Italian Baroque

David Reed on Caravaggio

Painters on Paintings

David Reed considers rarely seen details in several paintings by Caravaggio and how these details alter and intensify the potential meanings of the works. Reed writes; “Did Caravaggio realize that the self-portrait reflection in the “Bacchus” and the praying figure in “The Works” would not be visible under the standard circumstances in which the paintings […]

Before Realism: Valentin de Boulogne & the Brothers Le Nain

Art in America

Richard Neer writes: “Valentin [de Boulogne] … was … a leading exponent of a style of painting that Caravaggio had pioneered a generation earlier: shadowy, dramatically lit scenes drawn directly from life that pushed the boundaries of good taste through a commitment to verisimilitude and déclassé subject matter. With his death, that Caravaggesque tradition lost […]