Rest on the Flight from Egypt (c.1640) Claude Lorrain. Lorrain is known as one of the first purely landscape painters of Baroque era. Lorrain wasn't interested in painting things exactly as they exist in front of him, he preferred to improve upon what was naturally possible to create an idyllic scene. Like many Baroque artists, Lorrain explored the use of light, though his approach was far more subtle and atmospheric than the dramatic contrasts favored by Caravaggio. Lorrain hides the sun behind the trees and masterfully depicts the subtle effects of light filtering through foliage. The narrative takes a back seat in the overall composition, but we can see angels feeding baby Jesus while Mary looks on and Joseph is disengaged, looking at some papers.

Today the (Western) Catholic church celebrates the Assumption of Mary. Tucked inside Rome’s Santa Maria del Popolo is the Cerasi Chapel, renowned for its two striking Caravaggio masterpieces. Yet above the altar, quietly commanding attention, hangs a third treasure: Assumption of the Virgin Mary (1600), a luminous work by Annibale Carracci that completes the chapel’s artistic triad. Carracci masterfully captures the moment of the Virgin Mary's ascent to heaven, surrounded by angels. The dynamic composition and vivid colors draw viewers into the scene, creating a sense of movement and divine energy. This piece is notable for its blend of realism and idealism, reflecting Carracci's deep understanding of human anatomy and his ability to convey spiritual themes.

The Vision of St. Jerome (1660) Giovanni Battista Langetti. Langetti is a lesser-known Baroque artist, he worked in Venice and his use of light to help create drama shows Caravaggio’s influence and the intense colors show the influence from Tintoretto.

This painting really stood out for me compared to most all other Baroque paintings of St Jerome because it is an intense action scene. Most paintings of St. Jerome I’ve seen have been with the St. looking inward, contemplating. Here Langetti gives us an Angel blasting his horn so loudly you can almost hear it. St Jerome is terrified by the noise and Langetti has caught him mid-reaction to the vision.

Otherwise, this depiction includes all the standard iconography of St.Jerome, the red Cardinal’s galero (hat), the books and skull and notably a lion. Two things of interest, its often said that St. Jerome was a Cardinal. He wasn’t, in fact the office of Cardinal didnt’ exist until the 6th century. However, Jerome was an advisor/secretary to Pope Damascus I. Also of interest is the lion the background. In the Golden Legend, it is said that St. Jerome tamed a lion by pulling a thorn out of its paw and in return, the lion lived at the monastery and helped with chores and protected the monastic donkey from other predators.

Danaë and the Shower of Gold (c1623) by Orazio Gentileschi. The subject draws from a tale in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, where King Acrisius of Argos locks away his stunning daughter, Danaë, in a desperate attempt to thwart a prophecy foretelling that her future son would be his undoing. Defying mortal barriers, Jupiter descends in a shimmering golden shower, impregnating Danaë and setting into motion the birth of Perseus—the legendary hero who ultimately fulfills the Oracle’s ominous prediction.

The Museum acquired this piece in 1970 with the understanding that it was the three paintings that Orazio had painted for Antonio Sauli’s Genoese Palazzo in the early 1620s. However, it was later discovered that the version in Cleveland is an autograph copy of the original. (Meaning Orazio painted it but it was not for Sauli.) The original is in the Getty Museum in Los Angeles.

This piece underwent significant restoration a few years ago, returning it to its former glory; interestingly, the restoration that occurred in the 1970s when it was purchased by the museum actually ended up diminishing the painting’s viewability over time.

Samson and Delilah (1616) by Gerritt von Honthorst. This is a fantastic representation of the Utrecht Caravaggisti, as von Honthorst and several of his contemporaries finished their formal education in the Netherlands and then spent several years in Rome where they were heavily influenced by Caravaggio’s paintings. Upon their return to Utrecht, the popularized the style and became highly sought after, particularly for their use of chiaroscuro. The scene is lit by the visible candle where Delilah cuts the sleeping Samson’s hair. The look on the maid servant tells us to keep quiet while she watches out for any unexpected visitors

Caravaggio’s "The Crucifixion of St. Andrew" stands out prominently among the works in the room at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Acquired by the museum in 1976, the painting had only recently been attributed to Caravaggio. After disappearing from historical records in 1653, it resurfaced centuries later in a convent in Spain and was published as an autograph work in 1972. How or when it arrived at the convent remains a mystery.

