Caravaggio at the Getty Center: A Painter of Light and Darkness
The Getty Center in Los Angeles is currently hosting an exhibition of three Caravaggio paintings, offering a rare opportunity to witness the work of a true revolutionary. His paintings were revolutionary for their time, combining the classical traditions of Renaissance art with a new naturalism that sought to capture the striking realism of everyday life. His contributions were particularly groundbreaking in religious painting, where he portrayed saints with a raw, humanistic edge. Using ordinary people—beggars, laborers, and even prostitutes—as his models, Caravaggio brought sacred figures down to earth, making them accessible and relatable.
A master of chiaroscuro, the interplay of light and darkness in his work mirrors the tumultuous drama of his own life. Known for his wild lifestyle, Caravaggio was often involved in duels, scandals, and brushes with the law. On the run from the law, he used his talented painting skills to obtain favor from prominent Italian nobles, ultimately saving him from prison, but not from an untimely and mysterious death.
Caravaggio’s influence echoes across art history, inspiring countless painters who adopted his dramatic contrasts and emotional depth. As I admired his work, I couldn’t help but reflect on the concept of appropriation—how we absorb and reimagine elements of the world around us. Caravaggio himself was a master of this, borrowing from everyday life to elevate his art.
Appropriation is fascinating because it’s both deeply personal and profoundly universal. We’re all, consciously or not, engaged in it. Whether in art, music, or even daily life, we take fragments of culture, ideas, and experiences, weaving them into something uniquely our own. Cultures, too, have evolved through centuries of borrowing and reinterpretation, creating a rich tapestry of shared human expression.
And yet, beyond the paintings themselves, the greatest gift of this visit may have been the act of noticing—the way light spilled across the canvas or how a shadow hinted at something unseen. It reminded me to see things anew, not just in Caravaggio’s work but in the surrounding world. The Getty Center itself, a marvelous white architectural wonder perched high above Los Angeles, seemed to embody this spirit of discovery. Each visit reveals a new angle, a fresh detail, or a unique perspective, inviting us to look closer and reflect more deeply.
January 2018