Unmasking Caravaggio: A Tale of Art and Murder |Perspective
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Boy Bitten by a Lizard by Caravaggio: As the only great artist to commit murder, Caravaggio knew a little about the impetuosity of youth, and he portrays his hard-won wisdom on canvas.
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From Every Picture Tells a Story
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I love art history, but Waldemar Januszczak is the master of the outstanding presentation of masterpieces. We not only learn, we understand. Fantastic job on showing us Rome, the beautiful Caravaggio. Thank you so much!
I dont know. I feel like I know more about lizards, but not much about Caravaggio
He gives TH-cam art lovers the absolute best documentaries. I love his analysis & his sense of humor. He's the best!
I love Caravaggio. One of my favorite painters. So very dramatic and real. I can imagine going to these churches and viewing the paintings for the first time must have been a jaw dropping experience for the 17th century art lover. Never had anything like this been seen before. The drama. The light. And the amazingly real characters that populate Caravaggio's paintings looked like somebody you might pass on the street. It must have been a spectacle of unequaled proportions.
He is certainly the greatest painter of christian art,the second is El Greco in my opinion. People talk about Rembrandt but i find him boring,too bourgeois northern european protestant sensibility,aesthetics. Caravaggio move and excite you like few others
My daughter and I did a tour of Italy in 2007 and this church was the first we went into. And yes it was jaw dropping. I'll never forget going through that door and being totally immersed in history. Just wonderful.
And so murderous ha. He was a product of the times I guess. Italy, espec. Rome was a den of sin and opportunists. The Borgia family is a perfect 'bad' example of what he grew up with. Incl. The crooked Italian popes. So I understand. He ld paint but he wasn't a nice guy. Nope
Years back I went to an exhibit of Caravaggio's paintings at LACMA. My jaw dropped at the sight of the first painting and remained dropped through the whole show..... fortunately there were many other dropped jaws walking around so I wasn't too conspicuous 😮
I had never seen anything like it, haven't since.
I’d watch a 59 minute TH-cam video about paint drying if Waldemar were the host.
True! I tried to watch a Perspective where he wasn't the host. It was incredibly boring which is quite surprising since it was on Dali. Waldemar is not only knowledgable but a natural storyteller.
Exactly ! He brings such passion and insight to every subject that he's mesmerizing
I guess art history is kind of like watching paint dry, or rather dried 🤔
Funny guy!!
Honestly, no. His whole thing is that he picks the most interesting bits and makes it understandable and approachae for everyone.
Mr. Januszczak is an absolute pleasure to watch and listen to
This is absolutely incredible. An amazingly sensitive and perceptive analysis
You stole my thunder, Paul.🙄
Since i was in college..and im pushing 80...they finally have people who know what they are talking.about...u would. Not believe the bullshit i was taught about every single painting he.covered...and of.course u HAD to.agree with the idiot.professor.or u.failed
Waldemar, Caravagio definitely pulled you into the picture...Bachus looks like YOU! Love every one of your presentations. Bravo!
The host is perfect for this job.
Do you know what his name is?
@@miguelsandigo1755 His name is Waldemar Januszczak. He was the host for numerous Perspective programs on art history and every one of them is engaging and enjoyable. He brings a real talent to each episode and writes them as well as hosting.
I love him.
I can't pronounce his name, but I love him.
@@elirien4264 I can but I call him Voldemort or Walmart. I love him too.
Waldemar is matchless as a narrator for art. I deliberately go scoping out all art documentaries with Waldemar running the show. For me, if it's not Waldemar or Simon Schama doing the talking...I say "No, thanks," and keep looking.
That vase in the foreground: the way the light is painted, is stunning. At a purely technical level, I think it's the most successfully realized part of the scene. As for the lizard, when I first saw this picture, even after looking hard, I said, 'What lizard?' Ah.OK. That lizard.
Our world of video screens doesn't handle the dark end of the brightness spectrum well. Painters have no such limitation. They can really play in the shadows in a way that a film director can't.
Among all the Perspectives that I've seen . This undoubtedly is the so well studied, fully knowledgeable of the great Painter Caravaggio.
