In August 1608 Caravaggio fled from Malta, where he had been imprisoned for an unknown crime, and took refuge in Sicily with his friend, the artist Mario Minniti. Through Minniti's intercession he procured a number of important commissions, including this for the church of the Padri Crociferi in Messina, where it was presented by the wealthy Genoese merchant Giovanni Battista de' Lazzari on 10 June 1609. The fee was a thousand scudi, more than double any Caravaggio had received previously.
Lazarus, the brother of Martha and Mary, was the patron saint of Giovanni Battista de' Lazzari, to whom Caravaggio was contracted to paint an altarpiece in the church of the Padri Crociferi. The Gospel of John tells how he fell sick, died, was buried and then miraculously raised from the dead by Christ. As in several paintings from this period of Caravaggio's career, the scene is set against blank walls that overwhelm the frieze of human actors. The interaction of the relief of figures caught in corporate effort and emotion, with a large void above, is quite different from the closely focussed individualised dramas of his early and middle periods. As is usual with Caravaggio, light becomes an important element in the drama, picking out crucial details such as Lazarus's hands—one lax and open to receive, the other reaching towards Christ—and the wonder-struck faces of the onlookers.
The old story that Caravaggio had a freshly buried body exhumed for this painting is "probably apocryphal, but not beyond the bounds of possibility" (John Gash, see below). Some of the figures were said to be modelled on members of the community, but Caravaggio has also relied on his memory—the whole design is based on an engraving after Giulio Romano and his Jesus is a reversed image of the Christ who called Matthew to join him in The Calling of Saint Matthew. The painting is in poor condition and much restored, and it's possible that some passages are the work of assistants.
According to Francesco Susinno, Caravaggio had produced a first version that he destroyed with a razor after adverse criticism. Subsequently he would have finished in record time the present version, but probably this account is fanciful.
Media related to Resurrection of Lazarus by Caravaggio at Wikimedia Commons
January 01, 1970
raising, lazarus, caravaggio, this, article, includes, list, references, related, reading, external, links, sources, remain, unclear, because, lacks, inline, citations, please, help, improve, this, article, introducing, more, precise, citations, april, 2016, l. This article includes a list of references related reading or external links but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations Please help improve this article by introducing more precise citations April 2016 Learn how and when to remove this message The Raising of Lazarus c 1609 in the Museo Regionale Messina is a painting by the Italian artist Caravaggio 1571 1610 The Raising of LazarusItalian Resurrezione di LazzaroArtistCaravaggioYearc 1609MediumOil on canvasDimensions380 cm 275 cm 150 in 108 in LocationMuseo Regionale Messina In August 1608 Caravaggio fled from Malta where he had been imprisoned for an unknown crime and took refuge in Sicily with his friend the artist Mario Minniti Through Minniti s intercession he procured a number of important commissions including this for the church of the Padri Crociferi in Messina where it was presented by the wealthy Genoese merchant Giovanni Battista de Lazzari on 10 June 1609 The fee was a thousand scudi more than double any Caravaggio had received previously Lazarus the brother of Martha and Mary was the patron saint of Giovanni Battista de Lazzari to whom Caravaggio was contracted to paint an altarpiece in the church of the Padri Crociferi The Gospel of John tells how he fell sick died was buried and then miraculously raised from the dead by Christ As in several paintings from this period of Caravaggio s career the scene is set against blank walls that overwhelm the frieze of human actors The interaction of the relief of figures caught in corporate effort and emotion with a large void above is quite different from the closely focussed individualised dramas of his early and middle periods As is usual with Caravaggio light becomes an important element in the drama picking out crucial details such as Lazarus s hands one lax and open to receive the other reaching towards Christ and the wonder struck faces of the onlookers The old story that Caravaggio had a freshly buried body exhumed for this painting is probably apocryphal but not beyond the bounds of possibility John Gash see below Some of the figures were said to be modelled on members of the community but Caravaggio has also relied on his memory the whole design is based on an engraving after Giulio Romano and his Jesus is a reversed image of the Christ who called Matthew to join him in The Calling of Saint Matthew The painting is in poor condition and much restored and it s possible that some passages are the work of assistants According to Francesco Susinno Caravaggio had produced a first version that he destroyed with a razor after adverse criticism Subsequently he would have finished in record time the present version but probably this account is fanciful Museo Regionale di Messina SicilySee also editList of paintings by CaravaggioReferences editThe Raising of Lazarus Web Gallery of Art John Gash Caravaggio 2003 ISBN 1 904449 22 0 Helen Langdon Caravaggio A Life 1998 ISBN 0 374 11894 9 Peter Robb M 1998 ISBN 0 312 27474 2 ISBN 0 7475 4858 7External links editWashington Post review nbsp Media related to Resurrection of Lazarus by Caravaggio at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title The Raising of Lazarus Caravaggio amp oldid 1206170640, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
