The essay “Caravaggio and Caravaggisti in 17th-Century Europe” by Erin Benay describes the artistic contribution and style of a famous artist, Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, and explores the problem of originality. Numerous attempts of imitating his works led to the emergence of the term Caravaggisti which identified his stylistic followers. This summary aims to provide a brief overview of each topic discussed in Benay’s essay.
The main point made by the author is Caravaggio’s sensitivity to his works’ originality. The painter threatened two other artists, Guido Reni and Giovanni Baglione, for imitating his style. Nonetheless, it did not prevent further attempts of copying his model, which made Caravaggio recognized in Europe.
Many of Caravaggio’s followers particularly preferred to use tenebrism and chiaroscuro or shadowing and highlighting certain areas of the painting to enhance the dramatic effect. Meanwhile, Caravaggio’s works were characterized by naturalism and relatable compositions. As a result, these features contributed to the artist’s popularity and made his style distinctive.
When Caravaggio lived in Rome, he created easel paintings that portrayed new, unusual themes in Roman art. The Fortune Teller and The Cardsharps, which were copied the most, presented the realistic street-life, with all the revelers and rogues.
Caravaggisti did not belong to any school and hence focused on various aspects of Caravaggio’s artistic style. In turn, Orazio and Artemisia Gentileschi created paintings that were even more lyrical than the original master’s works and reflected his method of religious iconography.
Caravaggio’s portrayals of devotional subjects impacted other followers of his style. For example, Ter Brugghen, Mattias Stomer, and Honthorst presented Doubting Thomas and contributed to its growing popularity. Jusepe de Ribera is known for spreading Caravaggio’s extraordinary style to Spain through his imitations of religious subjects. Overall, Caravaggisti used different approaches to create dramatic lighting and realism in their works, introduced by Caravaggio’s talent.