a barefoot Virgin holding the baby Jesus. She stands in a doorway in the evening shadow, one leg saucily crossed over the other. Visitor Cinzia Margotti is enthralled. "The church couldn't possibly like a Madonna like this one," Margotti says. "Just look at her. She's real and beautiful but too free for the 16th century church."Many of Caravaggio's works were filled with grief, suffering and violence — images in contrast with the church's predilection for rosy cherubs and angels in the heavens. Francine Prose, author of Caravaggio: Painter of Miracles, says his paintings reflected the violence of the times. "Beheadings were a daily fact of life in Rome," she says. "So if you look at Judith and Holofernes or the Beheading of John the Baptist, which is in Malta, they are paintings of executions. His crucifixions, the deaths of saints are executions, so he lived in a very violent time."Under papal orders, heretics were burned at the stake. Caravaggio may have even witnessed the execution of the philosopher and theologian Giordano Bruno in Campo dei Fiori in 1600.Caravaggio also led a violent life. He left no letters, so all that is known about him comes through judicial records of his many scuffles with the law. Sentenced to death in 1606 for murdering a man, he fled Rome.The next four years were spent in flight: to Naples, to Malta, to Sicily and back to Naples. In Malta, he got in trouble again. He was arrested but managed to escape by scaling the fortress-prison walls. His works got darker and more dramatic — he believed papal hit men were on his heels. He painted David with the Head of Goliath, portraying a delicate young man holding a severed head that was Caravaggio's own self-portrait, a tormented mask of agony and horror.Suddenly, he got long-hoped-for news: He was pardoned, and he headed back to Rome.As one of his biographers wrote, "Bad luck did not abandon him."On a hot July day in 1610, a semiconscious Caravaggio was found lying on a beach along the Tuscan coast.It remains a mystery whether he had come down with malaria or some other illness, or whether he had been wounded in a duel. Two days later in the local hospital, the greatest artist of his time ended his all-too-brief career. After his death, Caravaggio was forgotten for 300 years. It wasn't until the 20th century that the visionary genius was rediscovered.
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    This year marks the 400th anniversary of the death of the Italian artist Caravaggio, believed by many art lovers to be the greatest painter of all time. Rome, the city where he was both hailed and rejected, is hosting a major exhibition of masterpieces from all over the world showcasing the first of the bad-boy artists.\n\nExhibition visitors are plunged into near-total darkness - only the canvases are lighted: Lute Player, Cardsharps, Judith and Holofernes, the Conversion of Saul and many more.\n\nClaudia Palmira Acunto is admiring a painting of a young Bacchus, the god of wine. "I'm just marveling at the sensuality of the skin," she says, "and the contrast of textures from the fruit to the wine to the fabric; it's chiaroscuro."\n\nCaravaggio invented this groundbreaking technique of light and darkness, with a single, powerful ray of light coming from outside the frame. In his time, the norm in painting was a vague and diffuse light. Caravaggio's contrast of shadow and light produced a totally new intensity and stark realism.
Skeptical Debunker

Spectacular short film wins $100,000 LG FilmFest grand prize | DVICE - 3 views

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    "LG does more than just manufacture gadgetry - it sponsored the "Life's Good" FilmFest, a filmmaking contest with the goal of showing off the company's HDTVs. This masterpiece, entitled Nuit Blanche (White Night) by director Arev Manoukian, won the contest's $100,000 grand prize, announced January 28, 2010. After you've savored this exquisite work of art, if you want to ruin the illusion by finding out how this surreal world was created, click through for a demonstration of the technology behind its making. Keep in mind, though - all the technology in the world is no substitute for talent."
Scheiro Deligne

thypott art - 2 views

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    We present a new kind of web gallery. Even if many could disagree, we intend to include only those artist or painting masterpieces that we consider to be the most original, revolutionary and famous in art history. We will put aside those that were only ephemeral pieces that reflected the taste or trend of a certain period. The purpose of this web page is education, and we hope to create an anthology of the evolution of the creation of beauty and crafmanship in the field of painting.
Ann Darling

Masterpieces from Paris - LEARN MORE - 3 views

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    audio tour of famous works from Paris
Pastel Art prints

Add Artistic Wall Art Prints for Home Decor - 0 views

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    Whether you would like to add color with paw prints, animal art prints are one-stop solutions. People willing to evaluate animal art prints are eager to know about the artistic approach used in these masterpieces. Animals like a lion are also inspiring us to dare in any situation. To evaluate different genres of art pieces, visit the website of Pastel Art Prints. For more info read our blog!
Trendbuddies paktrendbuddies

Luxurious Blueface bandana chain consists of 14 karats yellow gold 2019 - 0 views

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    Luxurious Blueface bandana chain consists of 14 karats yellow gold 2019 One of the flashiest pieces of 2019 has been Blueface's new Bandana Collar Chain, which is made of real metal. This masterpiece was meticulously created after weeks of careful engineering, design, and craftsmanship. Sky blue brilliant round cut diamonds were used along with pear-shaped diamonds to accent the bandana details... #news #singer #rapper #blueface #banadana #pieceofchain #14karat #trendbuddies #yellowgold https://trendbuddies.com/blueface-bandana-chain-yellow-gold/
Pastel Art prints

Add Animal Wall Art Prints for Fancy Decor-Pastel Art Prints - 0 views

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    The masterpieces made of pastel will soothe your overactive presence of the mind. Add attractive and daring pieces of animal wall art that stand out your decor different from others. To know the different wall art paintings ideas visit Pastel Art Prints online store and fall in love with our paintings.
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