Going For Baroque

 Caravaggio, The Crucifixion of Saint Peter, 

and the Council of Trent

Caravaggio, The Crucifixion of Saint Peter, oil on canvas, 1601

            The Baroque period of art began in the early 1600's in Italy, directly following the Renaissance period. The Baroque style is a departure from the Renaissance style of art in several distinct ways. Baroque art can be identified by a few key features: drama, light, contrast, physical movement, and hyper-realization. Subjects are no longer idealized, they are depicted as they are, flaws and all. We feel drawn into the scene, participating in the drama unfolding before our eyes. We are up close and personal and Caravaggio was a master. 

            Caravaggio was born in Milan and later moved to Rome, where he began his career as an artist. He arrived with little money and no family to speak of, yet was determined to make a name for himself - and that he did. While his art was certainly appreciated in certain circles within the art world of the time, not everyone agreed with or accepted his art. It was often viewed as too realistic and vulgar. Still, he marched forward and became one of the most famous painters in Rome from about 1600-1606. 

            It is important to note here that the Council of Trent took place around the same time as Caravaggio was working on The Crucifixion of Saint Peter. The Council of Trent was formed by the Catholic Church in response to the Protestant Reformation of the time. The goal? To restore faith in the Catholic Church. The Council came up with many ways in which to wage this counter-reformation, and some of those ways impacted art. The Council knew that art had a tremendous impact on viewers and, as such, outlined a set of guidelines. They believed that religious art had power, but should only be depicted in realism, with the goal of educating the public on religious events, and that art should be tasteful and modest (no nudity). 

            While Caravaggio certainly created some controversial pieces, The Crucifixion of Saint Peter perfectly delivers what the Council wanted. The scene is dramatic, the story is clear and unambiguous, we can almost feel the movement, the lighting is masterfully used to create even more drama, and everyone is appropriately clothed. 

            This painting is one part of the story of Saint Peter, who was unjustly crucified by the Romans. Saint Peter, one of the disciples of Christ, was sentenced to death by Emperor Nero who blamed the Christians for a terrible fire that invaded Rome. Peter requested to be crucified upside down, as he did not deem himself worthy of dying the same way as Christ. Peter's face is resolute, yet we feel his despair. He is not idealized and looks like a regular guy. His body and arms are highlighted and we can see the nails in his hands and the blood on his feet and we feel like we are right there watching this unfold. The background is dark, further enhancing the drama and bringing the subjects to the forefront. Three Roman men are actively stringing Peter up and attempting to hoist the cross upright. There is one guy underneath the cross attempting to hoist it up with his back and another tugging on a rope. The third Roman has his arms wrapped around Peter's ankles and cross pulling it up. Do you think they can do it? Are they strong enough? Or will they drop Peter and the cross? I imagine if you could hear a painting, you'd be hearing a lot of groaning and grunting in this one. You'd also likely see a lot of sweat. This doesn't appear to be an easy feat. 

            As someone who doesn't subscribe to any particular religion and has limited knowledge of Christian history, this painting still strikes a chord with me. Learning about the history behind it was fascinating. I greatly appreciate Caravaggio's masterful talent and style. His ability to paint a person as you would see them on the street is enviable, as is his use of light to bring out the drama in a scene. I find it maddening that the Catholic Church and the Council of Trent would work to essentially censor artwork of that time, leaving no room for freedom of artistic expression. While this piece of Caravaggio fit rather nicely into their box, other pieces did not. I wonder if he cared....something tells me he didn't, though. He really just went for it in life - both professionally and personally. He was known to be a brawler with an extensive police record. Five years following this painting, he was exiled from Rome for murder. He went on to Naples, where he later engaged in a brawl and was exiled to Sicily, eventually passing away in 1610. While I certainly don't condone his criminal actions, I still believe that he was one of the greatest painters of the Baroque period, and I appreciate his work, even his more "vulgar" work.  

References: 

McGinness, Frederick. “Council of Trent by Frederick McGinness.”Council of Trent. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 June 2014. https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780195399301/obo-9780195399301-0191.xml

“Saint Peter.” Wikipedia. Wikipedia Foundation, 21 June 2014. Web. 21 June 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Peter

McKay, Brett. “The Basics of Art: The Baroque Period.” The Art of Manliness. N.p., 18 Oct. 2010. Web. 19 June 2014. http://www.artofmanliness.com/2010/10/18/the-basics-of-art-the-baroque-period/

Biography.com Editors, Caravaggio Biography (2019). A&E Television Networks. https://www.biography.com/artist/caravaggio