Description of the painting by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio “Narcissus”

Description of the painting by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio Narcissus

The real name of Caravaggio is Michelangelo Merisi. He received his nickname because of the place where he was born – Caravaggio, located near Milan. He worked as a bricklayer, but his love for creativity and art attracted him. He studied art from people who painted murals, helping them to mix colors. Since he is self-taught, the artist does not know the styles, and creates his own, by whom not previously open style. His energy to life is given out and in the pictures.

At that time, the erotic poem “Adonis” went from hand to hand, when the indefatigable artist met her, he decided to depict this young man. He bent over the stream to drink water, seeing his reflection, he falls in love with himself with such force that interest in the whole environment is lost. He looks at his reflection with surprise, as if seeing him for the first time, he is fascinated and surprised.

This feeling brings him neither happiness

nor feelings of satisfaction. According to legend, after the death of a young man, he reincarnates into a delicate flower, named after him. Thus, he was avenged by a woman who had become unhappy from unrequited love, who begged the goddess Nemesis to punish the proud man.

Caravaggio in his picture divides the world into two parts, the real and the mirror, which helps to understand and see as much as possible all the things around us. Looking at events, as usual, we do not notice much, which is visible in an inverted state. It is this view that helps to see and understand more deeply certain features of things.

The artist shows the hero’s tension, his inner dissatisfaction with the state of affairs. The main advantage of the canvas in the contemplation of an inverted position, which, as it turned out, puts everything in its place, in the relationship between the creator and his creation. This work shows not the traditional view of the artist on the real situation.


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Description of the painting by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio “Narcissus”