Caravaggio does light and dark really well. -- he's a master at shadows. That's all I knew about him when my sister and I headed out to Ottawa recently to see an exhibit at the National Art Gallery (NAG ... gotta love that acronym!)
He is so much more, and it was so interesting. First of all, turns out the guy was a bit of a rake. Well, not just a bit. I'd seen some of the religious paintings before.. I discovered the drinking/gambling/cheating pictures at the exhibit. And that he used a whore as a model for the Virgin Mary, among others. I can see why his talent was not enough to keep him out of trouble... this was the time of the Inquisition. They didn't have much of a sense of humour in those days.
The contradiction between the man and the art are fascinating. He was a brawler, a jailbird, had powerful patrons who gave up on his because of his crude ways ... yet, he always seemed to land back on his feet, his talent was so great. He had just been pardoned for murder when he died, at 38. I can barely imagine what he could have produced if he'd lived.
So back to the NAG show. The curating is excellent -- although I would have liked a bit more from the man himself. His works hang alongside works by his contemporaries, usually on the same subject. It's fascinating to compare themes and techniques. The audio guide is very well done, and does a beautiful job putting his work in context.
I don't usually spend hours at an exhibit... I prefer to go several times and take it in little by little. But since we were only there for the day (we promised each other next time we'll stay overnight), we took in the exhibit in about 3 hours, which I find draining. I was ready for a nap after, but we had 3 hours' driving ahead of us instead!
The NAG is a beautiful, light filled art gallery right by the river. We had a light lunch in the Atrium, a simple salad with a glass of wine. It was quite good, reasonably priced, and the server was charming.
Too bad we couldn't stay an extra day. Ottawa is so beautiful in summer, and I would have loved to spend a bit more time just hanging. And I do want to see the war museum., if only for its stunning architecture.
He is so much more, and it was so interesting. First of all, turns out the guy was a bit of a rake. Well, not just a bit. I'd seen some of the religious paintings before.. I discovered the drinking/gambling/cheating pictures at the exhibit. And that he used a whore as a model for the Virgin Mary, among others. I can see why his talent was not enough to keep him out of trouble... this was the time of the Inquisition. They didn't have much of a sense of humour in those days.
The contradiction between the man and the art are fascinating. He was a brawler, a jailbird, had powerful patrons who gave up on his because of his crude ways ... yet, he always seemed to land back on his feet, his talent was so great. He had just been pardoned for murder when he died, at 38. I can barely imagine what he could have produced if he'd lived.
So back to the NAG show. The curating is excellent -- although I would have liked a bit more from the man himself. His works hang alongside works by his contemporaries, usually on the same subject. It's fascinating to compare themes and techniques. The audio guide is very well done, and does a beautiful job putting his work in context.
I don't usually spend hours at an exhibit... I prefer to go several times and take it in little by little. But since we were only there for the day (we promised each other next time we'll stay overnight), we took in the exhibit in about 3 hours, which I find draining. I was ready for a nap after, but we had 3 hours' driving ahead of us instead!
The NAG is a beautiful, light filled art gallery right by the river. We had a light lunch in the Atrium, a simple salad with a glass of wine. It was quite good, reasonably priced, and the server was charming.
Too bad we couldn't stay an extra day. Ottawa is so beautiful in summer, and I would have loved to spend a bit more time just hanging. And I do want to see the war museum., if only for its stunning architecture.