This painting presents a distinctive interpretation of St. Andrew’s martyrdom. Unlike the traditional X-shaped cross typically associated with him—a symbol that even bears his name—Caravaggio depicts him on a standard cruciform cross. It is believed that this deviation may have been suggested by the painting’s original patron.

The narrative of St. Andrew’s death is also unusual. According to tradition, he was bound to the cross rather than nailed, and he remained alive for several days, preaching to onlookers. His words began converting many to Christianity, which angered local officials. In response, they ordered him to be taken down and executed by other means. However, as he was being unbound, St. Andrew prayed to die on the cross like Jesus. Miraculously, he died at that very moment. Caravaggio captures the astonishment of the crowd in this scene—their shock evident as they witness his sudden death, just before his release.

The Sunday Gospel in the Catholic church covered Luke Chapter 10, when Jesus visited Martha and Mary in Bethany. Martha was busy with hosting duties, while Mary sat listening to Him. Martha asked Jesus to make Mary help, but He praised Mary for choosing what truly matters. Diego Velázquez paints an amazing scene that is commonly interpreted as Jesus, Mary (sitting) and Martha in the background. Jesus is rebuking Martha for complaining about Mary. In the foreground, working, obviously flustered is the maid crushing garlic. The elder woman is reminding her that she cannot find fulfillment alone in hard work. Others interpret the woman in the foreground as Martha and the standing woman in the background as incidental. Either way, the detail in the fish, garlic and other still life elements are outstanding.

In keeping with the theme of Martha and Mary of Bethany, we take another look on Caravaggio's amazing Martha and Mary Magdalene (1598). This piece is typically interpreted as the moment that Mary Magdalene turns away from her life of sin as a prostitute and embraces God as her sister Martha pleads with her. Today, we know that Mary of Bethany is a different person than Mary Magdalene and that Bible says nothing about Mary Magdalene actually being a prostitute. However, back in Caravaggio's day, Mary Magdalene was a main figure in the Counter-Reformation efforts, known as the prostitute turned saint whose sister Martha helped put her on the path to God. Baroque art is full of paintings of Mary Magdalene in various states of dress and ecstasy that we will continue to explore.

St. Peter Repentant (1645) by Georges de La Tour shows a wide-eyed St. Peter, with his hands clasped in grief, contemplating his denial of Jesus. We see the rooster to reinforce the Bible story where Peter denied that he was with Jesus three times before the cock crowed. LaTour is unique among famous Baroque artists in that the chronology of his paintings are generally unknown. Until the 20th century, many of his paintings were mis-attributed to Spanish Baroque artists.

"Boy Drinking"(1582-83) by Annibale Carracci is a fantastic piece at the Cleveland Museum of Art. This genre scene is an early work by Carracci and is particularly notable for its naturalism, notice the way that the glass distorts the images. Also extremely interesting is the way Carracci's painting technique matches the subject matter. Meaning the matte, earthy colors and thick, rugged brushstrokes enhance the fact that the boy is an average citizen, (over) indulging and not a wealthy aristocrat. The Carraccis' (Annibale, Agostino and Ludovico) influence on Baroque art can't be overstated and we will be exploring more of their work in the coming months.

“The Crucifixion" (1627) by Francisco de Zurbarán. The black background and amazing detail on Jesus’ body and loin cloth make this painting feel three dimensional. It is unknown if Zurbaran ever saw Caravaggio’s paintings, but looking at this piece, it is hard to believe he had not.

Estaban Murillo Ecce Agnes Dei (c.1655) “Behold the Lamb of God” depicts adult John the Baptist and Jesus together. John the Baptist has his traditional iconography of being barefoot with camel skin clothing, staff with cross and red cloak as well as gesturing toward Jesus. Jesus is standing humbly with his purple cloak. It is fairly unique to show adult Jesus and his cousin John the Baptist as adults, it is one of four paintings that Murillo did for a church in Seville that described the life of John the Baptist. It is speculation on our part, but I think Jesus has been recently baptized by his cousin and is ready to head into the desert before beginning his ministry.

