AP Art History PowerPoint Project

by Jim Henson

zy_caravaggio_boy bitten_c1595_hens

100 WELL KNOWNWORKS OF ART

Interpreted Using

The

Feldman Model of Formal Analysis

#50 Caravaggio, Boy Bitten by Lizard

Feldman’s Model of Art Criticism

From the work of Edmund Burke Feldman,

During the late 1960’s and early 70’s

1. Description-List the visual qualities of the work that are obvious and immediate.

“What do you see in the artwork”?

Include content and subject matter in representational works-

Include abstract elements in nonrepresentational pieces.

2. Analysis-Focus on the formal aspects of elements of art, principles of design.

“How does the artist create a center of interest?

How does the use of color impact the painting?”

3. Interpretation-Propose ideas for possible meaning based on evidence.

“What was the artist trying to communicate”?

4. Judgment-Discuss the overall strengths/success/merit of the work.

How and why has this work achieved cultural value?

Michelangelo Merisi da CaravaggioBoy Bitten by Lizard1595-1600Baroque MovementOil painting on canvas26”x 20”Rome, Italy

Recently exhibited at the Kimbell Museum in Ft. Worth, TX

Caravaggio Card Sharps, 1594,Caravaggio’s Card Sharps is ownedby the Kimbell Museum in Ft. Worth TX

1.DESCRIPTIONa. Painting

b. Oil on canvas

c. 26” x 20”

d. Youth dramatically reacting to lizard bite

e. Frozen action pose

f. Shallow 3-D space with close background

g. Theatrical, single source lighting

h. Dark shadowy shapes- lines in fabric

i. Somber, murky, colors in low light

j. Tactile illusion of surface textures (realistic)

k. ITALIAN- Lt 16th Cent, (c.1595- Rome)

2.ANALYSISa. Probably an allegory about youth

b. Emphasis on dramatic lighting

c. Writhing movement in figure’s pose

d. Detailed attention to surfaces and textures

e. High contrast with muted shadows

f. Compact shallow space-no depth

g. Composition is arranged as triangle

h. Figure is presented as three-dimensional

i. Organized along Cartesian grid system

3. Interpretationa. Suggests the clash between youth’s

experience and innocence

b. Possibly an allegory on the motif of

knowledge symbolizing the boy’s youthful

encounter with love

c. The vase serves as a mirror—an object

in art known to represent knowledge.

See ART & CRITIQUE

4. Judgmenta. What sets this work apart and makes

it worth studying? (Eroticism and

gestures in Boy Bitten)

b. How does this work fit into the context of what came before and after it? ((Caravaggio’s period in context)

c. How have critics, historians, and the public reacted to this work? (Critical appeal)

d. How has this work changed the way art is viewed? (Caravaggio’s lasting influence)

Caravaggio and CaravaggistiSmarthistory EssayBBC Video SeriesComplete Works

Compare and Contrast

The term "baroque" describes European painting, sculpture, and architecture suggesting bizarre or

simply bad taste. Only in modern times was the term freed from such unflattering associations. It is used to describe art produced in the period between the

end of the Renaissance and beginnings of modernism

Summary

Baroque Art1600-1750

Interesting Facts About Artist•  When Caravaggio was six, the bubonic plague rolled

through his life, killing almost everyone in his family, including his father.

• Orphaned, Caravaggio took to the streets and fell in with a group of "painters and swordsmen who lived by the motto nec spe, nec metu, 'without hope, without fear,‘

• A prolific painter, Caravaggio was known to work quickly, often starting and completing a painting in just two weeks.

• Much of Caravaggio's early work featured chubby, pretty young boys done up as angels or lutenists.

From accounts, we learn that he had a bad temper and could be violent. He was frequently arrested for assault. He appears on the police records for mild offenses like carrying weapons without permission, as well as more serious ones where he is involved in violent fights.

References

Caravaggio at a Glance