Caravaggio - Out of the Shadows and Into the Painting

Portrait painting has been a staple of the medium since pigment and brush first met. It has long been a tradition of artists to capture there own likeness and place it on a canvas. This long and esteemed tradition was largely driven by commissioned work which has given way to other mediums. Today portrait artist has largely been replaced by photographers and camcorders. Commissioned portrait artists today will often be found sketching in the mall, or drawing pictures of suspects from a victim's description. Yet portraits and self portraits are still a favorite topic among artists. Self portraits are a particular favorite, in part because the model seldom complains. Some great artists of the past would often insert their image into their paintings. Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, 1571-1610, was one such artist.

A classic Caravaggio can easily be recognized by the dramatic light. The range of light is filled with contrast, the composition bathed in bright and dark with very few middle tones. It is a dramatic lightening that easily captures the attention and directs the eye to the action. It is formally know as Tenebrism, the spectacular disparity of light and dark. Caravaggio's shadow's are nearly featureless, creating a negative space that makes the subject explode off the canvas. His paintings are also noted for their emotional realism.

Crucifixion Religious Paintings

Religious Renaissance artists chose to present Jesus Christ on the cross in a more natural, human form that had been seen before in art of the middle ages. The crucifixion represents Christ's suffering and his gift to fellow man, which are hard to marry together. Some see Christianity as a slightly depressing or negative set of religions due to the well-known depictions of Christ, but if truth be known they symbolise as much good as anything.

This crucial point in Christian faith is rightly matched by countless creations from famous artists around the world, each adding their own thoughts and styles to the iconic picture of Jesus Christ on the cross. As with the baptism of Christ, the crucifixion, god and virgin Mary and child, the crucifixion retains it's status as an ideal subject for religious artists of any era. The heavy weight of religion in Renaissance art makes artists of this time ideal for study.

El Greco is a very famous religious artist who created Crucifixion from 1584-1594. His work, and similarly in one of Tintoretto, underline the violence and drama of the occasion. In contrast, Perugino used a very calming setting for his oil painting in 1496. Grunewald uses a more depressing approach with an attention to Christ's pain set against a dark background. Michelangelo also leant his own characteristics to this subject in his 1550-55 work. There is plenty of choice open to art enthusiasts depending on whether one wishes to celebrate the life and achievement of Christ, or dwell on the pain which he suffered.