Discovering Caravaggio: The Art Lover's Guide to Understanding Symbols in His Paintings

by Stefano Zuffi, Philippe Daverio (Introduction)

Beautifully reproduced masterpieces showcase Caravaggio’s genius in a unique, highly educational, and enjoyable format. Published to coincide with an exhibition at Rome’s Scudrie del Quirinale on the four hundredth anniversary of Caravaggio’s death, this magnificent book reproduces fifty of his most important works from great museums around the world. Each work is accompanied by a page of die-cut windows that help the reader focus on specific aspects of each painting and features captions that highlight the most important details or subtle symbolism embedded in a painting. Called the most famous painter in Rome during his lifetime, Caravaggio is credited with bringing realism to painting, refining the technique of chiaroscuro, and inspiring the rise of the baroque. Among the masterpieces included are Boy with a Basket of Fruit, Bacchus, John the Baptist, Medusa, Judith Beheading Holofernes, Amor Victorious, Ecce Homo and The Flagellation of Christ.

Genres: Art, Art History, Renaissance, Nonfiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published May 4, 2001

About the author

Stefano Zuffi (Milano, 24 maggio 1961) è uno storico dell'arte italiano.

Laureato alla Statale di Milano, è autore di numerosi volumi di divulgazione culturale, legati alla storia dell'arte soprattutto rinascimentale e barocca. Consulente editoriale per la casa editrice Electa, è stato responsabile di alcune collane di successo al grande pubblico, come gli Artbook e, dal 2002, I dizionari dell'arte.

Tra le sue pubblicazioni, una monografia su Dürer, Il Grande Atlante della Pittura (Electa) e il saggio Rinascimento (Mondadori): tradotte in più lingue, hanno raggiunto una tiratura di oltre un milione e mezzo di copie vendute in tutto il mondo.

Ha partecipato alla trasmissione Riguardiamoli condotta da Salvatore Maria Fares su RETEDUE della Radio Svizzera Italiana, curando una rubrica dedicata all' arte e alle mostre.

Ricopre l'incarico di responsabile culturale dell'Associazione Amici di Brera ed è presidente dell'Associazione Amici del Poldi Pezzoli.

È inoltre curatore della Pinacoteca Podesti di Ancona.

Reviews

[Grady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Caravaggio's Genius Dissected

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571 - 1610) remains one of the most revered Italian artists of his time and continues to influence artists today for his extraordinarily realistic observation of the human state, both physical and emotional, and for his dramatic (an much imitated) use of lighting. It is then appropriate for authors Stefano Zuffi and Philippe Daverio to approach the fifty one of the master's paintings with attention drawn to details of each of these paintings with the useful technique of making overlay pages with die-cut windows to heighten the readers attention to specific details. While this may sound like a teaching lesson carried too far, the drama the authors create in using this technique is so successful that they provide ways to examine Caravaggio's particular gifts as a painter better than anyone has attempted to date.

This book serves not only the academic world but also the art lover world. Written as an accompaniment to an exhibition at Rome's Scudrie del Quirinale on the four hundredth anniversary of Caravaggio's death, the book serves as a catalogue - if only the exhibition had been able to showcase all of the paintings included here: they are spread throughout the world in museums and this is probably the only time the public can obtain an overview of the genius' spectrum in such an intense setting. In addition to the very famous paintings of this artist are lesser known paintings, beautifully reproduced on quality paper with excellent color saturation (the book is published by Rizzoli). Such paintings as 'The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew' and 'The Conversion of St Paul', using the die-cut windows allow us to study carefully the faces of the subjects, allows appreciation for the first time the depth of understanding and spiritual sensitivity of these depictions.

This may be the first book to invite the critical eye to details of paintings whose impact is so strong that without the guidance of Zuffi and Daverio many of these incredible details may go unnoticed or overlooked. This is a fine treasury of Caravaggio's work and a very well written book of both admiration and critical examination. Very highly recommended.

Grady Harp

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Assembling 51 Caravaggio paintings in one work is an important enough project, but this book is more. Each painting is overlaid by a page of cut outs which frame significant portions of the work. There is commentary adjacent to the framing. I have not seen this technique before. It is very effective. By isolating the elements, you can see much more clearly, the points of interest.

The chronological arrangement and the assembly on a single page of cropped photos of like features (flowers and fruit, heads, recurring models) helps you to see and understand the work even better. For some paintings there is a double paged blow up.

The narrative and the points aside the frames are just enough to inform and not distract from the works. Caravaggio's interesting life is told in the narrative and a chronology in the back.

Caravaggio scholar, Stefano Zuffi and Rizzoli have done a fabulous job in putting this together.

[Spook Sulek · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great introduction to Caravaggio, and while I would have organized the book differently, I loved the time taken to explain all the canvases and the various aspects thereof. I really, really enjoyed this text and want to look at other books in the series!

[Eavan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely gorgeous book. Puts in easy enough terms the frame of mind and influences in Caravaggio's many works through the genius mode of cutouts. Particularly famous paintings are given a spread of 2 pages focused on a detail of importance (The Calling of Saint Matthew, Bacchus, The Cardsharps, etc.) Here were some of my favorites:








The cutouts offered me a chance to view and analyze the painting for myself before reading the page's interpretation, in a way "guiding" me to what to look for in his paintings.

I only wish the book had more analysis and less emphasis on the many homes, complicated commissioners and their 5 names, and museums the paintings passed through. The small paragraphs before the painting were at times a bit incongruous as well. I don't have the strongest grasp of the saints and biblical stores either, and so a bit more on that would have made it more informational (I still don't know what Saint Lucia did or died by).

Also, be aware this is a huge book, (10 x 13) so like... this is home reading. Still a definite recommend. Can't wait to get a biography or two on this man.