Why, because of the hat and still life, the commission did not want to accept the famous painting by Caravaggio "Dinner at Emmaus"

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Supper at Emmaus was created by Caravaggio in 1601. The non-standard interpretation of the plot led to a fair amount of criticism of the artist. And the reasons for rejection are hidden in the innkeeper's hat and fruit still life. It was with them that all the troubles with the picture began.

Dinner at Emmaus is a 1601 painting by Caravaggio, the famous Italian Baroque master. The customer for the work was the Roman aristocrat and lover of antiquity Chiriaco Mattei, brother of Cardinal Girolamo Mattei.

Prehistory of creation

The Cathedral of Trent, created to combat the ongoing threat of Protestantism, declared in 1563 that through the religious scenes depicted in the paintings about the atonement, people can learn good intentions. It is important that the miracles performed by God are open to the eyes of believers, so that they love God and develop godliness.

The painting was preceded by a time when the church felt the need to convey its message to believers through religious art and demanded a special clarity of presentation from the artists. To comply with this directive, the old masters had to be realistic above all else. Caravaggio was one of the first in a series of such artists: an ardent realist, his directness and spontaneity came into complete contrast with the refined elegance of the late 16th century and mannerism.

Plot

Dinner at Emmaus is a popular theme in Christian art and is the culminating episode of the famous story about the appearance of Christ to two disciples on the third day after the Crucifixion. The apostles invite the stranger to share a meal at home with them. They just met him and, of course, do not know who he really is. The apostles understand the true identity of the secret stranger when he blesses and breaks bread. Realization comes: the mysterious guest is in fact the Risen Christ. “And they drew near to the village to which they were going; and He showed them the appearance that He wanted to go further. But they held him back, saying: stay with us, for the day has already drawn towards evening. And He went in and stayed with them. And when He was at meat with them, he took bread, blessed, and broke it and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him. But He became invisible to them. And they said to each other: Was not our heart burning in us when He spoke to us on the road and when He expounded the Scriptures to us? Mary Magdalene recognized Christ by His voice; Thomas - for the wounds; the disciples who invited Christ to the house in Emmaus - after the breaking of the bread. Saint Luke calls one of the apostles Cleopho, but does not identify the other. Behind the heroes is a perplexed innkeeper.

Craftsmanship of Caravaggio

Caravaggio showed on the canvas a specific moment in the plot, when the two apostles realized that they were witnessing a miracle of unimaginable power. The artist seemed to have stopped the moment, allowing the audience to reflect on the miracle, to experience the feeling of shock and surprise that the two apostles experienced. The outstretched hand of the apostle to the right of the viewer seems to touch the canvas itself. It is directed at the one who is looking at the canvas. This gesture seems to say: “Look! This miracle, a miracle happened. " The other apostle's elbow looks like he actually ripped the canvas. This idea was achieved simply brilliantly: Caravaggio tore the jacket worn by the hero, exactly at the elbow. Finally, the fruit basket, precariously positioned on the edge of the table, seems to fall and break on the floor at the slightest jolt. Thus, Caravaggio breaks down the traditional barrier between what is real and what is painted with his brush, and transforms the scene that happened in the past into what is happening now, before our eyes. Caravaggio gives his religious paintings a sense of strong drama. skillfully using light and shadow technique (chiaroscuro). "He never brought his figures to light," wrote Giovanni Pietro Bellori, a 17th century art theorist, "but put them in the dark brown atmosphere of a closed room." The closed room mentioned by Bellori is a feature that can be seen in many of Caravaggio's works. The painting is made in full size. As is often the case in the work of Caravaggio, the heroes have androgynous features (suffice it to recall The Lute Player and Bacchus). The zest was not spared by Christ, who has clearly feminine features.

Criticism

For many, Caravaggio's masterful realism has gone too far. In 1602 he painted Saint Matthew for the Church of San Luigi de Francesi in Rome. It depicted a barefoot saint sitting cross-legged so that one of his legs seemed to be pulled out of the picture. According to the theorist Bellory, the commission rejected the painting because the priests saw indecency and shamelessness on the canvas. The priests clearly did not want a dirty bare foot to fall on them, even if it was just a canvas. On the verdict of the commission, Caravaggio was supposed to prepare a second version of the plot. And he did it.

Dinner at Emmaus has received similar criticism, especially from Bellory. “In addition to the rustic character of the two apostles and the Lord, who is shown young and without a beard, Caravaggio shows the innkeeper serving him with a hat on his head. On the table is a basket of grapes, figs and pomegranates - out of season. " Indeed, Resurrection is celebrated in the spring at Easter, and Caravaggio chose autumn fruits. For Bellory, the fact that the innkeeper serves Christ with a hat on his head was the highest manifestation of rudeness. And his criticism of the fruit basket being shown "out of season" demonstrates a strong desire for complete accuracy in describing the gospel stories.

Lack of decency is a frequent criticism directed against the work of Caravaggio. And his habit of showing the apostles dirty, ragged and unkempt could always provoke an insult to the representatives of the church.

Still life

As for the still life, the choice of fruits on the table is certainly deliberate. In combination with other objects on the table, it has a symbolic meaning. The apple rotting here is a symbol of the Temptation and Fall of Man. A ray of light reflected on the tablecloth through a glass vessel is an attribute of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. Bread is easy to identify as a symbol of the body of Christ.

A fried bird is a symbol of death, but a pomegranate is an attribute of the Resurrection. Finally, the sacrifice of Christ is symbolized by the grape, which Bellory criticizes. Grapes are the source of wine, which is a symbol of the blood of Christ for the Roman Catholic Eucharist. Accordingly, Caravaggio used a fruit basket to emphasize the meaning of the plot. Caravaggio wrote another version of Supper in 1606. For comparison, the gestures of the figures in the second variant are much more restrained.