Artists throughout the centuries have been inspired by Saint Francis of Assisi, including Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. One of the artist’s early masterpieces is “Saint Francis of Assisi in Ecstasy,” held in the collection of the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Connecticut. This is the artist’s first known religious canvas and one of the…
Michelangelo’s Baroque Rival: The Moving Sculptures of Gian Lorenzo Bernini
If artists as brilliant as Michelangelo and artworks as definitive as his “David” are rare, the year marking the 120th anniversary of that sculpture’s unveiling saw an event almost unparalleled in artistic history. For the first and maybe the last time, there was an artist who could rival Michelangelo both as a sculptor and a…
Caravaggio and the Conversion of Saul
Every civilization loves the New Year, a celebration of renewal. In the West, people make resolutions for self-improvement, embark on a “dry January,” or try new diets and exercise programs to reinvent themselves. These are signs of hope, a belief that the next year may be even better, or more importantly, that despite the omnipresent…
Simone Peterzano: The First Great Baroque Painter
Except among some specialist art historians, Simone Peterzano is generally known only as the teacher of Caravaggio: the notable, great master of Baroque painting. Beyond that, he tends to be dismissed as a competent but unexceptional artist. On closer inspection, he becomes a fascinating example of how such artists can lay the foundations on which great…
Roman Treasures: ‘The Eternal City,’ the Villa Aurora, and Princess Ludovisi
Rome’s serene skies and stately buildings often serve to salve the wounds of its history. Layers of monuments and ruins conceal centuries of struggles and triumphs. Through its many rebuildings, the Eternal City seems to declare “Tomorrow’s another day.” Villa Ludovisi Aurora is a case in point. Tucked away behind the grand hotels of the…
Reuniting With the Divine: ‘Sacred Love and Profane Love’
As the profane runs rampant, there is little left that is sacred. Sacred love has been turned on its head, and people today often value vice instead of virtue. Love, however, used to be sacred. The controversial painting “Sacred Love and Profane Love” by Giovanni Baglione might give us insight into the sacrality of love….
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