medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
There is an exceedingly strange painting by Caravaggio, created for (and
still at) the Church of the Pio Monte della Misercordia, in Naples, entitled
"The Seven Works of Mercy."
Six acts of mercy are depicted in a highly compacted vertical space, on the
left; while a full third of the painting (righthand side) is given over to
the odd sight of a young woman leaning over to bare her left breast, which
is suckled by an old man who sticks his head through a barred window.
Supposedly the reference for these various depictions is the passage in
Matthew's Gospel, chapter 35, to the effect that "I was hungered and ye gave
me meat," etc.
I understand that prior to Caravaggio's painting (ca. 1607) all such
depictions were individualized, with each act of mercy depicted singularly.
Given the confusing visual narrative of this painting, it would not be
unexpected for other artists to keep to the individualized approach.
jmichael
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