Caravaggio Day In Rome

The jet lag was subsiding, the camper repairs were done, Alessandro had a lead for us on new tires--but not until Tuesday--so we decided to go into The City once more, on Monday the 7th, to see some of the work of Michaelangelo de Merisi, aka Caravaggio, aka Painter of Light, aka Mr. Fruity Butt Pants. Rome is the sort of place you can just wade into without much purpose or agenda and still have a glorious time. But it helps to have some destination, even if you never get there.

In a sausage shoppe along the way

In the St. Louis church, near the Piazza Navona; over-the-top
Baroque (note linguistic change)

Among Caravaggio fans, this is the Matthew Cycle
church, in which we can see the calling of Matthew, perhaps
Caravaggio's greatest hit; note light

Matthew taking dictation from an angel
(Guido Reni's Matthew, in the Vatican, is far,
far superior)

And the Martyrdom of Matthew

Which is a good starting point for discussion of Caravaggio's
framing many, if not most, of his paintings around someone's
butt; thus, Mr. Fruity Butt Pants

Back in the nave, a fitting tribute to one of
France's greatest painters, Claude Gelee, aka
Claude Lorraine, who spent virtually his whole
career in Italy; Turner's hero; St. Louis' is the
French church in Rome

In the St. Cecilia chapel, Reni's copy of Rafael's
Ecstasy of St. Cecelia; apparently, as Vicki
noted, Rafael couldn't quite get his model into
the ecstatic state that Bernini achieved

Huge Domenichino St. Cecilia Distributing Her Clothing
to the Poor

And death of St. Cecilia...note angel carrying palm frond...
always a very, very bad sign...

Tour groups massing for attack outside the
church of St. Louis

Under the watchful eyes of boys with silly hats and machine
guns

Moving right along now toward the Piazza del Populo and more
Caravaggios

Finally, after 2,000 years, they're renovating Augustus'
Mausoleum

And now we're in the Piazza del Populo; speaking of linguistic
change, the "Piazza of the People," as it is now called, was
originally the "Piazza of the Poplars"; oh well

And now we're in the Mary basilica there,
mocking, I mean admiring, Caravaggio's
Crucifixion of St. Peter; note huge butt (hot
Peter's)

Same church, admiring Caravaggio's
Conversion of Saul; note horse butt; I rest
my case; again

Dome swirler

Walking back via the Via del Corso