Compare The Art Of Poussin And Caravaggio. Discuss The Differences Between The Two In Terms Of (I) Lighting; (Ii) The Dramatic Moment; (Iii) Narrativity; (Iv) Scenography.

In this essay I discuss two great painters in their own style; Nicolas Poussin and Michelangelo Mirise da Caravaggio. They are from diverse painting styles and they are directed to a very different type of spectators. Caravaggio is a Baroque naturalist placing realism as its main feature. He takes realism to its extreme involving the spectator in the actual scene. This style was created by theCatholic Church as a means to fight the new born Protestant Church in the North. The Church began to produce paintings as a type of propaganda to get into the heart of the illiterate people and thus, gain and maintain adepts. On the other hand, Poussin was a classicist who turned to Classical texts to refine the art of painting placing it next to music and poesy. He was interested in the diversityof human emotions and the ideal beauty of nature and humans. For him the purpose of paintings was to beautify the real world and he achieved this by a strict technique of structure and order. He was a man of knowledge and used it in his paintings riddled with symbolism.

1. Lighting
Caravaggio used the style invented by Leonardo Da Vinci, “Tenebrism” which can be a synonymous of dramaticillumination (i.e. as in a theatre) focusing the light in the dramatic scene just about to happen. This style uses a clear contrast between light and darkness (i.e. chiaroscuro). Yet, it is the darkness which dominates the picture. Tenebrism even if invented by Da Vinci is normally associated with Caravaggio. In his paintings there is not background (i.e. very simple or black) instead concentrates thepaint in the only scene which it is placed right in front of the spectator at the inferior part of the frame. It reinforces the emotion of the act with the emotions and expressions displayed by secondary figures such as in The Calling of Saint Mathew, The incredulity of Saint Thomas, The Death of the Virgin among many others. He uses light and warm or cold colours depending on the theme providingmore emphasis to drama of the scene or instead follows continuity from one painting to another as in the triple display in the Church of Contarelli in Rome (i.e. The Inspiration of Saint Mathew, The Calling of Saint Mathew and The Killing of Saint Mathew). The place which the paint is going to be displaced also affects Caravaggio decision on lighting, colours and scenography. For example, in TheCalling of Saint Mathew the light concentrates in the finger of Jesus pointing at Saint Mathew (i.e. the transformation from a sinner to a devoted disciple) while Christ remains in the dark; the man with glasses does not pay attention as he does not see the ‘light’. In this painting Caravaggio imitates the light coming in from a small window within the Church which it is placed in the same side asthe focus of light in the painting. He also might provide a symbolic meaning to the light while using it to enhance its dramatic effect while in others and for the same purpose the light arrives from different directions. Caravaggio lighting enforces the emotions shown in the paint and the action which it is anticipated; it resemblance the scene of a theatre play.

Poussin uses the fundamentalchange from cold (i.e. blues) to warm (i.e. yellow and red) colours to give contrast as it was the Venetian style of the époque. He uses these colours to highlight the figures and guide the spectator through the paint. He uses softened colours for the rest of the figures. For example, in The Gathering of Manna the figures in blue, red and yellow make a triangular structure which if looking closely,the gestures and composition of the figures guides the viewer throughout the paint. Poussin do not use Caravaggio’s chiaroscuro technique but in many cases he stills use a softened light in a symbolic approach such as in A Man Killed By a Snake (i.e. a shadow only covering the death man), in landscape with Orpheus and Eurydice (i.e. the shadow also seems to predict something bad coming) or in...