Caravaggio’s Naples

If there is any one artist whose life is so closely captured in his art it must be the Italian painter Caravaggio (1571 – 1610).  A native of Milan, his dark and fast life placed him on a tortured path that found him fleeing Rome for Naples with a papal bounty on his head for murder.  It was in the dark and grimy city of the south that Caravaggio found support in the powerful and ruthless Colonna-Sforza family and created some of his most notable works in just a short time in 1607.

The Seven Works of Mercy by Caravaggio
The Seven Works of Mercy ~ Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio

Naples’ elite citizens offered the Italian Baroque artist commissions to paint some of his most emotion-driven works for local churches.  His dramatic use of dark and light and the shadowing technique of chiaroscuro can be seen today in “Madonna of the Rosary” (currently in the Kunsthistorisches Museum of Vienna) and “The Seven Works of Mercy,” which typifies the emotion and suffering of the Neaopolitans of the time in the faces of his characters.

Today art lovers can walk in the shadows of Caravaggio as they stroll through the streets of Naples and soak in the emotion of Caravaggio’s art in a city full of passion.

1. Galleria di Palazzo Zevallos Stigliano (Via Toledo 185) – “The Martyrdom of Ursula” (1610)  Open every day but Monday.  Metro Line 1 – Toledo or Funicolare Centrale – Augusteo

2. Pio Monte della Misericordia (Via dei Tribunali 253) – “The Seven Works of Mercy” (1607)  This was supposed to be seven separate works but Caravaggio combined them into one giant masterpiece which serves as the altarpiece of the tiny church in the historic center of Naples.  Open every day but Wednesday until 2pm.   Metro Line 2 – Piazza Cavour

3.  Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte (Via Miano 2) – “Flagellation of Christ” (1607-1609)  The museum is open seven days a week and can be reached by bus or taxi.

Discounts for all sites are available through the Campania Arte Card.

One thought on “Caravaggio’s Naples

  1. I haven’t been to Naples but this is one of the main reasons to make it a next stop during an Italy visit. I can’t imagine how beautiful the works must look in person.

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