An Update from Rome: Caravaggio and Commercial Ancient Rome
I recently bopped over to Rome for 3 days to indulge in some culture and see some lesser-known sites, trying to avoid the hordes of people already doing the Spanish Steps, Colosseum, and Forum. I usually try to avoid European capitals in the summer, but here the motivation was a once-in-a-lifetime exhibit of paintings of Caravaggio, aka Michelangelo Merisi di Caravaggio (1571-1610), one of my top 5 artists. He was hugely influential in his short lifetime, revered by popes and the public alike, despite a tendency to drinking, whoring, consorting with gay criminals, and general criminal and sociopathic behavior. The exhibit united 25 paintings from all over the world, most never before seen together. When combined with his famous paintings in Roman churches and a couple I saw this spring in London, it allowed me to view about 75% of his work, a wonderful experience. Born seven years after the death of Michelangelo, Caravaggio took painting to new heights of drama. He had a knack of ...