Why were some of Caravaggio’s paintings rejected by his patrons?
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was born in 1571 and came from the town of Caravaggio near Milan. Caravaggio was one of the leading artists of the Baroque and an incredibly influential figure in the changing face of Christian art. His work was also highly controversial because of it’s implicit sexuality, incisive realism and depiction of religious figures not in an idealised way but as common and earth bound. His choice of models was also controversial, often using people such as prostitutes or young boys from the street. Some of his paintings were even rejected by their patrons, however they were often immediately bought by other private collectors who admired his work for…show more content… Matthew that was originally meant to be placed there but displeased Francesco Contarelli as he found it “boring”1. Caravaggio painted for the altar St. Matthew and the Angel, however this was also removed and replaced with Caravaggio’s second version of the painting. One of the main reasons cited for the removal of the first version of St. Matthew is the lack of decorum, with the saint appearing as a poor and uneducated man, in an “undignified”2 pose of crossed legs and “feet rudely exposed to the people”3. Matthew is shown shabbily dressed as a peasant and as struggling to read or even illiterate, with his hand being guided by that of the angel. The appearance of the angel is very human, a young girl with “plump and childlike fingers”, who is deprived of her official heavenly rank4. The two figures are close together suggesting an intimate relationship between them, and the angel has a “sensuous vitality”5 which may have been considered inappropriate. It is said by Baglione that the work “pleased nobody” but he makes no mention of the priests officially rejecting the painting6. It is suggested by Creighton Gilbert however that the original version of the painting may not have been removed for the above reasons of decorum, especially when considering that many of the motifs in the earlier painting, such as the protruding foot, were quite traditional and even featured…show more content… Caravaggio painted the Death of the Virgin for the chapel of Laertio Cherubini in the church of Santa Maria della Scala. It was considered unworthy and rejected by the fathers of the church because of it’s lascivious nature18 and lack of decorum, it was replaced by a painting of the same subject by Carlo Saraceni. Caravaggio’s Death disrespectfully made the Virgin’s corpse appear as an ordinary dead woman’s: swollen up with head lolling, arm hanging and bare legs and feet. The Virgin was said to resemble a courtesan, portraying her like “some filthy whore from the slums”19 and the model which was used for the Madonna was apparently that of the body of a drowned prostitute fished out of the Tiber20. The painting was a realistic portrayal of mortal remains, the only indication of the sacredness of the Virgin being a thin halo, and without any of the traditional iconography showing the holiness of the Virgin or any of the respectful representation usually found in religious paintings. The dramatic but brutal realism of the piece provoked strong reactions at the time and after being refused for the church was immediately bought by Peter Paul Rubens on the behalf of his patron the Duke of
