Late Renaissance Rome & Jesuit Cultural Policy

Our third week in Rome focused on the Late Renaissance and the role of the Society of Jesus in that period. This week was busy, but filled with experiences that added to my appreciation for Renaissance art and Italian culture, both past and present.

The Late Renaissance was characterized by manneristic, dynamic poses, three dimensional figures, and classical architecture. The Renaissance ideals of beauty and symmetry and the perfect human form were evident in this week’s excursions, as well as the 17th century religious iconography that fell in line with the teachings of the Society of Jesus--- meditation and an emphasis on the visceral.

In the 16th century, religious iconography begins to take on a new role in the church. While the Protestant Reformation rejected this imagery, Catholicism embraced it, explaining that it was not the image itself being venerated, but rather it was to be used as a window through which one could venerate the figures it illustrated. Jerome Nadal, a prominent founder of the Jesuit’s encouraged this with his illustrated Gospel teachings, allowing for the viewer to concretize their own prayers. Taking this into consideration, it follows logically that the church of Santo Stefano al Monte Celio would be such a monument historically. We visited the rontondo and viewed the series of frescos depicting martyrdoms of several saints. The various scenes were incredibly graphic. One might wonder why these images were viewed willingly and prayed to when they are hard to really study at all. In the same generation as the Jesuit methodology of prayer and meditation, however, viewing these images of saints’ martyrdoms that were seen as an act of heroism allowed for the viewer to internalize the scene and what it represented for their own faith, whether that was to admire and aspire to that level of faith or to pray for the intercession of someone so clearly close to God.

As we moved from viewing a much more idealized, classicized figure in the High Renaissance period with artists like Michelangelo and Raphael, artist Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio portrayed the human figure in its truest form. Without regard to the idealized and heroic figures of his predecessors, Caravaggio painted the forms he saw in front of him with all of their faults and, notably their filth. He capitalized on the techniques of chiaroscuro and tenebrism, bringing his characters to life with a candlelit effect which emphasized their three-dimensionality and form within a space of darkness. At the church of San Luigi dei Francesi, three examples of his work were featured in one of the side chapels--- The Calling of St. Matthew, The Inspiration of St. Matthew, and The Martyrdom of St. Matthew. In each, the figures and background are heavily contrasted, and lit from a certain point within the scene. Caravaggio was known for his use of models and real life examples for his paintings which is interesting to consider when viewing his works. The realism of his figures expressions, like the example of the Medusa shield in the Uffizi in Florence or the terrified face of Isaac in the Sacrifice of Isaac, is almost jarring and feels years before its time stylistically.

 

 

Finally, Bernini, who last week was featured heavily when our class toured the Baroque era of Roman art and architecture, produced several works that are representative of the Late Renaissance aesthetic. The sculpture, The Rape of Proserpina that is located at the Galleria Borghese is among those pieces that immortalize the essence of the Renaissance with its movement, mannerist poses and the realism of the hand of Hades sinking into the marble flesh of Persephone as he clutches her figure. The two figures are intertwined, in awkward positions that nevertheless flow beautifully together, and there is movement that is tangible and obvious to the viewer, as Persephone pushes against her abductor and leans in the direction she is being taken from, her eyes looking back, desperate and apologetic.

It is remarkable to reflect back on the Byzantine style/ Late Medieval images we studied the first week and see how those static, two dimensional images depicting the same allegories and motifs, could become Caravaggio paintings by the Late Renaissance. As my Rome experience winds down in this coming week, I feel that the bigger picture of art and history in Rome is beginning to come into view.