It's been so well masterfully narrated that each word was awaited . Excellent thanks so much for this beautiful documentary on Art.
Waldeman! I'm so happy you have created this "Perspective" channel on youtube. I have skirted about hulu and amazon for years trying to catch you. I have never seen any of the short pieces you've filmed; and having a binging blasts.
One of the most powerful documentarys I Have seen in the past year. Thank you
Waldemar Januszczak is painfully missed. The aesthetic insights he expresses are dazzling profundities, that miraculously unfold. Not to see him in fresh new Perspective offerings is a serious travesty. The agonizing loss of his presence in new offerings is another frightening blow for the yearning of the masses. Humanizing gestures of artistic perceptions can liberate by his unpretentious persona. Waldemar Januszczak has the capacity to inform with wonder, sensitivity, and generosity of spirit, that entertains while uplifting his audience, to the lofty realm that only art can provide. My thanks to the producers of Perspective for seeing his genius.
I feel lot of sympathy for this great artist. Such talent and yet, such a harsh life he lived! Excellent documentary!!
I never understood why there has not been a movie about him
@@archiedriver😂
@@archiedriver There has: Derek Jarman made a fascinating film, with Nigel Terry as Caravaggio and Tilda Swinton as Lena. I loved it and would recommend it, if you can find it
Edit: You probably know this by now, and may have seen it!
oh so want to find that@@eshaibraheem4218
Caravaggio an artist of such deep insight on a daily basis often overlooked by every day onlookers His powers of observation combined with the ability to construct complex scenarios of everyday life made him a great artist but spoiled by his adverse attitude to all others
This guy's hilarious, I'm feeling more sophisticated by the moment. "Digitus impudicus" is my new favorite term.
The Cardinal collected "castratos".
"Bacchus was the most naughty of the Roman gods."
**side-eyes Zeus**
Gibberish
Well, Zeus didn't drink that much...
Well, more like Jupiter.
Grande alliteration , it's fun - when understanding works - and like origami - they pop into 3 d -. Oh ! " Tramps like us ,baby! We were born to run "
Waldi's narrations are captivating, visceral and addictive!
Seeing the Carravagio Bachhus in real life, is disturbing and exhilarating. Carravagio makes him feel like a corrupting, threatening presence. I was with my daughter and felt protective towards her with him there!
That Gorgon shield is legitimately terrifying too. So completely three-dimensional that you feel like edging away without turning your back on it!
He is not the only artist to have murdered someone. Benvenuto Cellini murdered 4 men: one was his brothers' killer, and the last was a rival.
And there were great composers who committed murder -the most prominent being Carlo Gesualdo a near contemporary of Caravaggio who had his wife and her lover murdered.A later one who committed murder was Stradella.
Caravaggio's Masterpiece is a reflection of our time. It is proof that some things never change.
The most astounding thing about carovagio, is that he nearly always put himself in those painted scene. Sometimes he's the hero, and, or the villain within the same picture. Young Carovagio may be holding the head of himself, just to say sorry: to a Cardinal. That's something that transcends branding.
The man had flaws. His rivals wrote his biography, but can you picture yourself in anybody else's shoes? Carovagio did that a lot.
Caravaggio is extraordinary. Love the realism of the street people and its violance and darkness.
Great Video. Lucky to have Waldemar share his knowledge and joy in observing great art. Thank you!
That was very interesting.
Thanks for uploading.
Caravaggio, he is one of my favorite artists,love every video that is made ,thank you
Thank you so much for all your videos
Dziekuje bardzo
He disfigured a courtesan who refused him. He fought with a waiter over an artichoke dish and he killed someone, possibly due to a game of tennis. His paints contained very high levels of lead and he was known to be messy with them. Lead poisoning would explain his erratic behaviour and may have contributed to his early death, although he had infected wounds and possibly heat stroke. As somebody who had lead poisoning as a toddler, as did both parents, I promise you that lead can be absorbed through the skin. No ingestion is required, although the water pipes would also have been lead.
Fever from infection & heat stroke would surely have caused erratic behavior. Not discounting the lead poisoning theory though, it can mimic a lot of things & can also be fatal. What a sad life for such a big talent.
