Caravaggio, his Masterpieces in the Contarelli Chapel 

I love the size of the paintings. ❤️🖼 I love art.🤎🖼 I love color.💛🌈 I love Caravaggio.♥️🎨 I love Jesus art.💜✝️

I really enjoy your telling of the art. The background and the messages within the paintings. Very refreshing and interesting. I look forward to more and more!!!

Thank you, Carel. As always, I appreciate your depth and breadth of knowledge and your conversational and accessible approach to each subject. I love your combination of artist, technique and social context. This is a great hit of culture in the time of Coronavirus!

I prefer the first version. It has a strong spirit.

Late at night in Montreal.......Just discovered Stories of Art a couple of hours ago ......WHO NEEDS SLEEP..haha

Even if I never make it to Rome, at least I have seen this illuminating video. Thanks !

Another great video. Thank you. And, version #1!

once again, invaluable insight for understanding this wonderful paintings. The first version of St Mathew and the Angel is, for me, more beautiful painting than the chosen one.

I was escaping life in the United States at 50 and lived in a small apartment in Rome for a month about 5 "blocks" from this church. I walked past it every day seeing crowds. I looked like every other baroque church in Rome but this had a steady stream of people. I walked in, since it was my goal to visit every one of them, and saw a group in this side chapel. the painting on the left had me mesmerized. the directory in the front of the church said the painting was by Michelangelo. Well enough, as there are a lot of his works around Rome and Florence. But this one was different. Way different. The lighting, the garb, the savior. All different. I bothered me for several weeks so I strolled back in and re-read the directory and was introduced to Caravaggio. I have been a huge fan ever since. Thanks for the insights provided in this video. I still am holding out hope that the 1st St. Mathew and the Angel wasn't destroyed in the war.

Thank you!!! Excellent work, I am hooked!

OHHH WONDERFUL!!! So happy to have found your channel!!!

Thanks! I gave before, got to give again. Love your videos!

Most interesting. Thank you.

I prefer the first version. Endearing version of the painting

I prefer the first painting rather than the second. I guess that the church wanted it done to show more saintly connections in the painting. You put forward the information very well. It was really much about hand gestures and this would give the viewer directional lines within the composition. Caravaggio was known for making the religious themes more down to earth and using dirty feet as a feature, making it seem more human and lessens the distance to god.

Good work. Many thanks.

I think this program was excellent. I prefer the first version of St. Matthew and the Angel and I think The Calling is Caravaggio’s greatest work.

Hello, Carel. I see this video is already 2 years old, but I just discovered it seeking information about Caravaggio's work. Thank you so much for the explanations of the people, the links to previous works and the interpretation of St. Matthew's calling where Caravaggio seems to be saying: this can happen to anyone even today. So wonderful. I can't wait to get back to Rome and visit this chapel. Thanks for all your knowledge and generosity.

Wonderful video!! Delightful!!

I have very limited knowledge but have always loved Caravaggio for his realism. Stills or groups of people, he captures what exists. Fruit has defects, etc. But it seems he is so much more, his use of light, etc. is also so well done. So much more to learn, observe. Tnx.

What an enjoyable video! Thank you for the filming which gives an idea of scale, and for the histories that are told thoughtfully and interestingly.

Another fantastic story of art, great video Carel!

Wow! Thank you for this great video and sharing all this wonderful history with us!

Love it. 24:15

Well done!

Excellent

Thank you. It's possible that the black and white was rejected before it was actually finished, hence the missing Halo. This occurred for all of the reasons you cited, but also for the fact that the Angel is too sensual, or attractive in an earthly way - so much so that the work was terminated before it was completed.

Nicely done. Well researched, nicely explained and clearly spoken.

Excellent commentary. I learned so much as you described each portrait. I admire both paintings with the angel but I think the second seems to compliment the other paintings in the Contarelli chapel. The first painting stands out by itself and would fit any other space but the copy balances this space.

A really good video-it is such a breath of fresh air to hear intelligent comments and ideas about Caravaggio. It might be pointed out, though, that caravaggio didn't invent "the Caravaggio look"-properly called Tenebrism: it was a northern way of painting, going back to even before the van Eyck brothers in the very early 1400s, and used by the Venetians (Titian, and even more by Tintoretto) in the mid-1500s, before Caravaggio was born. What Caravaggio brought to Rome was his use of mirror progections, which he would trace onto the canvases for greater Realism. Roman artists in Caravaggio's day were obsesed with Michelangelo and believed that using live models was cheating: a true artist painted only from his imagination.

The First Life Of St. Matthew is my choice. I find the Church's high-and-mighty view...that saints never had to work for a living is simplistic. CARAVAGGIO SPOKE TO THE EVERYDAY PEOPLE... THAT'S WHY I LIKE HIM.

Thank you for this wonderful video. I bought Caravaggio’s The Complete Works, a Christmas present to myself and did truly enjoyed your interpretation. Regarding the last question, I prefer the first version of St Matthew and the angel, he is more human here.

I am so enjoying your videos. Are you an art historian by profession?

I much prefer the first version of St Matthew, so sad that we've lost it.

The Martyr of Saint Mathew always remains me of the sculpture of Nicola dell Arca, The Lamentation over Jesus, still the lamentation is more dramatical than Caravaggio's work here comment, not an affirmation that you can use often ;)

The first

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What art historian doesnt know that the Kimbell Art Museum is in Fort Worth, not Fort Knox?

The fact that the assasin is almost naked is not inexplicable. The scene is reminiscent of a male public bath, a place familiar to the painter. And of course he paints that on purpose. He is known for his "blasphemous" paintings. As was the case with the destroyed first version of the altar. It was rejected because it was somewhat "erotic" in its undertones, which again Caravaggio did on purpose. That s why he was a genious. He blended the obligatory religious norm of the time, with everyday ordinary and more real life of the day, in his paintings. With a playful "tone" which also subtly criticised religious hypocrisy.