In 2010 the Uffizi and Palazzo Pitti will host a very intriguing joint exhibition on the secrets of Caravaggio’s painting techniques. This will be one of the most important cultural events for the coming year, linked with a sister-exhibition in Rome dedicated to the great Master, marking the 4th centenary of his death.
> Florence will commemorate this recurrence by displaying Caravaggio’s masterpieces alongside other paintings by some of the greatest artists of first half of the Seventeenth Century. This event will shed new light on Caravaggio's masterpieces and the related artistic current - a cultural movement to which the Medici and other great families dedicated their passionate attention.
> The Florentine large-scale exhibition, 'Caravaggio e i Caravaggeschi' will concentrate on the Master’s painting techniques and will examine works by those who adopted his style and followed his footsteps: over 100 important artworks by the Master and his contemporaries are planned for the event, many of which borrowed locally. The exhibition includes powerful works by Orazio and Artemisia Gentileschi, Honthorst, Stomer, Manfredi, Ribera, Cavarozzi , Vouet, Baburen, Regnier, Valentin, and many more - Italians and foreigners alike - all of them collected by the Medici and the Florentine historical institutions.
> Following the appearance in Florence of "Medusa" and "Bacchus", the first dazzling paintings by Caravaggio that Cardinal Del Monte presented the Grand Duke Ferdinand I, paintings and painters attracted by this style flowed into Florence, making it a “Capital “ of the Caravagesque style.
> Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, born in Milan (1571-1610) is considered by the critics as the most revolutionary artist of his time. He is probably best known by non-experts for his mastery in chiaroscuro-lighting. He also abandoned the focus on spirituality and idealized depictions of the human body that guided Renaissance artists in favour of more realistic and dramatic atmospheres, mixing street characters with religious subjects.
> His extreme lifestyle led to the idealization in the collective imagination of the “accursed” artist, who expressed the torments of his existence in his painting with equal intensity and creative brilliance. There is something about Caravaggio that fascinates people - even those who would normally prefer to cross a street of hot coals than spend time looking at paintings seem happy to make an exception for this rebel of Counter-Renaissance Art.
> The masterful “chiaroscuro” lighting effects, which made him one of the most famous painters in the world, might however conceal a secret. The brilliant Baroque artist was very much ahead of its time and was in fact using photographic techniques two centuries before the formal invention of photography and this special exhibition will reveal the tricks and techniques underlying Caravaggio’s style.
The technological mastery of the painter will be illustrated by Professor Roberta Lapucci, who has devoted years of research to Caravaggio’s photographic techniques.
> Prof. Lapucci argues that Caravaggio had transformed his studio into a huge darkroom where his models were illuminated thanks to a hole in the ceiling from which the light filtered. Later; he projected the image on canvas through a magnifying glass and a mirror. The technical support, stresses the historian, of course does not affect the genius of the painter: "Conversely", says Lapucci. " projecting images on a canvas and retracing them will certainly not enable one to become Caravaggio".
> Supporting her discovery with a surprising amount of news and details of this type, the Florentine scholar points out how the use of optical systems has left clear traces in the works of Caravaggio. The distortion of proportions for example, may be attributable to difficulties in focusing the projected image, which would have forced the master to move continuously to compensate for the lack of depth of field lenses at the time.
> Besides this, the latest research also indicates that Caravaggio used chemicals and that he was able to process his canvases in primitive “photographic film" able to be impressed. The preparation which he used, consisting of several elements sensitive to light, allowed the image to be fixed on the canvas for approximately half an hour. In almost total darkness during this time, the painter sketched the image projected onto the canvas with a blend of different substances, chemical elements and minerals visible even in the dark.
> Merisi would therefore have used a technique similar to photography by projecting images onto canvas in something quite similar to a darkroom. Thanks to the use of mercury vapours (apparently) contained in the rabbit glue used by hatters, the image would remain 'visible' on the canvas for a certain period of time.
> And here is another discovery: using a brilliant white colour, produced in Venice, composed of sulphates and barite, Caravaggio outlined that projected illusion on canvas in the brief moment of its existence. He then would have completed it out of the darkroom, when the image dissolved.
Prof. Lapucci explains that traces of mercury salts, sensitive to light and used in film, have been indeed found on Caravaggio’s paintings. The "Magic" dust exploited by Caravaggio might be been obtained from crushed fireflies, a technique often used to create special effects in theatrical productions at the time.
> The darkroom technique had already been described by Leonardo da Vinci, and Caravaggio might have been inspired to experiment by the philosopher Giovanni Battista della Porta.
> In support of this theory, according to Lapucci, is the fact that the Master never used preliminary sketches. "It's conceivable, then, that he used these projections to paint".
Another characteristic of his paintings - the preponderance of left-handed players - is explained, always according to the historian, with the fact that the images were projected onto the canvas instead. This defect be corrected in time, in the artist’s later works, when the instruments that he used became more sophisticated.
> Unveiled are also the reasons why there are no written sources on the use of similar optical tools: even before Caravaggio the University ‘Magistri ’ had decided to ban those 'small disks of polished glass' and therefore those who were interested in working with lenses would have risked being accused of heresy, and turbulent Merisi had already far too much trouble to stir up any new scandals ... So, if you find yourself in Florence – hopefully on your way to Rome – be sure not to miss the Uffizi and this very special exhibition!

Palatine Gallery at Pitti Palace
and Uffizi Gallery
May 22nd - October 10th, 2010


All rights reserved to Walks inside Florence
>

http://www.unannoadarte.it/inglese/mostra2_presentazione.html