New subscriber here. Thank you for your vids Waldemar….I’m learning soooo much from you.
Perfect, please more of Caravaggio ❤️👍
Even a "short" program of 23:43 min in Wardemar's hands is a masterpiece. Watch your "Digitus Impudicus" Waldemar! Great stuff!
I was under the impression from recent Biography on Caravaggio that the murder was accidental, and that he cut the femoral artery of the person he had called to the "Tennis court" which was code for a duel that cutting the persons leg was a move that usually brought the match to a end but that in doing this he accidentally cut his artery. which resulted in his opponent diying
Outstanding piece
This host! LOL. I love a good storyteller. Well done!
Fantastic! What a story too!
He was a Master Painter with a twisted mind deplicting in his own views of what life Really was thru his eyes living n the horrors he felt being punished for his sin's!
I just love the host, wonderful narrative
Another great video...from the master historian
THANK YOU FOR THE NARRATIVE STORY IT'S GREAT FOR A HALLOWEEN PARTY. VERY SCARY
the lizard that Waldemar is holding is absolutely beautiful!!
Instant subscriber. You are like the fabulous art history instructor one had in school. In my case, Ms. Gregor Goethals, who taught at RISD.
Also Dirk Bach, who taught Asian art 😌
17:46 he confesses to having been a party boy! 😀
20:30 digitus imputicus! 😀😀😀
Thank you for your efforts
The biting of the boy makes me think that he lost his innocence. I had that feeling the more I looked at the picture.
What makes you think like this ?
The title suggests that how Caravaggio died was a mystery but that is not covered. Maybe it should be "The Murderous Artist who Remains a Mystery." I love Waldemar's videos. I'm binging through all of them.
The host??? Absolutely the BEST for the job!!!!🥰🤭‼️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🤣🤩
Thank you! 💕
i love this presenter😂👍. im studying art this is a great source for me so glad i searched up documentaries and found this series❤
If by "artist" we include (as we should) composers, another famous killer artist of the same period was Carlo Gesualdo da Venosa. He wrote great complex and tormented madrigals.
Another wonderful film! Thank you Waldemar! You are teaching me so much about the nuances and symbolism of great art. I enjoy the intellectual insight and you allow me to understand deeper levels of beautiful art!
Thank you so much 🌳
Another mystery I did not know existed, solved, by the master story teller art historian Lord Waldemar. I dont know if he really is a lord, i suppose not, but his name demands a title as does his entertaining demeanor and great knowledge of art mysteries. It is one thing to know art, it is yet another to understand, or even try to understand, the mysteries layered into each masterpiece. What good fun.
He's no lord, but he ought to be an OBE.
Well done, sir.
Caravaggio was not the only artist to commit murder. Benevento Cellini was a notorious brawler and not a bad man with a cannon.
Benevenuto wrote a biography, super cool read
Well... many artists have been more or less involved in crimes..In France Bertrand Cantat, famous rock singer, beat his girlfriend to death... he did 4 or 5 years in prison for that...Phil Spector huge rock producer (he worked with the beatles & many other great names) finished his life in jail for murder...I even read once that there was a rumour about John Lennon having killed a guy when he was touring in Hamburg with the beatles.. Robert Blake, american actor quite famous at his time, has been involved in a murder as well..
@@vajra1171 And the great Renaissance composer Carlo Gesualdo a near contemporary of Caravaggio murdered his wife and her lover.He pretended to go on a hunting excursion (he was a very wealthy Italian prince)but instead hung around as he suspected his wife was having an affair with a very handsome man and Gesualdo caught them in flagrante delicto (doing it!) and killed both.Gesualdo's music is amazing for those in the know because it has dissonances and things like that in it that didn't appear again in music until the 20th century.Another composer who is supposed to have killed someone -this time the greatest composer Mozart was Antonio Salieri -it's the plot of the famous play and movie "Amadeus."
@@kaloarepo288 didn't know that, thank you...
@@kaloarepo288Antonio Salieri is supposed to kill none, that's a ridiculous lie built up by the typically inaccurate hollywood style movie " Amadeus". Not only Salieri did not make any plot , but he also helped Mozart both as teacher for free and as manager getting job to him .
