“The Painters of Light. From Caravaggio to Paolini” is the title of the exhibition currently taking place at the Cavallerizza Space in Lucca, a well-known venue in the city for cultural events of all kinds and always committed to enhancing art in all its forms.
The exhibition, curated by Vittorio Sgarbi and produced by Contemplazioni, which has overseen the artistic direction, has become – just three months after its opening – an unmissable event for art enthusiasts and beyond.
Caravaggio and the Painters of Light in the Seventeenth Century
Just hearing the name Caravaggio is enough to visit the exhibition, where the entire experience fully meets the high expectations when dealing with the masterpieces of one of the greatest geniuses in the history of art.
“The Painters of Light. From Caravaggio to Paolini” features a true showcase of ninety works that, for this occasion, have arrived in Tuscany from national and international museums, various dioceses, and important private collections.
Displayed in eight rooms and in direct dialogue with the sculptures of Cesare Inzerillo and Marilena Manzella, the exhibited masterpieces belong, as suggested by the title of the exhibition itself, to those artists who made light and its presence on the canvas their distinctive trait.
Illustrious names of seventeenth-century art can be found, who throughout their careers were inspired by Caravaggio, adopting his style and attempting the arduous task of surpassing him, among them we find: Pieter Paul Rubens, Pietro Paolini, Orazio Gentileschi, Orazio Riminaldi, Orazio Borgianni, Giovanni Baglione, Bernardino Mei, Giovanni Coli, and Filippo Gherardi, Caracciolo, Mattia Preti.
Caravaggio Between Light and Darkness
Caravaggio is defined as the “screenwriter of light”: in his paintings, light is a breathing element against the surrounding darkness and gloomy atmospheres. The result is not a struggle between opposites, but rather a complementary dialogue between what is in the dark and what is illuminated.
Caravaggio also directed beams of light onto the humblest details of the painting, such as the dirty hands of his protagonists, their feet, or their humble garments. Such attention is certainly not a coincidence: Merisi often frequented poor environments, often gathering places for characters considered the outcasts of society, the last. In the masterpieces of the master, they are the source of inspiration, as well as models and true protagonists.
The Tooth Puller by Caravaggio
Among the masterpieces exhibited in the exhibition “The Painters of Light. From Caravaggio to Paolini” is the Tooth Puller, presumably created in October 1608 and belonging to the collection of the Uffizi in Florence, whose stay in the exhibition has been extended. Some masterpieces, in fact, alternate throughout the duration of the exhibition, making the artistic itinerary even richer. The Tooth Puller, since April, has been replaced by a wonderful work by Spadarino, the “Guardian Angel.”
Lucca’s Tribute to Pietro Paolini
But “The Painters of Light. From Caravaggio to Paolini” is confirmed as an even more significant event as it is the first artistic exhibition focused on Pietro Paolini, a Caravaggist and native of Lucca, to whom his city today pays the rightful and deserved tribute.
Paolini, in fact, throughout history, unfortunately, has not enjoyed the same fame as other artists like Guercino or Mattia Preti, but today, thanks also to this exhibition, his immense artistic value is finally recognized.
Among the many masterpieces of the painter, one can admire the Adoration of the Shepherds, perhaps his most famous work, created during his Roman years: the holy family is depicted in a dark setting, described as “by night light” and the only source of light illuminates the child.
Among the other works by Pietro Paolini on display, we recall: Portrait of Abbot Andrea Raffaelli, Concert of Five Figures, Portrait of a Man Writing by the Light of a Lamp, Allegory of Life and Death, Saint Sebastian, Mondone Playing the Lute with a Woman and Cupid Waiting, Saint Augustine at the Writing Desk, Musical Banquet or Allegory of Five Figures, Sleeping Cupid.
“The Painters of Light. From Caravaggio to Paolini” confirms itself as the most important exhibition of 17th-century painting ever held in recent years.
