Category: Our Continuing Journey

A year ago, I knew absolutely nothing about a painter called Caravaggio.  He lived a brief life, but had a huge impact.  He was born in September 1571 and died in July 1610 but during those few years he had a major impact on the artworld.  His paintings have been characterized by art critics as combining a realistic observation of the human state, both physical and emotional, with a dramatic use of lighting, which had a formative influence on Baroque painting.

Thanks to Elaine and her presentations, Art History Encounters, Janeen and I signed on for the adventure of “walking in the footsteps of Michelangelo and Caravaggio”.  This started in Florence and ended in Rome and combined a whole lot of walking with learning about these two artists.  

Elaine was accompanied by Ross King – both recognized Renaissance Art Historians well versed in both Michelangelo and Caravaggio.  We started in Florence with a focus on early Michelangelo and then moved to Rome where we transitioned more towards Caravaggio (still with a bit of Michelangelo of course) and visited a variety of museums with fantastic collections.

On our final day, our visit to the Galleria Borghese and Doria Pamphilij was truly a treat.  Works by Michelangelo and Caravaggio of course but also Bernini, Titian, Raphael and many others.

Bernini – David a couple of shots. A very dynamic sculpture for sure

When you first walk into the Galleria Borghese, there is fantastic art at every turn.  Look one way and you see paintings by Titian, look another way and see loads of sculptures by Bernini, walk down any corridor and there are significant works of art all over the walls.  It is almost impossible to pick out highlights – there are just so many of them to highlight.  A few are represented in the various pictures in this blog.

A few Caravaggio paintings First row: David with the head of Goliath, Madonna of the Grooms and Saint John the Baptist; Bottom – Self portrait as Bacchus (sick Bacchus) and Saint John the Baptist

In addition to the massive number of paintings, there are multiple sculptures by Bernini – many situated in the specific room they were designated to be when created.    I can certainly see that I have to get back to the Borghese to walk through another time just to see all the items I missed!

Top: Diego Velázquez, Portrait of Innocent X, Filippo Lippi, Annunciation (c. 1445–1450) and Raffalello – Deposition. Bottom Titian, Salome (c. 1515) and Venus Victrix – Antonio Canova(modeled by Napoleon’s naughty sister)

Our final stop of the journey was to the Doria Pamphilij.  This very large private art collection housed in the Palazzo Doria Pamphilj and contains a large collection of paintings, furniture and statuary that had been assembled since the 16th century by the Doria, Pamphilj, Landi and Aldobrandini families now united through marriage and descent under the simplified surname Doria Pamphilj. 

Beautiful views everywhere you look!

The Palazzo has grown over the centuries; it is likely to be the largest in Rome still in private ownership. The main collection is displayed in state rooms, including the chapel, complete with the mummified corpse of the family saint. However, the bulk is displayed in a series of four gilded and painted galleries surrounding a courtyard. 

After touring the various galleries, we had a private dinner in one of the grand salons.  It was truly a remarkable place to end of our tour with Elaine and Ross.

Elizabeth and David, David, Ross and Janeen and Elaine with her “Happy Face”

Over the course of the last 8 days or so, we have seen a whole range of works of art that we continue to discuss and review.   I have lost count of the number of things Michelangelo did – sculptures, paintings, architecture but I (David) have to say the Laurentian Library in Florence was a major highlight.  The difference between Michelangelo and Caravaggio is vast – but they both had a profound impact in their day.  I cannot even begin to say which things we saw were our favorites – there was so much to absorb and enjoy.  

A special thank you to Elaine Ruffolo and Ross King for putting this together and to Elizabeth Namack and Jennifer Hagg for all the coordination and efforts and guidance both before, during and after our tours.

Join Elaine each week when she does presentations on Sunday. Go to her website for more information.: https://www.elaineruffolo.com. And to learn more about more about Ross and all his great books, go to https://www.rosskingbooks.com

After Rome, we go to Germany, to connect with our family and friends to start a River Boat Christmas Market Cruise on the Rhine River starting in Cologne Germany stopping in France and ending in Basel Switzerland!  Lots more to come, so keep connected and leave a comment!

Naples – the city that has been around a very long time having been founded by Greeks in the first millennium BC, has been continuously occupied every since.  Over the years, it has been ruled by various powers, was the capital for the Duchy of Naples subsequently as the capital of the Kingdom of Naples (1282–1816), and finally as the capital of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies — until the unification of Italy in 1861.  As a result, it has a very different personality then other parts of Italy and is the home where the beloved pizza was first baked.

Our visit, to this magical place, started early with a 2 plus hour ride from Rome to the historic city center where we first visited the Pio Monte della Misericordia chapel and the Severo Chapel. En route, our rest stop provided an overlooked of the Monte Cassino monastery, the first house of the Benedictine Order, famous for their aperitif and an awful WWII miscalculation.  

The Abbey was rebuilt after the war. In the early 1950s, President of the Italian Republic Luigi Einaudi gave considerable support to the rebuilding.  Pope Paul VI consecrated the rebuilt Basilica on 24 October 1964.

A few pictures along the way

Before getting to any artwork or other treasures, we did a walking tour through the historic center of the City.  Along the way we saw a bunch of neat old buildings, some Roman Ruins (of course) and learned about the city from our local guide.  As it was Saturday, there was clearly a lot of hustle and bustle going on everywhere we went but it was lots of fun.