I love this guy! He makes art make sense to me lol
Wonderful as usual. However in defence of Caravaggio, you're a trail of his killing of Tommasoni is inaccurate. He inadvertently killed him by cutting his femoral artery in his leg. There is ample contemporary evidence and record of this.
Excellent bravo thank you so very much indeed grazie grazie Mille ciao
Yet Another outstanding narration by this good man, and historian, Waldemar Januszczak ! Thank you !
love this stuff
In his time, it took courage to paint in ultra-realism. Art buyers wanted divine beauty! Caravaggio followed the voice from within! BTW: The boy and the lizard, as well as the boy with the Lute, are clearly a self portraits.
actually, the boy and lizard, the lute player, boy with basket of fruit, the cardsharp, bacchus, and the fortune teller and more are all generally agreed to be of one of caravaggio’s companions and models, Mario Minniti!!
well done, funny and well presented
yes, his paintings r riveting..been there, saw a few🙂
Brilliant!
Thank you
A marvelous genre painting and a profound interpretation by Januszczak, but Caravaggio's "masterpiece?" [I'll ignore the usual error in assuming that "masterpiece" meant a single, greatest work among an artist's output. It used merely to mean a work created by an artist who had successfully advanced through the apprentice and journeyman stages of the craft.] I find several of his religious paintings to be more moving, more effective, and more ground-breaking (and I'm not remotely religious). Still, I love these Perspective videos.
Waldemar calling the Patron a sugar daddy is the kind of belly laugh I needed
The Cardsharps is part of the permanent collection at Fort Worth’s Kimbell Art Museum. A few years ago, the museum hosted a Caravaggio exhibition. Many of his works have religious themes; some, if not the majority, were in fact commissioned by the Church.
His painstaking renderings of severed heads, including one on a platter and another clutched by the hair, show the viewer the indisputably beneficial effects of religion on the people in ancient times.
Yes ! I think you're right. Back then there were no cameras, an easy tool that we have the luxury to enjoy these days. His times were very violent , and religion was very much involved in that. Kinda ironic. (A kind God allows vicious mayhem, hmm.) 👍💜🌿🌱
Loved “Beardies”♥️♥️♥️♥️🤣🙋😘‼️
Thank you for the kind words about "Beardies".
You’re wrong! Benvenuto Cellini was also a ruthless murdered and killed 2 or 3 people
Brilliant
Since the researcher theory in 2009, its possible he used optical devices. The hand of the boy - now isn't that too small for a true perspective? Our visual schooling has encountered a lifetime of lens based images, so we can perceive a photographic chiaroscuro as well as expecting lens to object distance magnification changes.
I had a horrible experience. I was painting a picture of Caravaggio , busily intent on getting the eyes just right. It was late at night. All of a sudden, I had a feeling somebody standing behind me. I looked behind me,thinking my husband was there. I went into the living room where my husband was fast asleep. I returned to my easel and returned to my painting, picking up my brush, I had only done a few more strokes before I was overwhelmed by feelings of pure fear and horror. I abandoned my painting. The minute I stopped ,so did the feelings of fear. The next three nights, the same events kept happening. I had never done any research on Caravaggio and was shocked to learn about the kind of person Caravaggio was. I abandoned thr Caravaggio project. My next 4 portraits were equally disturbing as I began to experience really disturbing feelings as well. I no longer paint any artists portraits. It is as though I am channeling the thoughts, emotions and desires of whoever I am painting. Say what you will, we don't know how the mind works. I believe I actually am putting myself in contact with artists long dead. I am uncomfortable doing that. The Caravaggio portrait made me feel I was in the presence of something evil and menacing. Not every portrait of an artist who was deceased was that bad. I tried doing a picture of Starry night and wound up seriously depressed. I tried Frieda Kahlo; Gustav Courbet with the results that I had severe back aches and with Gustav Courbet I actually had the impression I contacted a truly corrupt,devious mind. That is it! From then on, I started doing needle point lace in the Venetian style. It came out beautiful. I actually feel like I am in Venice when I am working on it. I continually receive new ideas on making the lace and different projects to try. I am convinced that in the act of creating anything, we actually "connect" with other dimensions and realities. If so,is it possible perhaps to be in touch with the spirits/ personalities of artists long deceased? Who knows. For now, I am sticking with making lace as I feel happy and safe doing that
This was absolutely chilling to read, I can't imagine how that felt for you
Good material for a ghost story.
