Another busy day.
We had a walk around the Piazza del Popolo and went into the Basilica to see the Caravaggio paintings.
Unfortunately, I didn't realise how many other treasures were there (thanks to wikipedia) so I didn't look around too much.
Will have to return one day.
Enjoy the photos.
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The gate entry to the Piazza del Popolo
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The Piazza del Popolo
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The façade of the basilica
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The nave
While doing some research, I came across an interesting journal article by Shannon E. Kuziow in “Pope Sixtus IV at Santa Maria del Popolo: Marian Devotion and the Papal Agenda”. Unfortunately, it isn’t freely available. But the abstract says:
Throughout much of his career in the Catholic Church, Pope Sixtus IV was actively involved in promoting the cult of the Virgin Mary. He directly sponsored the construction or renovation of several Marian sites in Rome, including the Church of Santa Maria del Popolo, which houses a miraculous icon of the Madonna. Inside the church, Sixtus performed weekly devotions and regularly held ceremonies bolstering and celebrating the major political events of his pontificate. Through an analysis of the papal rituals that unfolded before the icon, this article demonstrates that Sixtus’s dedication to the Madonna served as a vehicle of expression for advancing the interconnected theological, devotional, and political aspects of his papal agenda. It further argues that the pope’s support of the Marian cult played a crucial role in his perceived ability to harness divine aid in the larger temporal issues plaguing the universal Church.
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The Crucifixion of Saint Peter by Caravaggio
This is the martyrdom of Saint Peter. He apparently requested to be crucified upside down - unworthy of dying in the manner of Christ.
Caravaggio captures the physical laboriousness of the execution. It all seems rather mundane. We only see Saint Peter and he doesn’t seem to be the visage of quiet resignation and acceptance. In fact, it’s unnerving and horrifying. It’s a dear old man getting tortured. It’s a sick painting. I also feel sorry for the executioners. It looks like a gruelling task. One can see the power of his chiaroscuro in storytelling.
I also wonder if the partially-illuminated man is a self-portrait? I especially love the shadow of the rope over the executioner’s back.
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The Conversion of Saint Paul by Caravaggio
An iconic painting.
I have seen this painting so many times in books, and it has always fascinated and horrified me.
Before being “Saint Peter”, he was the Roman/Jewish Saul of Tarsus. A persecutor of Christian for breaching the law of Moses. On the way to Damascus, he was (apparently) struck down by Holy light and heard the voice of Christ.
It’s a very intimate and psychological painting.
Saul is at the extremity of vulnerability — blinded by God, Christ speaking to him, with a powerful horse’s hindquarters raised and its hoof positioned to deliver a deadly kick to his exposed chest.
Caravaggio’s play on light is so effective. It looks like a single light bulb above the painting. Illuminating from the heavens and onto the singularity of Saul’s abdomen.
This painting is gripping today - I can’t imagine its effect with parishioners in Rome.
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The Assumption of the Virgin Mary by Annibale Carracci
Rubbish photo quality.
This is a great contrast to Caravaggio. More idealised, less chiarscuro, more balanced/dynamic painting with the viewer's eyes directed to Mary.
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The mosaic monument of Princess Maria Eleonora Borghese
"The Conversion of St Paul" has always been a favourite painting of mine, because of its dramatic lighting and, well, drama generally.
ReplyDeleteThe facade of the basilica is very plain indeed. Was it designed that way from the beginning? Or was it the result of human or natural destruction?
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