Narcissus
Artist: Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio
Year Composed: 1599
Artistic Movement: Baroque
Nationality: Italy
Floor Found in Château: Unknown Location
Year Composed: 1599
Artistic Movement: Baroque
Nationality: Italy
Floor Found in Château: Unknown Location
About the Artwork
Representing the mythological narrative of Narcissus, Caravaggio shows the youthful man gazing into the water as he falls in love with his own reflection. According to the story as told by Ovid, Narcissus died alone (with the exception of his reflection) and even when in the Underworld, he peered into the River Styx just to see himself again. The extreme black background behind the brightly-toned Narcissus allows viewers to only focus on the young man, just as he did within this myth.
About the Artist
Better known as just Caravaggio, this Italian painter rivaled the Carracci Brothers and their Academy for setting the aesthetic tone of Baroque art. His grand canvases were not only realistic in depicting figures, objects, and nature, but also dove into a person's emotion and soul. Caravaggio used the element of chiaroscuro (which is the technique to paint extreme light tones with extreme dark tones for a dramatic contrast) to express highly-dramatic and emotional scenes within his paintings. His drama and captivating grandeur can be seen within his Crucifixion of Saint Peter (1601), Judith Beheading Holofernes (1599), and the Calling of Saint Matthew (1600).
About the Movement
Narcissus was composed in the Baroque Age of art. After the Renaissance Age, Baroque art was encouraged and influenced by the Catholic Church and the Counter Reformation to bring citizens back to Catholicism from the simple and austere Protestantism. Baroque art tended to be highly decorative and extravagant, creating dramatic scenes and vivid narratives through its painting and sculpture. Some of the most famous Baroque artists included Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the Carracci Brothers (Annibale, Agostino, and Ludovico), Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, and Pietro da Cortona.
Location of Original Work of Art: Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica, Rome, Italy
Representing the mythological narrative of Narcissus, Caravaggio shows the youthful man gazing into the water as he falls in love with his own reflection. According to the story as told by Ovid, Narcissus died alone (with the exception of his reflection) and even when in the Underworld, he peered into the River Styx just to see himself again. The extreme black background behind the brightly-toned Narcissus allows viewers to only focus on the young man, just as he did within this myth.
About the Artist
Better known as just Caravaggio, this Italian painter rivaled the Carracci Brothers and their Academy for setting the aesthetic tone of Baroque art. His grand canvases were not only realistic in depicting figures, objects, and nature, but also dove into a person's emotion and soul. Caravaggio used the element of chiaroscuro (which is the technique to paint extreme light tones with extreme dark tones for a dramatic contrast) to express highly-dramatic and emotional scenes within his paintings. His drama and captivating grandeur can be seen within his Crucifixion of Saint Peter (1601), Judith Beheading Holofernes (1599), and the Calling of Saint Matthew (1600).
About the Movement
Narcissus was composed in the Baroque Age of art. After the Renaissance Age, Baroque art was encouraged and influenced by the Catholic Church and the Counter Reformation to bring citizens back to Catholicism from the simple and austere Protestantism. Baroque art tended to be highly decorative and extravagant, creating dramatic scenes and vivid narratives through its painting and sculpture. Some of the most famous Baroque artists included Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the Carracci Brothers (Annibale, Agostino, and Ludovico), Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, and Pietro da Cortona.
Location of Original Work of Art: Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica, Rome, Italy