Baroque Art: The Denial of St. Peter

 The Denial of St. Peter

Caravaggio (1610)


    This piece was painted by Caravaggio in 1610 towards the end of his artistic career while living in Naples. The painting depicts St. Peter, bathed in light, being accused of being a disciple of Christ by a woman and a Roman soldier. This piece was made by Caravaggio solely for his own desire, not because of a commission from any religious or noble figure.
    The Baroque era came with certain changes in religious imagery. Whereas the Renaissance may have shown grandiose scenes of heavenly bounties or celebrated the achievements of humanity, religious art during the Baroque period took a far more realistic and dramatic approach as shown above. With the Counter Reformation in full swing following the Council of Trent, works like these became the norm, as a way to convey intended spiritual emotions. With the piece above, St. Peter is not portrayed as a virtuous, angelic follower of Christ, but merely a man, just as Caravaggio saw him.
    The tone in the painting is very dramatic, making use of tenebrism (a heavy contrast between light and dark) to give the viewer a sense of discomfort and unease. The brightest light of the painting shines upon St. Peter, judging him for his actions. The least light shines upon the soldier, portraying him as an uncaring force that serves solely as a threat to the disciple and his allegiance.
    I enjoy this painting quite a lot, I feel the use of tone and lighting are absolutely beautiful and work on many levels. The way the fireplace in the background burns dimly rather than emitting a contesting light to the one seen up front is so ominous, making it seem as if it is an extension of the soldier lying in darkness, testing St. Peter. The realistic portrayal of the subjects is also something I greatly enjoy, and find more emotionally compelling than past, dry portrayals of humans.

Bibliography


“Caravaggio’s the Denial of St. Peter.” www.ukessays.com, www.ukessays.com/essays/religion/the-denial-of-saint-peter.php.

Comments

  1. AlyssaOctober 14, 2022 at 12:14 PM

    Hello, Christopher! I love how Caravaggio uses contrast so dramatically in his art. I think he is a master at striking the viewer. His art reaches into you. You say you prefer portrayals of people to be more “emotionally compelling," and I think that’s something fantastic about Baroque art. It is realistic in a way that speaks to a viewer’s heart.

    I also think this painting speaks so well to the times. The influence of the Council of Trent was massive, and the subject matter and portrayal match it. We learned that the Council of Trent focused on emotional, realistic art. The art was supposed to spread the message of Christianity with clarity. The expressions in this painting are so clear. Additionally, you point out that the brightest light shines on Peter. For me, that elicits the feeling of being put on the spot. Maybe you knew what you wanted to say at some point, but being put on the spot can turn you into a coward. You might say anything to get the spotlight off of you, whether or not you mean it. Words said are harder to take away than words unsaid. St. Peter’s denial is significant because his first denial portrays a stark contrast to his known character. He goes on to deny two more times, and each denial is “worse” than the previous one. Now, there are four canonized Gospels, and the Gospel of John gives Peter a redemption scene. In it, Jesus asks Peter three times if he loves him. I’ll include a link with further explanation on the topic.

    https://aleteia.org/2019/05/05/why-did-jesus-ask-peter-do-you-love-me-three-times/

    ReplyDelete
  2. Katie NationsOctober 17, 2022 at 9:18 PM

    Hello, thank you for sharing! I do not particularly enjoy the light in this painting. I think it is very dark, and it is hard to make out the faces of the individuals in the image. I believe the tone and lighting add to the theme of the painting because it gives an ominous feel. There is almost a suspenseful feeling that emits from the image because of the shading used. 

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Introduction Blog Post

Image
     Hello! My name is Christopher Osbourne Mittelstadt but if you're reading this you can call me Ozzy! I am a geoscience major at UAF and I am currently in my second year! I enjoy drawing, running, playing games, and writing. When I'm not on campus doing schoolwork, I can be found playing Dungeons and Dragons with my friends. I look forward to this class and being able to learn more about art! (2) BBC Michael Palin in Wyeth´s World - YouTube      I have a great respect for art, and I wish to learn much more about it. As it stands, I only know about a few pieces and practice drawing in my spare time. I have not gone to any First Fridays, but I have always wanted to, and I often visit the Bear Art Gallery at Pioneer Park with my friends. 
Read more

Renaissance Spotlight: Hieronymus Bosch

Image
The Last Judgement Hieronymus Bosch (1504-1508)       The triptych above is The Last Judgement, one of Bosche's most famous paintings. Art historians believe that Bosch painted this piece in Bruges as a commission for Philip the Fair around 1505. The triptych depicts the fall of humanity across its panels, beginning with the original sin in the Garden of Eden.     The Triptych      Along the first third of the piece, God is depicted casting out Lucifer and the fallen angels from Heaven. Adam and Eve are also shown succumbing to the temptation of the serpent and being cast from the Garden in a similar fashion to the angels falling from grace.      The second third of the triptych is gruesome and appalling with a fantastically horrifying depiction of Limbo. Within, humans are tormented by the sins they commit and numerous demons.     The third panel descends further into the depravity of the second, with its display of hellfire and Lucifer sitting as the lord of a land of suffering
Read more

Romanticism

Image
      I would like to share what I have learned about what I feel to be the two main art styles of the Romantic Era: Romanticism and Realism.     The Raft of Medusa Theodore Gericault (1819)     Depicted above are two Romantic paintings. The first is The Raft of the Medusa by Theodore Gericault. This was painted in 1819 in France three years after a devastating naval disaster that serves as the subject of the painting. This painting demonstrates several key Romantic motifs in its image, one being its grim portrayal of tragedy, not putting on airs to cover up a dark moment in history. Its subjectivity is also a commonly seen trait in Romantic paintings, with the only thing objectively being shown being human suffering, leaving the viewer to create their own narrative, who was to blame for this?      The use of tone is extremely dramatic, holding onto techniques of the neoclassical era while advancing the message of the painting in a manner nearly antithetical to that of Neoclassicism. 
Read more