Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Caravaggio!

I've been out most of the day at the Caravaggio and His Followers in Rome exhibit. I expected to be impressed and I was. It was a pretty safe bet this being Caravaggio after all. The curated part was pretty good but it was the paintings themselves that just blew us away.

It is was especially impressive to see his paintings next to those he influenced. The degree to which he did influence others is impressive but what strikes you even more is the degree to which the master exceeded his followers.

It is only in my lifetime that Caravaggio has begun to get his due. He was the victim of a negative PR campaign almost as bad as what the Jesuits have been subjected to. It's staggering to be in the presence of his works now.

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