INTRODUCTION
The large painting is on long-term loan to the National Gallery. It was discovered by chance in a Jesuit refectory in Dublin in 1992.
Several copies of the work were well known for many years, but art historians believed the original was lost. In fact, it had been labelled under the name of another artist and had come to Dublin in the early 1930s from Scotland.
It was sold to a British art collector in Italy in the 18th century as a work by Gerard van Honthorst, also known as Gerard of the Night. He was one of Caravaggio’s Dutch followers.
A masterpiece revealed
When the National Gallery was asked to clean the painting, the Italian art restorer Sergio Benedetti immediately recognised the work as the lost Caravaggio. As he carefully removed layers of dirt and discoloured varnish, the supreme technical quality of the painting was revealed.
Caravaggio
The name of the artist was changed because Caravaggio had become unpopular and the painting would therefore have been less valuable.
Michelangelo Merisi, called Caravaggio, was a controversial artist. He was violent and difficult and his paintings were intensely controversial.
The artist used real-life models, but instead of changing them to traditional ‘holy’ and idealised images, his religious figures were real, ordinary people. They were shown in life settings like that of the street and were even dirty and ragged.
Dramatic use of light and dark
His paintings are highly dramatic. The figures are shown from an extremely close viewpoint, almost like in a close-up film shot.
His techniques include tenebrism, or dramatic illumination, which is an intense form of chiaroscuro. This darkness became a dominating feature. A spotlight effect is achieved by a single source of light adding drama to the image.
Caravaggio became popular again in the 19th century. He is now regarded as a major figure in Western art.
Evaluate the work Look at The Taking of Christ (Fig. 9).
* What is this painting trying to say? Note what you have discovered or decided about the
work.
* How does the painting make you feel? Note your deep feeling and reaction to the work.
* Is the impact of the painting mostly visual or is it mostly what you think? Work this out.
* Where should the painting hang? Would you like it to hang on a wall in your school? Would
you like to have it in your home? Would this make you look at the work in a different way?
* Would you like to see more paintings like this? Would you like to visit the National Gallery in
Dublin to see it for yourself?
* Where would you see other paintings by this artist?
The Dutch School
The Dutch school is one of the strongest in the gallery. The paintings are from the 17th and 18th centuries, often thought of as the ‘Golden Age’ of Dutch painting.
The 17th century was a time of great wealth in Holland. There was a strong middle-class demand for art.
Genre painting was very popular. These were scenes of everyday life, like peasants at work, the aristocracy at leisure, community activities and simple domestic settings.
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