Of all the great Italian painters, Caravaggio remains the most significant artist who speaks much clearly and powerfully to our time. Whether you see his early painting of The Cardsharps and Musicians, which convey the familiarity and fascination with the Roman underworld, or the bright and brilliant religious paintings that represent the terrific religious experience of an individual with a directness that our age can recognize, Caravaggio lived through his paintings. Recently, one of his important paintings, Ecce Homo, lost for a long time, was found, and the Caravaggio’s scholars are in a much happier place. After its reappearance in an auction three years ago, Ecce Homo is one the greatest discoveries of the year in the history of art. Being the artwork from the last years of Caravaggio, Ecce Homo is the finest piece I have seen from the Baroque period, and it is worth discussing.
The story of this painting started when a Roman noble, Massimo Massimi, commissioned Crowning With Thorns (probably the picture from Prato) and an Ecce Homo to Caravaggio. Bellori backed the history of this painting, writing,
“Caravaggio painted for the Signori Massimi an Ecce Homo, which was taken to Spain.”
However, no traces remained in Spain of the Ecce Homo back then, and fortunately, it is found only now. Coming to the Massimo Massimi, who commissioned the artwork, he was the richest and most famous member of his illustrious family who lived in the celebrated Palazzo Massimo alle Colonne. He was a virtuoso, who played an active part in the decoration of the Palazzo, and he might have frequented the Accademic dei Crescenzi as he was in close contact with Cristoforo Roncalli.
Now, coming to the personal life of the artist during this commission, Caravaggio stayed in the Vicolo di San Biagio with a servant called Francesco in the service of Cardinal Del Monte. In the same year of date 25 June, he signed a contract with Massimo Massimi to paint Ecce Homo, which was supposed to be delivered by 1 August. Though he received such commissions, his personal life never changed. From living a raucous life of street battles with Roman whores where beating, kicking doors, throwing stones, and yelling rude insults were common to attacking with a more serious assault, Caravaggio had a rebellious life, but his powerful patrons always saved him. In July, he was in trouble again and back in the Tor di Nona as he attacked the house of two women, Laura della Vecchi and her daughter, Isabella. It was Prospero Orsi, Cherubino Alberti, the bookseller Gabrielli, and a tailor from Narni, who stood bail for him. But then, just nine days later, he made a serious assault on a notary over another woman, Lena. I am thinking that how could a man with such a personal life be able to paint such magnificent pictures of Christ? Do you have any more thoughts to accompany my question?
Lena entered into Caravaggio’s story as she was a model of Madonna of Loreto, and she used to pose for him in the house. Now, Lena was not a prostitute, but she came from an honorable yet poor family, and she took a small fee to be a model of Caravaggio. However, her frequent visits to the artist created jealousy in the young notary who wanted to marry her. Out of this jealousy, he angrily rebuked Lena’s mother for handing her daughter ‘to an excommunicant and cursed man, Caravaggio.’ On hearing this, Caravaggio sought vengeance by attacking him in the Piazza Navona. After this, the clerk, Pasqualone, was presented to the Criminal court, where he stated,
“As Mr. Galezzo and I- it may have been an hour after nightfall- were strolling in the Piazza Navona in front of the palace of the Spanish Ambassador, I suddenly felt a blow on the back of my head. I fell to the ground at once and realized that I had been wounded in the head by what I believe to have been the stroke of a sword… I didn’t see who wounded me, but I never had disputes with anybody but the said Michelangelo. A few nights ago, he and I had words on the Corso on account of a girl called Lena who is to be found at the Piazza Navona, past the palace, or rather the main door of Mr Sertorio Teofilo. She is Michelangelo’s girl. Please, excuse me quickly so that I may dress my wounds.”
After this shameful encounter, Caravaggio fled to Genoa, where he was reached by the Roman agent of Cesare d’Este to deliver paintings to Modena. But this doesn’t end here as the court cases became increasingly frequent. This is the provenance of the artwork Ecce Homo.
The subject matter of the artwork displays the final days before Christ’s death by the crucifixion known as the Passion, when he was arrested and tormented by the Roman soldiers. Christ was brought before the Roman governor in Judea, wearing a crown of thorns, a reed sceptre, and a purple robe. Arranged and dressed by his tormentors, every single item symbolically mocked Christ’s claim to be the king of Jews. Pontius Pilate (The Roman Governor) announced the pitiful sight as he saw the sufferings of Christ, and that’s when he said words, “Behold the man!”
“(Ecce homo)”
The painting shows the closest figure to the viewer, Pilate, who is leaning emphatically over the balcony, and he engages with the implied crowd and the viewer at the same time. Though he had no evidence to charge Jesus, he shouted “Crucify him” for which he was condemned. Brightly illuminated with the classic chiaroscuro technique, Christ remains in the center of the composition with vivid spots of blood over his shoulder and forehead. One of the soldiers mockingly drapes the rich crimson robe to Christ. The expressions of Christ look sorrowful and resigned, and Caravaggio especially positioned him diagonally across the picture plane of the painting to evoke sympathy and emotional stir.
The final figure of the artwork who drapes Christ has an open mouth, perhaps to shout to the crowd to heighten the sense of drama. The figures of the artwork communicate with the viewer in a narrative as if there is no need to explain the suffering of Christ. The dramatic gestures further strengthen the painting.
The artwork, Ecce Homo, was painted when Caravaggio had troubling life, which is why the artwork is soaked in tension and immense suffering. Caravaggio had a rebellious life; it is steer clear that he used to get involved in a lot of scrimmages, which is why he used to leave the places sooner. Merisi only managed to work because of his protection by his powerful patrons, but his works from later life never failed to reflect the tension of a fugitive working. The years between 1604 and 1606 gave rise to a series of misfortunes in the artist’s life, and his ill reputation led to the rejection of his artworks by the clients. I guess that is what he portrayed in his paintings of later life, which is why we reflect those emotions most clearly.
Resources.
- Caravaggio: The Complete Works by Rossella Vodret Adamo.
- Featured Image: Ecce Homo by Caravaggio; Caravaggio, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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