Guess the Artist (Detroit Institute of Arts) #25!

Isn’t this a beautiful painting? Do you recognize it? Do you know who the artist is? Breathtaking! Take a moment (or a while) and guess who, feel free to comment in the comment section or on social media (FB/Instagram – links on this website). Do you know your art history? I am not exceptional at it, but from doing this I am learning plenty. Some of you really know your stuff and it’s so impressive. Even wrong guesses are impressive to me! Give it a whirl…

Ok, take a sec if you want to try to guess – otherwise, read on for the answer and then read on to the details portion (from the DIA), it’s fascinating to me to learn more about the artist, what he was thinking while painting this stunning masterpiece!

A N S W E R :

Martha and Mary Magdalene, ca. 1598

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, Italian, 1571 – 1610

Oil and tempera on canvas

Unframed: 39 3/8 × 52 15/16 inches (100 × 134.5 cm)
51 × 64 3/4 × 3 3/4 inches, 111 pounds (129.5 × 164.5 × 9.5 cm, 50.3488 KG)

Gift of the Kresge Foundation and Mrs. Edsel B. Ford

Details

Caravaggio introduced dramatic effects of light and shadow in his paintings and often used ordinary-looking people to illustrate religious stories. Artists from Italy, as well as from other European countries, adopted his style. In the sixteenth century a new emphasis was placed on Mary Magdalen’s role as a converted sinner. Caravaggio depicts Mary’s sister Martha, dressed modestly, reproaching her sister for her wayward conduct and enumerating on her fingers the miracles of Christ. This exact moment of the conversion was obviously a tremendous challenge for the painter because the change is spiritual rather than physical. Caravaggio’s solution was to manipulate the light that illuminates the Magdalen, giving her an unearthly glow. The mirror, a traditional Image of vanity, now reflects the light of divine revelation.
Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA.ORG)

DIA WEBSITE | Instagram | This painting

Read about Caravaggio HERE, from brittanica.com!