Finding Caravaggio
It has recently been a thrill for me to discover three Caravaggio paintings in Rome. I have been to Rome many, many times, and I have a person goal to see all the Caravaggios that exist. But for all these years, I had not yet seen three paintings on the life of St. Matthew.
Checking my list I noticed that The Calling of St. Matthew, The Angel and St. Matthew and The Martyrdom of St. Matthew were all located in the church of San Luigi dei Francesi (St. Louis of the French). I made a mental note to look for that church sometime this summer.
After my tours ended, I thought I would wander a little to see what I could see. A friend was visiting and we went to the L'Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella. An interesting place all its own (especially the 'mother house' in Florence).
As we were walking away from the Piazza Navona I saw a sign for the Piazza de San Luigi dei Francesi. My brain skipped a few beats as I tried to discern why this seemed significant. I then pulled out my (yes, old-fashioned) note paper and scanned my list of Caravaggios--there it was a listing of three in the church that was located on this piazza.
I walked into the church and as I slowly made my way toward the small side chapel where the painting were located, my excitement grew, anticipating this viewing. Several other great paintings passed, but as soon as I saw the play of light and dark, and the dark punctuated with color, I knew I had reached the spot. I felt myself on the verge of weeping with joy at seeing such beauty. My companion listened patiently as I described each painting and the history behind the paintings.
In a previous post (Caravaggio in a new light), I mentioned the digital Caravaggio exhibit at the Loyola University Museum of Art in Chicago. This is a great way to see the paintings if you cannot get to see the real thing!
Checking my list I noticed that The Calling of St. Matthew, The Angel and St. Matthew and The Martyrdom of St. Matthew were all located in the church of San Luigi dei Francesi (St. Louis of the French). I made a mental note to look for that church sometime this summer.
After my tours ended, I thought I would wander a little to see what I could see. A friend was visiting and we went to the L'Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella. An interesting place all its own (especially the 'mother house' in Florence).
As we were walking away from the Piazza Navona I saw a sign for the Piazza de San Luigi dei Francesi. My brain skipped a few beats as I tried to discern why this seemed significant. I then pulled out my (yes, old-fashioned) note paper and scanned my list of Caravaggios--there it was a listing of three in the church that was located on this piazza.
I walked into the church and as I slowly made my way toward the small side chapel where the painting were located, my excitement grew, anticipating this viewing. Several other great paintings passed, but as soon as I saw the play of light and dark, and the dark punctuated with color, I knew I had reached the spot. I felt myself on the verge of weeping with joy at seeing such beauty. My companion listened patiently as I described each painting and the history behind the paintings.
In a previous post (Caravaggio in a new light), I mentioned the digital Caravaggio exhibit at the Loyola University Museum of Art in Chicago. This is a great way to see the paintings if you cannot get to see the real thing!
posted by Tom - Ubiquity International at 2:03 AM Permalink
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