Saint peter cross
Crucifixion of Saint Peter ()
As usual, Caravaggio has stripped the painting of all unnecessary items and, like the Conversion on the way to Damascus, has created an almost completely dark background so as to focus all attention on the plight of St Peter. In addition, note the exceptional naturalism deployed, which is based on the artist's observation of ordinary people going about their daily business, rather than well-worn studio conventions.
Look carefully at the four figures in the picture and see how Caravaggio uses chiaroscuro to make his figures more three-dimensional. Another hallmark of Caravaggism was the use of strong contrasts of light and dark to produce intense drama. Known as tenebrism, this technique allowed Caravaggio to dramatize certain areas of the painting.
This Caravaggist crucifixion was never going to be easy.
Caravaggio's revolutionary style of earthy realism would not tolerate such a thing.
Crucifixion san pedro caravaggio biography He must have observed the painting very carefully because only few details of the original were omitted. It is as if their crime already weighs on them. The paintings were finally installed in the chapel on 1 May by the woodworker Bartolomeo who received four scudi and fifty baiocchi from the Ospedale for his work. His eyes do not look at the executioners but he has a lost look.Instead, we see three middle-aged Romans, their faces shielded, struggling to erect the cross bearing the weight of the elderly but still muscular Peter. It is as if their crime already weighs on them.
The picture is based on a set of diagonals created by the wooden cross, the rope being hauled on by the figure in the brown top, and the arm and legs of the bottom figure.
The colours are muted, as befits this low-key judicial murder. But perhaps the most insidious feature of the painting is the anonymity of those tasked with the execution, and its almost mundane implementation. With all the pushing and pulling and lifting, one almost loses sight of the fact that a man is being put to death.
Crucifixion san pedro caravaggio biography images Inspiration of Saint Matthew. The depiction of his crucifixion by Caravaggio captures the gravity and reverence of this event, offering viewers a poignant reflection on faith and sacrifice. The Incredulity of Saint Thomas. Another hallmark of Caravaggism was the use of strong contrasts of light and dark to produce intense drama.In another minute or so, Peter will be left hanging upside-down and he will start to die.
Caravaggio - or his patron, the Italian financier and art collector Marchese Vincenzo Giustiniani () - may have based their choice of works on Michelangelo's frescoes - The Conversion of Saul and The Crucifixion of St Peter - in the Vatican's Capella Paolina ().
But the Caravaggio compositions are far more direct than the Mannerist painting of Michelangelo, which was seen as a failure by contemporary audiences. But see the fabulous Mannerist masterpiece by Tintoretto - The Crucifixion ().
Explanation of Other Paintings by Caravaggio
The Calling of St Matthew () Contarelli Chapel, San Luigi dei Francesi.
The Martyrdom of St Matthew () Contarelli Chapel, San Luigi.
Supper at Emmaus () National Gallery, London.
The Entombment of Christ () Vatican Museums, Rome.
Amor Vincit Omnia (Victorious Cupid) () Gemaldegalerie SMPK, Berlin.