When asked to describe his paintings, Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio used to say: “I borrow bodies and objects. I paint them to remind myself of the magic of the balance that governs the entire universe.” Magic itself is the right word to express the profound bond that tied such an inimitable artist with the city of Naples, whose unique and mysterious charm deeply inspired Caravaggio.
This incredible rebel artist spent about 18 months in Naples between 1606 and 1609 until his death in Porto Ercole on the journey back to Rome: a blissful encounter with the Neapolitan lively local art scene definitely marked the path of Caravaggio and his future artistic creations. The duality and the harmonious coexistence of light and shadow that reflected in a way his impulsive personality and unconventional style together with the intense rendering of passion in all Neapolitan paintings still identifies today, more than at other times, the poetry of the Lombard artist.
If you are curious to deepen the relationship between Caravaggio’s art and the soul of Naples, do not miss the brand new exhibition “Caravaggio Napoli”, held in the Capodimonte Museum until the 14th July 2019. The event is curated by Sylvain Bellenger and Cristina Terzaghi and includes some of Caravaggio’s most famous masterpieces belonging to his very Neapolitan period.
Among the numerous paintings, the exhibition will display for the first time the two “Flagellations” that he painted between 1607 and 1610, as well as “The Seven Acts of Mercy” with its clear references to the people of Naples. From other museums, there will be “The Martyrdom of Saint Ursula” (from Palazzo Zevallos Stigliano), “Saint John the Baptist” (from Galleria Borghese of Rome), “Salome with the Head of John the Baptist” (from the National Gallery of London) and the other “Salome” from the Palacio Real of Madrid.
The exhibition project includes the reconstruction of a documented route, through the city, of the places that Caravaggio attended and where he lived further deepening the bond of this unique painter with the territory and his incisive impact on the artists of the Neapolitan School and the famous Neapolitan naturalism.
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INFO
CARAVAGGIO NAPOLI
CAPODIMONTE MUSEUM
12 April 2019 – 14 July 2019
For further information and tickets visit please the official website of the museum
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