Gathering of Manna is a large scale mythological painting (hanging in Louvre Museum, Paris) that conveys the dramatic force of the biblical divine act of the distribution of the Manna. The canvas aims to depict an entire people by showing groups of representative actors of both sexes and all ages. In a way, the scene is a rare occurrence: everyone is an active participant, as everyone must participate in order to survive; there is no room for psychological ambivalence. By choosing a theme with a secured engrossing dramatic impulse, Poussin might have attempted to explore pantheistic and holistic ideas (and ideals) of the relationship of all humanity with God. The Gathering of Manna is a unique case of reverse offering, which reinforces the symbiotic nature of that relationship.
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Some critics consider The Death of Germanicus (painted in 1627, in France, hanging in the The Minneapolis Institute of Arts), Nicolas Poussin’s early masterpiece. The painting presents a linear, barelief-like scene with several emotional pivots, all induced by the death of the Roman general (read full Britannica article on Germanicus Julius Caesar). Lying on the bed and enshrouded in white, he is immediately recognized; the ghastly greenish tone of his face implies poisoning, the most probable cause of death according to historians.
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Caravaggio’s Entombment (Pinacoteca Vaticana, Vatican City) presents a symbiosis between an emotionally strung theme and a monolithic, balanced composition. Suffering is elevated to an aesthetically pleasing – and hence tragic – conception that flows from a congregation of actors, a single block reminiscent of a bas-relief (Caravaggio was known for his propensity to emulate sculpture). Ultimately the psychological effect of the scene as a whole springs from the solid base of compositional logic.
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This painting (hanging in Uffizi Gallery, Florence; read the Wikipedia article of Caravaggio’s Sacrifice of Isaac) disturbs and stirs the viewer with the gestures of the actors — as if they themselves literally hold on to us, shaking us from apathy or calm. This psychological effect is not accidental: the depicted theme is one of the most intense, nerve wrecking scenes of the old testament; it was Abraham’s ultimate test of faith, when he almost sacrificed his only son. At the first glance it may be problematic to discern which hand is which, who holds who and what is going on. This is an inherently complex composition that makes no excuses for itself; it’s emotionally and visually demanding, as are most Caravaggio’s middle and late style pieces.
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This painting (hanging in Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, USA) follows The Fortune Teller in depicting a scene of sharp practice which very well might have been based in reality. This Wikipedia article on The Cardsharps mentions realism (the unglamorous theme, the ragged gloves, the dramatic tension) as the quality that made Caravaggio famous. The artist’s late works were also highly realistic — appallingly so to some contemporaries — but the realism evolved and overflowed into the artist’s methods. He would paint from live models directly on canvas (sometimes marking parts of it by incisions), neglecting the ever important part of preliminary drawing (Check also this article on The Cardsharps published by The Independent).
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