November 21, 2011. (Romereports.com) The Italian capital is welcoming an extensive exhibition with artists from the time of Caravaggio. The exhibition includes a total of 150 art pieces, painted between 1595 and 1635, brought from countries like the United Kingdom, Holland and Slovakia. Here you can see the “San Agustín,” which was recently attributed to Caravaggio and will be shown for the first time to the public.


Rossella Vodret
“Rome in the time of Caravaggio”
“In Rome there were many other artists, and movements. It seemed wise to expose them to rebuild the Roman artistic atmosphere of the time and do justice to these artists who, in one way or another, have been overshadowed by Caravaggio.”

The exhibition begins with two paintings that are similar in theme and share the same title: “The Madonna of Loreto”.

The first was painted by Annibale Carracci and shows a classical composition, while the second is an example of the Baroque style of Caravaggio. And it was precisely Caravaggio who began a more naturalistic flow through the style called 'chiaroscuro', modeling its use of the lower classes for their characters.

Rossella Vodret
“Rome in the time of Caravaggio”
“Annibale was the leader of Classicism in Bologna. Their models are those from  painter Raphael, the structure and the ideal of classical beauty. In this work, it follows the traditional rules of illuminated faces, the construction of the same scene and the trend of iconography. It's very different from what Caravaggio does, which was always innovating the sacred history.”

The influence of both artists is reflected in works such as “Susanna and the Elders” by Artemisia Gentileschi, the “Virgin and Child with St. Anne” by Carlo Saraceni and “The Musician” by Francesco Boneri who innovated painting as a young man by offering a currency directly to the public.

Caravaggio and Carracci also influenced artists in other countries such as Rubens from Belgium or Valentin from France, who is the author of the “Allegory of Italy”. The artist drew two children representing Romulus and Remus and two elders, symbolizing the Italian rivers of the Tevere and Arno.

Rossella Vodret
“Rome in the time of Caravaggio”
“From the year 1630, development was made above all by the classicists who were ultimately born with Annibale Carracci and the baroque. The two dominated throughout Europe until the end of the seventeenth century.”

The exhibition is open until February 5. However, the influence of Caravaggio will continue in another exhibition planned for March of 2012 by one of his most successful students, Carlo Saraceni.


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-PR