Italian Art & Architecture - Italy - page 1799

CAPITAL SCANDALS: CONTROVERSIAL ART IN ROME
» The Last Judgment (1537-41), Michelangelo There were more than just arms and legs dangling
from Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel fresco in Rome's Vatican Museums. The depiction of full-frontal
nudity on the chapel's altar horrified Catholic Counter-Reformation critics. No doubt Michelangelo
turned in his grave when the offending bits were covered up.
» Madonna and Child with St Anne (1605-06), Caravaggio St Anne looks more 'beggar-woman'
than 'beatified grandmother', but it's Mary who made the faithful blush on Caravaggio's canvas, her
propped-up cleavage a little too 'flesh-and-bone' for the mother of God. The sexed-up scene was too
much for the artist's client, who offered a ' Grazie , but no grazie '. The painting now hangs in
Rome's Museo e Galleria Borghese.
» St Matthew and the Angel (1602), Caravaggio In the original version, personal space (or the sheer
lack of it) was the main problem for Caravaggio's client Cardinal del Monte. Featuring a sensual,
handsome angel snuggling up to St Matthew, exactly what kind of inspiration the winged visitor was
offering the saint was anybody's guess. And so Caravaggio went back to his easel, producing the
prime-time version now gracing the Chiesa di San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome.
» Conquering Venus (1805-08), Antonio Canova When asked whether she minded posing nude,
Paolina Bonaparte Borghese provocatively replied 'Why should I?'. Given her well-known infidelit-
ies, this marble depiction of Napoleon's wayward sister as the Roman goddess of love merely con-
firmed her salacious reputation. This fact was not lost on her husband, Italian prince Camillo
Borghese, who forbade the sculpture from leaving their home. You'll also find it the Museo e Galleria
Borghese.
The Venetians
While Byzantine influence lingered longer in Venice than in many other parts of Italy, its
grip on the city loosened by the early to mid-15th century. In Polyptych of St James (c
1450) by Michele Giambono (c 1400-62) in Venice's Galleria dell'Accademia, the lus-
cious locks and fair complexion of the archangel Michael channel the style of early
Renaissance master Pisanello (c 1395-1455). The winds of change blow even stronger in
fellow Accademia resident Madonna with Child (c 1455) by Jacopo Bellini (c
1396-1470). Featuring a bright-eyed baby Jesus and a patient, seemingly sleep-deprived
Mary, it's an image any parent might relate to. Relatable emotions are equally strong in
the biblical scenes of Andrea Mantegna (1431-1506); one can almost hear the sobbing in
his Lamentation over the Dead Christ (c 1480) in Milan's Pinacoteca di Brera.