This narrator's vocal attack, in his loud and obnoxious style, is the exact opposite of the profound depth and beauty that is contained in these works of art. He should be an announcer for professional wrestling instead or learn to STFU.
There is no hard Proof on the topic, Same as the existence of “the Soul” (which almost would be necessary for your experience to be “true”) has and will probably Never be Proven. I’m not saying your experiences aren’t true I believe your end of the story 100%. You could do a little experiment yourself actually. For example, use your courage a last time and pick 3, 5 or X amount of artists from a rather hard time in history but make sure you don’t do ANY actual research on them, then proceed to paint their portrait and see what happens, after you have an experience you can recheck if the emotions the painting provoked actually matched some parts of the emotions the painter xy had, but because in that case you didn’t knew before the results would be more precise, just imagine you have this great sense of fear just to then do your research and find out the painter had the best life imaginable for the time and died without pain. If I were to make a hypothesis I would think that the first to you experienced that, you maybe had some sort of anxiety because you knew Caravaggio was brutal and you stared at the painting maybe at night as you stated, everybody was asleep which depending on your personal experiences could maybe be some sort of room for nerves. (Based on the thought that a lot of people fear the dark, fear being alone, often due to childhood trauma often unconnected) the second time and all the following times you had already made your mind up, you could say that “conformation bias”, a healthy phenomenon to basically create the self to some extend has led you to be more likely to proof your own theory, leading to you experiencing the same or similar things over and over. There has been similar projects from people trying to figure out if you could force seeing “ghosts” or “monsters” and the person who tried it actually made it happen. He didn’t sleep for 72h watching horror films over and over again in that period and at the peak of his sleepiness and exhaustion he sat in front of a mirror in the dark only holding a candle in his hand to light up the room, he then stated that a person appeared behind him. To find a reasonable end to this without assuming anything -> the mind is a deep deep sea and it can create all kinds of fun, curiosity but also horror. Greetings
Are there artists whose lives and character you don’t know about? I’m curious how you’d be impacted and if it would match the artists.
Waldemar est le plus passionnant des professeurs d'art. Ses prestations sont bourrées d'humour, de dramaturgie et de classe. J'adore 😄
Andrew Graham- Dixon is another excellent teacher. They are different, of course, but I love watching them both and learning from them.
AH!! THANKS WALTER WALDEMAR --- HAVE WATCHED HIM ON T.V. BEFORE BUT THIS VIDEO GREAT AS EVER !! MY FAVOURITE PAINTER -- CARAVAGGIO -- THE MURDERER RATHER A VIOLENT MAN -- YEEKS !! --- HOWEVER HIS TALENT IS BEYOND EARTH !!! FROM U.K. (2021).
Very well done, as always.
However, with your help, I’ve developed my own ideas regarding Boy Bitten by a Lizard, homosexuality and Caravaggio and … his angry personality.
I suspect that, in some way, it’s based on his personal early experience as a young rube attempting to make a go of it in the big city.
i.e. - He’d traded in sex to make ends meet and would brook no disrespect from those among his street tough associates who regarded this as a weakness in him.
At last, idcook, brought out the hidden .....yes...homosexuality...has been forever...why has it always been persecuted ?? Men and women are born and as such...they have to live their lives !!
It's good to see a slimline Waldemar
The huge amount of adverts inserted spoils the viewing although I enjoyed what thought was an amazing insight. I hope Waldemar gets the monetization from the youtube ads, rather than Channel 5
I would qualify the title a bit. Caravaggio is the only great artist to commit murder that we know about. It seems possible to me that of all the great artists, there are probably many crimes and misdemeanors that were never documented. Caravaggio was just so belligerent that people took notice. But there might be someone else. I am only saying it is possible.
Interesting that at the end there's no credit for the DP.
Impressive
Its very bloody art
It's clever that the (David and goliath) painting, is of his young self killing his contemporary self in an apology present to some Cardinal.
