Caravaggio’s Madonnas: Realism and Controversy
Caravaggio’s Madonnas: A Study in Realism
His arms to Heaven, the celestial vault, take us out of the composition. It is a burial of resurrection, not death. The colors and light, ever present. The face of the Virgin is the face of an elderly, mature woman, not the typical Virgin image of the idealized Renaissance. One might ask, “The Virgin?”.
The hands that hold hearts: no difference in skin color (we can make a comparison, though distant, with Michelangelo’s *Pietà *). The arm of Christ, falling, makes the volume stand out; his shoulder, his head falling off (which was a typical feature in his paintings, incorporating Michelangelo and his followers).
Our Lady of Loreto (Madonna of the Pilgrims)
Located in St. Augustine in Rome. The body of the pilgrim forms a diagonal that leads to the Virgin. The lady is dressed in worn and dirty cloth. It is a chalky white material; this attention to detail, such as naturalistic realism, caused an uproar among the pilgrims, among commoners, to be portrayed that way, it was *too* real.
The Virgin is a portrait of Lena (the prostitute who lived with him during that period of his life), albeit idealized, creating a large contrast between the pilgrims and her realism. Lena’s figure is supported above the door, which, moreover, does not convey much divinity. She has a height that is not normal. This disproportionate figure, with a long, straight neck, is very slim. The proportions, due to a thin body and stretching, cause her to appear very tall. The shape of her feet gives an impression of instability, with a treatment of the body’s own mannerisms. The boy, also twisted, is very large and very human, and, while slightly mannerist. The colors are earthy, and the child is presented as a receiver of light; he is the star of the picture.
The Madonna and Child with St. Anne (Dei Palafrenieri)
It is a very human Virgin, wearing the clothes of the time, snug, without any aspect of holiness. The child is similar, reminding us of the representation of *Love Triumphant*.
He is responsible for its placement in the chapel of St. Peter. People are shocked, but they still keep it to sell it later to Cardinal Scipione Borghese.
That painting must have had a big impact. St. Anne, who should be a very old woman, the Virgin, and Christ are stepping on the serpent’s head. It is thanks to the Virgin that Christ sets foot on the snake, while Christ enables the Virgin to step on the head of the serpent; that is, to tread upon sin. Mary is without sin, and St. Anne as well, since Mary was conceived without sin. It’s like the representation of woman without sin, elected to step on it. The boy, naked, shows us the truth; he represents the truth. The light of the painting: The one that illuminates Anne is a light source other than that of Mary and Child. Again, we find a small, dark space.
The Image of the Jew (Francesco Rustici)
It is on the altar of San Juan. We see he supports only the toes, allowing him to get out and look to San Juan. In addition, the Virgin of the altar has the same leg position as the Virgin by Caravaggio. We can even link it to *Zucone* by Donatello (the bald one). *Zucone* is the representation of one of those prophets of Donatello. And the face is of an intense realism and individualization, a gigantic bald man, and the learner’s autonomy, which is reflected in the Jewish Rustici’s baldness.