[Live Art Appreciation #64] Caravaggio's "Death of the Virgin" [1 Article in 60 Minutes]

It is a painting where someone is collapsed in the center, and everyone around them seems to be breaking down in tears or is upset. Since the title is "Death of the Virgin," is Mary the one who has passed away in the center? There is no blue cloth, which is often used as a trademark.

The overall color tone is reddish, and especially this red curtain or cloth on the ceiling, it is drawn very dramatically; it feels like a red with movement.

The person at the very bottom is the only woman here, and I think Mary had a sister named Martha, so I wonder if it is her. She is very close to the body.

There is a halo appearing above Mary's head. Looking at everyone's great distress, it looks like she just breathed her last, but perhaps, regardless of actual time, each depicted person has a different timeline, and there seems to be a discrepancy in how they accept this state.

The feet of the men are peeking out at the bottom of the frame, and there is the expression of their hands, etc. It feels like they are laborers, and I don't feel like they are very wealthy. However, their clothes are relatively noble. They aren't exactly rags, so I think they are saints, but perhaps not very wealthy people.

I think it is characteristic that the direction of the light is drawn very clearly. It is like lightning striking at night, and that flash of light is shining in; it is that strong, but since it is a reddish light overall, it doesn't feel too cold, and rather than a dry, cool feeling, there is a bit more of a wet, warm feeling.

I dealt with the painting "The Calling of St. Matthew" in this appreciation before, but the direction of the light is the opposite of that. Vermeer often paints as if there is light from a window on the left side of the frame, but I think this is a version with even stronger light.

However, there are people shedding tears, people with their mouths open as if speaking to the corpse or the companions around them, people who seem to be deep in thought, and people in the back talking to each other or looking away. There are people where I wonder where they are looking, and others who are just seen from behind in the darkness.

Perhaps there are more people in this darkness. There are places where you can see the outline of the light a little, or maybe it is the string of the cloth hanging from the ceiling...

・Create an explanation about the work using ChatGPT.

Caravaggio's "Death of the Virgin (La Morte della Vergine)" is known as a controversial work that is particularly dramatic among his collection, and at the same time, full of deep humanity and religious provocation. Painted in 1606 and created for the Carmelite friars in Rome, this work followed a turbulent fate of being rejected immediately after delivery.

■ Overview of the work

"Death of the Virgin" is a subject based on New Testament apocrypha and early Christian tradition, depicting the moment the Virgin Mary leaves this world. However, unlike traditional depictions of the Assumption of the Virgin, it is not a miraculous scene of ascending to heaven, but an extremely realistic and practical depiction that brings "death as a human" to the forefront.

■ What kind of painter was Caravaggio?

Caravaggio (1571–1610) was a pioneer of Baroque art and an Italian painter also called a "revolutionary of realism." His characteristic approach was to choose models from real ordinary citizens and poor people, and to drop religious and mythological themes into everyday spaces. Also, through the intense contrast of light and darkness (chiaroscuro), he created a sense of presence that presses upon the viewer.

■ Notable Expressions and Composition

1. The Realism of Death
The Virgin Mary lying in the center of the frame has swollen feet, a pale face, and a body that looks completely drained of strength. She is not depicted as an idealized "Virgin," but as a woman who has truly departed this world. This realistic expression caused a great deal of controversy.
According to legend, Caravaggio used the body of a prostitute who drowned in the Tiber River as a model for this work, which offended the monks and led to the work being rejected.
2. A Group of Mourners
Surrounding the Virgin are some of the Twelve Apostles and Mary Magdalene, who is overcome with grief. While everyone is in deep sorrow, they are not crying out loud, but rather mourning quietly, which is striking. Here lies the all-too-real "silent pain" of humans facing death.
3. The Use of Light
The dramatic light shining from an angle, which is synonymous with Caravaggio. The light entering the dim room falls quietly on Mary's body, highlighting the reality of death. The background is covered in deep darkness, a composition that makes the faces, hands, and fabric textures of the characters stand out even more.

■ Points of Appreciation

• Why depict the death of the "Mother of God" so realistically?
  → Caravaggio sought to reinterpret the story of God as a "human story." Even the Virgin "dies." Underlying this is a paradoxical view of faith that because she dies, she knows human suffering, which deepens the meaning of salvation.

• Handling of Space
  → There is not much perspective or architectural depth in the frame, and the figures are tightly gathered in the foreground. It has a sense of presence as if we are sitting there with them, drawing us into the painting.

• Symbolism of the Red Cloth
  → The deep red curtain hanging over Mary covers the top of the screen like a stage curtain, creating a kind of "theatrical moment." This is not just background decoration, but can also be thought of as symbolizing the boundary between death and rebirth, the secular and the sacred.

■ Conclusion

"The Death of the Virgin" is a work that, while shocking to the viewer, deeply questions the meaning of religious painting and the reality of faith. By daring to depict the story of God from a human perspective, Caravaggio sought to bring the "truth of flesh and emotion" into faith.
When we stand before this work, we will be quietly facing not just a religious scene, but the fundamental human reality of "death" and the posture of prayer toward it.

・Live reaction to the 5-minute explanation

It seems that this painting, Caravaggio's "Death of the Virgin," depicts the same scene as the "Assumption of the Virgin" I viewed the other day, but it is said to be a work that depicts it with even more realism.

It is true that when you think about it calmly, it is the same scene. The impression is completely different, though... but the other one, the "Assumption of the Virgin," also had a dramatic scene, or rather a theatrical form, and looking at today's painting, the feel of the curtain and the expression of the group of people, it feels very theatrical... as the explanation said, I can understand that.

The slightly dirty look of the feet and the dusty look of the hands seem close to the realistic worldview that Caravaggio paints. Thinking about it, the red cloth hanging from the ceiling is quite luxurious for this screen, but the fact that the ceiling itself is painted seems to be a point where he drew reality. He didn't have to paint it, but the fact that he painted the beam part firmly seems to have something in common with painting bare feet and rugged hands.

Also, regarding Mary's body, it is written that he used a real drowned prostitute as a reference, but I realized that I hadn't observed the body at all during my earlier viewing, which was a point of reflection.

I didn't put it into words. I thought a little bit that her stomach was sticking out, or that the perspective of her ankles wasn't drawn very well... but the explanation said that this wasn't a lack of perspective, but an expression of swelling, and I thought, 'Oh, is that so?'

Also, I said there was no blue cloth, but maybe the brownish cloth on her knees was that. Looking at the explanation, I thought that maybe it lost its vibrancy, or maybe it got wet in the water, and the taste changed so it didn't look like a blue cloth.

Maybe I reflexively thought that because it was a corpse, it wasn't something to stare at, and hearing the explanation, I'm a little surprised at my own perspective now. (Maybe that's because it was realistic...) It should be the thing I should look at most since it's drawn in the center and is the subject, so I think it was a waste that I didn't look at it much.

The explanation says that the way the characters cry is also realistic, and indeed, it's not like the 'waaah' feeling you see in dramas, but rather a more sobbing, mournful atmosphere, and I felt it was a space where people in the back were talking or voices were echoing as if they were speaking to each other.

How did it look to you?
See you next time!