Pronounced 'Mickle-angelo' not 'Michael-angelo', in case anyone thought otherwise (Caravaggio's real first name).
Something is wrong with the resolution, surely it's not just me? 1080 looks more like 240. Superb content though :)
As a side note when selling his heads at 'a Groat a piece' a groat is coin worth 4d or 2p, little enough, but a loaf of bread was 1/4d [farthing] so survival rations.
this is the same model that posed for Caravaggio as Bacchus, probably, right?
What's this thing you have w smashing glass?
In stead of 'I can't put my finger on it' one ought to say while trying to solve a case 'I can't put my Digitus Imputicus on it ' !
Stephan Reisig
Ninny. Blame TH-cam, not the uploader.
It's perhaps relevant to note that Caravaggio was the only (?) one who painted some Biblical scenes of murder like Judith beheading Holoferne, David holding the decapitated head of Goliath, and other scenes of blood and gore, as if the violence which brought him to kill someone expressed itself in art also.
He was by far not the only one! Not even the first one. But, he was especially dark.
@@04steenCould you name a few others?
Something that has never been mentioned. This boy is in a lot of Caravaggio paintings, over a long period of time, even in his last painting (David & Goliath). I believe the boy is young Caravaggio.
It turns out that I made this comment about a minute too soon.
"Matrix moment".
Anyway, it's clever that the David and goliath painting is of his young self killing his old self in an apology present to some Cardinal.
It’s more likely a boy prostitute he found at a brothel. That’s where the painters found their models. Many of them are depicted in the most sacred church paintings all around Italy.
Wow. No.
That's gross. I think you're way off.
It's the same face through- out his entire career. He wold have practiced painting his most available model, himself, A lot. It was also a convenient way of branding a his paintings.
Get off the Q wagon.
The guy was no saint, and your conclusion is without base.
He was a friend of his - maybe a "boyfriend" - but he knew him for many years - It has been mentioned a lot through the years.
@@MariaHalfevil333 really?
It's himself. he doesn't age from the first painting, to the last.
Wow
If that was a self portrait sketch by Carravaggio brillent eye for truth.
Look at those eyes they look at you.
In poverty artists who prefer oil on canvas could not afford the paint or materials
Nothing has changed here struggling artists still exist.
Bitten by a lizard 🦎
Unexpected shock or fright from ....?
Being discovered giving favour to rich men ?
The Boy looks like Carravaggio himself
One of my favorite paintings of all the ones in the world. Visited it three times at the Tate at a special exhibit in the mid 80s. And the amazing thing is that I never saw the lizard until my third visit, unable to look at anything but the succulent boy and the glass vase.
Very funny explanation about the meaning of the Digitus Impudicus. But, as an Italian - an old one - I can say I've never seen using that gesture by Italians - unless they're young ones who like to use foreign expressions. Also, there are many "traditional" gestures used to indicate an homosexual… but not that one. It's considered a typical Anglosaxon gesture.
WJ is a great entertainer and connoisseur of art but as an historian he very often hits walls here and there.
Ok, you made me look up "The Martyrdom of St. Matthew" when you said it showed the murder happening in a Roman bathhouse -- that's not what it looks like though. That's because it's *not* showing a bathhouse, but instead shows converts awaiting baptism in a temple after Mass. That makes a huge difference since a bathhouse would have one connotation, while a temple would have another. Symbolism and metaphor are everything in paintings like this. The difference between Matthew being murdered while hanging out with a bunch of half-naked men doing a mundane activity vs. Matthew hanging around with some half-naked men while fulfilling a particularly holy rite -- night and day for how the painting should be read. I'm not religious, have never been a Catholic so have no stakes in various saints, but as an artist with an interest in art history, details like that matter if you want to understand what's happening/what the artist is trying to say.
He's such a good presenter!!
The boy looks like Rowan Atkinson.
Cardinal Del Monte, hmmmm. Has a background check done on him?
Des génies et des fous, où un génie-fou dans ce monde déjà fou.
NB: Certains peintres ont quand même dit que le Caravage avait tué la peinture.
Aurait-il donc tué 2 fois?