“Saint John the Baptist in the Wilderness” (c. 1622) by Diego Velázquez. Velázquez is the most famous painter of the Spanish Golden Age and strongly influenced impressionism and realism in the 19th century.
Growing up in Seville, Velazquez had not seen Caravaggio’s paintings first hand at the time he painted this piece. It is thought he may have seen copies though, as it's hard to deny the tenebrism at work in this painting.
In this painting, we see St. John the Baptist with the requisite symbols: wilderness setting, the staff with the cross, the camel hair clothing and the lamb. Unique in this depiction is the inclusion of the purple drapery. Purple is associated with preparation in the Catholic and could be another indication of St. John’s role of preparing us for the coming of Jesus.
Fun Fact: Velázquez was an extremely unique painter in that he never specialized in any particular type of painting and his repertory includes all the major thematic fields of Baroque art including portraiture, female nudes, mythological and sacred history paintings and the great allegories. Additionally, Velázquez upheld human dignity like no one before him - he frequently painted portraits of dwarves and court fools and imbued them with an undeniable dignity and did so with no hint of mockery. We recently saw one such painting at the Cleveland Museum of Art, more to come on that soon!

Francisco de Zurbarán's “Saint Roma nus of Antioch and Saint Barulas” (1638) depicts the martyr St. Romanus holding his tongue, which his tormentors cut out, while holding a book open to a page that begs God for intercession on behalf of the faithful. Looking up at him is 7 year old St. Barulas who was also martyred with St. Romanus.

Bartolomeo Manfredi’s “Cupid Chastised” (1613). This painting depicts a scene of Mars beating Cupid while Venus tries in vain to stop him. Mars is punishing Cupid for having caused his affair with Venus. Observe Mars’ physicality and dominance, and contrast with Cupid’s vulnerability and submissiveness.
This painting is so Caravaggesque that when the Art Institute of Chicago acquired this painting as part of the Charles H. and Mary F. S. Worcester Collection it was labeled simply as “School of Caravaggio.” Soon after the piece was featured in a 1951 Caravaggio exhibition in Milan, the label was updated to reflect attribution to Manfredi.

Fun Fact - The physician, art collector and author - Giulio Mancini had asked Caravaggio to paint “Cupid Chastised” for him, but Manfredi offered a better price for the painting so Mancini gave the commission to him. There is an alternate version of this story that says that Caravaggio did paint a “Cupid Chastised” for Manfredi, but Cardinal del Monte took it (as Cardinals do), so Mancini then commissioned Manfredi to paint a “Cupid Chastised” for him. The supposed del Monte “Cupid Chastised” is lost today. Either way, we are lucky to have this masterpiece at the Art Institute of Chicago

Giovanni Baglione’s “Ecstasy of St. Francis.” (1601). In this painting we see St. Francis reaching a state of ecstasy after deep meditation on Jesus’ cross and crown of thorns. Luckily for St. Francis, an angel catches him as he falls backward. Baglione portrays this moment in time with the expression of spiritual rapture on St. Francis's face, the heavenly light illuminating the scene and highlighting his connection to the divine, and the dramatic use of chiaroscuro to create depth and emphasize the mystical atmosphere. These elements combine to convey the profound spiritual experience depicted in the painting.
Fun Fact - Baglione competed with Caravaggio for important commissions in Rome at the turn of the 17th century. He incorporated Caravaggio’s style for many of his paintings much to the chagrin of Caravaggio. Baglione took Caravaggio to court over some derogatory poems that he accused Caravaggio of writing and circulating around Rome. Caravaggio was found guilty and spent two weeks in jail. Baglione went on to be Caravaggio’s first biographer and while his disdain for the artist is plain, the text serves as the foundation for almost everything we know about Caravaggio today.

“Penitent St. Peter” (c.1628) by Jusepe de Ribera. This piece truly captures Saint Peter's intense sorrow and penitence through his detailed facial expression and teary eyes. Ribera's masterful use of light and shadow draws attention to the saint's face and hands, creating a dramatic contrast with the dark background. Pay attention to the symbolic elements, such as the saint’s hand position and the textures of his clothing, which reflect the themes of repentance and humility. These details contribute to the painting's narrative and mood

May 22nd is the Feast day of St. Rita of Cascia. In Rome, in the Basilica di Sant'Agostino (Basilica of Saint Augustine), there is a Chapel dedicated to her memory. "Ecstasy of Blessed Rita da Cascia" (1674) by Giacinto Brandi is on the altar of the Chapel.

On May 1st the Catholic Church celebrates St. Joseph the Worker, the patron saint of all workers. Joseph was a popular subject to paint during the Counter-Reformation as he truly represents spirituality in everyday life.

"Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." (John 20:27).

With the "Incredulity of Saint Thomas" (1602), Caravaggio gives us the most visceral representation of the Risen Christ's physical body that've I've ever encountered.