The Grace in the mundane in Caravaggio’s "The Seven Works of Mercy"

Abstract

Caravaggio's naturalistic style caused critics such as Bellori and Baglione to question his artistic value; however, it is naturalism that makes Caravaggio's paintings come alive before the viewer and move them. In "The Seven Works of Mercy", the artist not only captures the reality of Neapolitan society, but shows the possibility of forgiveness and salvation, enabled thanks to the works of mercy. To better understand what was considered "good art" in the Italian Baroque, the original texts that Bellori and Baglione wrote regarding Caravaggio were used. Similarly, the painting was studied in parts in order to understand it in greater depth and to analyze the role of each character in the scene, and the light as a representation of Grace. Finally, it was concluded that the painting, by faithfully representing human nature, while giving it mysticism, gives the observer the hope that salvation is possible. Thus, the naturalism in this painting responds to the concerns of the baroque art of the Counter-Reformation, managing to move and persuade the observer.