Rejection of a Masterpiece: Death of the Virgin by Caravaggio

[CTyankee]

68. evidently, Caravaggio posed his compositions very carefully, with a group of models he

found off the floating street life of Rome and worked with regularly. From what I know about his painting, he used a red drape he had used in earlier paintings, not unusual for the period. I guess it could have been hung, that's a good guess.

The bed is up high, sort of a funeral bier, as I see it. Again, carefully posed.

My interpretation is that the surroundings for this picture are meant to convey the humble status of the Virgin and of Christ's apostles. It exemplifies the shared existence with so many of the ordinary people. The church it was originally planned for is/was in a downscale neighborhood of the Trastevere section of Rome.

The point , to me, is/was that Christ and his followers were not royalty, they were from the common folk. The idea of Mary as the Queen of heaven, a favorite description of the Church, is no such thing in this picture!

If you are interested, you can find much more in Peter Robb's bio of Caravaggio, entitled "M." Robb is a breezy Aussie and his writing is funny and informative! Great book!