One stop was to The Piazza Bellini.  With a statue by Alfonso Bazzico, depicting of the famous composer Vincenzo Bellini erected in his honor, Bellini looks down on a small park and a complex of roman ruins.  

The subterranean ruins are the former western walls of the Ancient Greek city of Neapolis.

We continued our walk eventually making our way to The Pio Monte della Misericordia.  This is a church in the historic center of Naples, and is famous for its works of art, particularly Caravaggio’s The Seven Works of Mercy.  

Their intent was to provide a place a hospital for the care of the Incurables and ministered to the sick. About a year later, they established an institution and commissioned a small church, to be built near the staircase leading to the Cathedral.  In 1605, they received an apostolic letter from Pope Paul V, according special privileges to the high altar.
The church was consecrated in September 1606. 

Caravaggio was commissioned to create a painting depicting the The Seven Works of Mercy, about 1607 while he was in Naples.  The painting depicts the seven corporal works of mercy in traditional Catholic belief, which are a set of compassionate acts concerning the material needs of others.
The painting was made for, and is still housed in the church where it was intended.  Originally, it was meant to be seven separate panels around the church; however, Museo di CapodimonteCaravaggio combined all seven works of mercy in one composition which became the church’s altarpiece.  Turns out this was one of Elaine Ruffolo’s favorite Caravaggio paintings.

After a lunch break, we headed to the Palazzo Zevallos Stigliano to see Caravaggio’s St Ursula.  

The Martyrdom of Saint Ursula is thought to be his last picture.  According to one version of the legend of Saint Ursula, she and her eleven thousand virgin companions were captured by the Huns. The eleven thousand virgins were slaughtered, but the king of the Huns was overcome by Ursula’s modesty and beauty and begged her forgiveness if only she would marry him. Ursula replied that she would not, upon which the king shot her with an arrow.

One last stop for the day was to see one last painting by Caravaggio –  The Flagellation of Christ, located in the Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte.  

According to art biographer Gian Pietro Bellori (1672), this work was commissioned by the di Franco family for a chapel in the church of San Domenico Maggiore in Naples. The family were connected with the Confraternity of the Pio Monte della Misericordia, for whose church Caravaggio had already painted The Seven Works of Mercy. It was moved to the museum at Capodimonte in 1972.

It was a fantastic day with great information from both Ross and Elaine to make sure we had a good appreciation of all that we saw.  Back on the bus and back to Rome.

Vatican City holds the title as the world’s smallest country, with an area of just 0.17 square mile.  This was our destination today (ok we were there last night…) and more specifically to visit Saint Peter’s Basilica.  The original structure was built in the fourth century by Roman emperor Constantine the Great.  Construction of the present Basilica started in April 1506 and was completed on 18 November 1626.  

Designed principally by Donato Bramante, Michelangelo, and Carlo Maderno, with piazza and fittings by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, St. Peter’s is one of the most renowned works of Italian Renaissance architecture and is the largest church in the world by interior measure.  St. Peter’s is regarded as one of the holiest Catholic shrines. It has been described as “holding a unique position in the Christian world”, and as “the greatest of all churches of Christendom.”

Walking up the stairs, and peeking behind the Swiss Guards, you cannot help but be a bit overwhelmed by all that has happened or represented by this place.  Just looking around and seeing all the statuary, the fountain created by Bernini and the Egyptian obelisk, one of the thirteen ancient obelisks of Rome, it is beautiful.

Once inside the Basilica, there is just an amazing assortment of statues, monuments, paintings and a miriad of other things to feast your eye on.  I will admit to being a bit disappointed that area where Michelangelo’s Pietà was under restoration so the original was NOT viewable.  However, the Internet allows me to post a lovely picture for your enjoyment.

I admit, that I found it rather strange to have on view the embalmed bodies of several popes.  You expect to see various of monuments dedicated to various popes over the centuries but the bodies of several were a bit off putting for me.

One of the most attention grabbing things is the very large Baroque sculpted bronze canopy, technically called a ciborium or baldachin, over the high altar of the Basilica.  

The baldachin is at the center of the crossing, and directly under the dome of the basilica (you may recall that the dome was designed by Michelangelo). Designed by the Italian artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini, it was intended to mark, in a monumental way, the place of Saint Peter’s tomb underneath.

After our visit to Saint Peter’s, we headed to the Capitoline Museums are located adjacent to the Piazza del Campidoglio.  This plan for the piazza was conceived by Michelangelo in 1536 and executed over a period of more than 400 years.  

The equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius, in the center of the Piazza del Campidoglio

The history of the museum can be traced to 1471, when Pope Sixtus IV donated a collection of important ancient bronzes to the people of Rome and located them on the Capitoline Hill. Since then, the museum’s collection has grown to include many ancient Roman statues, inscriptions, and other artifacts. 

Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius, a Roman Chariot and Hercules of the Forum Boarium

 For our primary purpose, beyond appreciating the overall design of the piazza by Michelangelo, was to see the two Caravaggio paintings on display.

Caravaggio painted Fortune Teller in two versions, the first from c. 1594, the second from c. 1595.  Look closely and you can see the fortune teller removing the ring from the gentleman. The John the Baptist depicts a completely nude youth reclining on an animal skin and makes the divine human and the human divine: Saint John is re-embodied as a grinning, impish and sensual youth, expressing with his whole body the joy of living.  Painted in 1602.

All in all it was a wonderful day!