Caravaggio: Inception of humanization in religious art卡拉瓦喬：初始階段人性化的宗教藝術(shù)

Artists' predilection for tranquility and elegance in depicting religious scenes formed the classical tradition of Italian art. 藝術(shù)家所描繪的帶有寧靜和優(yōu)雅的偏好的宗教場(chǎng)面，形成了傳統(tǒng)的古典的意大利藝術(shù)。From medieval period to the era of the Renaissance, reverent masters, including Cimabue, Jean van Eyck as well as Giovanni Bellini, followed this tradition, regardless of their distinct personal styles, and this conventional style reached its peak in Raphael’s paintings. However, up until the 17th century, this long-lasting tradition was rivaled by newly developed humanization and naturalism, introduced by Caravaggio, an unruly Italian artist. Caravaggio’s innovations marked a breakthrough in the history of sacred art and exerted profound influences on later artists. 在歷史上，卡拉瓦喬的創(chuàng)新在神圣的藝術(shù)史上獲得了一個(gè)巨大的突破，并對(duì)以后的藝術(shù)家產(chǎn)生了深遠(yuǎn)的影響。

Caravaggio boldly rejected the idealism of traditions and adopted humanization in both figure depiction and background setting. He depicted religious figures as ordinary people and set holy event into a mundane backdrop. The prevalence of idealism and grace was shown in traditional Christian art pieces, such as the elongated figures in Annunciation Altarpiece, Simone Martini, 1333.  Simone Martini, together with other international style painters, used elongated and weightless figures to present the Virgin Mary’s elegance and ideal emotions. Besides, the settings that traditional artists chose were usually peaceful and decent. Hugo van der Goes’s Portinari Altarpiece, 1476 was a convincing example. Hugo van der Goes depicted a grandeur scene to lessen the drama of this miraculous event.  Different from precedent masters, Caravaggio unidealized religious characters, as well as the backgrounds. In Conversion of Saint Paul, 1601, Saint Paul was portrayed as a humble young man, whom people could see in the streets. His figure was foreshortened, lying on the ground with his arms stretched out to the sky. This pose was far from elegant or decorous. The setting of this occasion was murky and dingy, lack of heavenly grandeur and grace. Even though both Caravaggio and traditional artists chose mundane scenes, the moods showed in these scenes were drastically different. For instance, in Madonna in the Meadow, 1505—1506, Raphael applied subtle lighting and soft lines to render idyllic beauty whereas Caravaggio employed dim light to reveal a dingy place. The emotions showed in coarse and harsh backgrounds were more convincing than the arcadia-like settings. His choice of unidealized figures and dingy settings influenced later painters, such as Artemisia Gentileschi. In Judith Slaying Holofernes, 1614—1620, Artemisia Gentileschi showed naturalism in depicting figures and the bed that soaked by blood. This unidealized scene successfully showed violence and cruelty of this very moment. #p#分頁標(biāo)題#e#

In contrast to the serenity and spiritual calm of previous religious art pieces, Caravaggio showed a cast of convincing human emotions in his paintings, which strengthened the drama of the very moment.  相反，以前的宗教藝術(shù)作品都是比較注意表達(dá)寧靜和精神平靜的畫面，卡拉瓦喬則是在他的畫中顯示出一個(gè)演員的那種說服人的情緒，加強(qiáng)了戲劇性。Traditional artists tended to express religious figures with serenity to show heavenly ideal emotions. For example, Giovanni Bellini used harmonious and balanced 

composition to create a serene atmosphere. Although the proportions of figures are realistic, the spiritual calm showed a sense of timelessness, devoid of humanization. However, in Caravaggio’s works, such as Calling of Saint Matthew, 1597—1601, he used tenebrism, which is a very pronounced chiaroscuro, to emphasize the incredible nature of this moment. The lifting horse hoof and Paul’s stretching arms caught the split-second feel of the scene. It is undeniable that traditional artists succeed in displaying emotions in religious paintings. One example is Rogier wan der Weyden’s Deposition, 1435. Rogier wan der Weyden was a master of depicting human emotion and drama. Although disciples demonstrated deep sorrow, the fluid lines and figures’ facial expressions carried a sense of quietness and stillness. Nevertheless, in Calling of Saint Matthew, the radical contrast of light and dark animated the whole space. It seemed that when Jesus lifted his hand to call Saint Matthew, the holy light was casting into the dark room. People’s distinct facial expressions, either astonished or suspecting, showed intense human emotions.  Caravaggio’s style impacted many artists, such as Peter Paul Rubens. The use of tenebrism to show intense emotions could be found in Consequences of War, 1638—1639. http://ukthesis.org/shx/

In summary, Caravaggio broke the tradition of using idealism and creating a mood of serenity. Instead, he employed naturalistic figures, tenebrism, strong contrast of light and dark, as well as realistic settings to unidealize the scene and show intense emotions. His inventions started the humanization style of sacred art and strongly impacted following artists. 他的發(fā)明開啟了人性化的神圣的藝術(shù)風(fēng)格和并對(duì)后來的藝術(shù)家產(chǎn)生了重要的影響。