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Painting of three opulently dressed men seated around a cloth-covered table playing cards. The man at left is baby-faced and wears a wide-sleeved velvet top with lace ruffles at the wrists. He stares at his cards placidly while the young man across from him, whose back is largely toward the viewer and who wears a dominant feather in his hat, learns forward with an expression of alarm and pulls a card from a hidden pouch at his back. A third man, a bit older, wears gloves with holes at the fingertips and bends toward the first man, conspicuously reading his cards. Painting of three opulently dressed men seated around a cloth-covered table playing cards. The man at left is baby-faced and wears a wide-sleeved velvet top with lace ruffles at the wrists. He stares at his cards placidly while the young man across from him, whose back is largely toward the viewer and who wears a dominant feather in his hat, learns forward with an expression of alarm and pulls a card from a hidden pouch at his back. A third man, a bit older, wears gloves with holes at the fingertips and bends toward the first man, conspicuously reading his cards.

Among Friends and Rivals: Caravaggio in Rome

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Exhibition

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  • Gallery 211
  • Closed
  • Gallery 211
  • Closed

Two rarely loaned paintings by Caravaggio join works by his devoted followers in this intimate exhibition highlighting both the grand spectacle and intense influence of Caravaggio’s extraordinary work.

Whether for his large dramatic canvases or his larger-than-life persona, the name Caravaggio evokes images of turmoil and violence, both sacred and profane. Born in Milan in 1571, Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio entered the robust Roman art scene around 1592 and, over the next 14 years, developed an original and captivating painting style that attracted eminent patrons and passionate followers, thrusting him into the public eye. The artist became equally known for his wild behavior; a street brawler, Caravaggio was familiar with the shady underworld of taverns and their clientele, whom he frequently depicted in his work.

Two Rare Loans

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The Cardsharps, about 1595


Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas

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Martha and Mary Magdalene, about 1598


Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. Detroit Institute of Arts, gift of the Kresge Foundation and Mrs. Edsel B. Ford

Caravaggio’s followers, known as the Caravaggisti, embraced the stylis­tic hallmarks of the painter’s intensely naturalistic work. Like their trailblazing idol, they used models from real life, boldly depicting their quirks and flaws in dynamic compositions whose turbulent movement was revealed in dramatic extremes of light and dark. The themes and individual artistic approaches of Caravaggisti often depended on their direct or indirect relationships to Caravaggio—some knew the artist personally, while others knew him only through his work.

The Caravaggisti

A work made of oil on canvas.

Giovanni Baglione

Large painting of cupid being whipped, a woman tries to hold back the a man in red dress.

Bartolomeo Manfredi

A work made of oil on canvas.

Cecco del Caravaggio

The artist ultimately fled Rome in 1606 to escape a death sentence for murdering a man in a street fight. He spent the rest of his short career working in Naples, Sicily, and Malta before his death in 1610. Much like the artist’s life, the taste for Caravaggism burned bright but fast: by the mid-17th century, painters in Rome had moved on to new styles. 

This focused installation, a rare opportunity to see Caravaggio’s works in person, showcases the captivating drama of his artistic vision and the magnitude of his influence on artists like Baglione, Buoneri, and Manfredi—both of which forever altered the narrative power of painting.

Among Friends and Rivals: Caravaggio in Rome is curated by Rebecca Long, Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Curator, Painting and Sculpture of Europe.

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