by Elizabeth Lunday
If you want to paint a saint , it ’s better to hire a evildoer .
Artist: CaravaggioSins: murder; punching a monk in the gut
Religious art in the late 16th C had become pretty stock stuff , full of beautiful Madonnas , chubby cherub , and handsome saints . But Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio changed all that by painting what he know best — debauchery .
After move to Rome in the late 1580s , Caravaggio begin rendering baroque Biblical scene with remarkable Platonism . In the compositor’s case of " The Calling of St. Matthew,“ for instance ( see ) , he portrayed the apostle in a sordid Roman tavern surrounded by downtrodden frequenter . According to law records , Caravaggio spent plenty of time in these Roman taverns himself , imbibition , brawling , and once throwing a dental plate of hot artichokes into a waiter ’s face .
Church official put up with Caravaggio ’s crazy demeanor in exchange for his amazing body of work — until he cross the line to slaying . In 1606 , the hot - tempered creative person pop a Roman goon named Ranuccio Tomassoni in a fight following their lawn tennis catch . Recent research suggests the lawn tennis game was actually a kind of affaire d’honneur over a woman , and that Tomassoni bled to death after Caravaggio tried to castrate his opposition on the court . The artist would have gotten into serious trouble , but wealthy frequenter smuggled him out of Ithiel Town .
Caravaggio nose up in Naples , where he thrived as an artist for several years . Then he shocked everyone by leaving to join the Knights of Malta , an order of elite warrior Thelonious Monk famed for their spiritual devotion .
Less than four month after taking his vow , however , Caravaggio ’s snappishness got the good of him again , and he wounded a fellow monk in a row . Once more , his friends smuggled him back to Naples .
peculiarly , the Church never gave up on Caravaggio , and in 1610 , friend in Rome sent word that a pardon was in the work . Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio headed north , but he caught a feverishness and died on July 18 , at age 38 . He go forth behind a bizarre artistic legacy : No few than 12 of his paintings show trope being beheaded — a rumination , perhaps , of his own violent life .
Artist: Dante Gabriel RossettiSins: debauchery; giving the Virgin Mary an “awkward phase"
The second goal proved slick for a man who ’d never made it to church building . In paintings such as 1850 ’s " Ecce Ancilla Domini" ( " The Annunciation,“ pictured ) , Rossetti set out to realistically limn a new woman ’s showdown with the Lord . He paint the Virgin Mary as a gawky teenager , recoil in little terror from an holy man . The portraiture horrified devout Christians , and the body of work was stigmatise as sacrilegious in sermon and editorials .
The criticism so hurt Rossetti that he never exhibit publically again . But his painting of the gangly Mary in the end dislodge him . Without the atmospheric pressure of public life , Rossetti was able-bodied to do and paint what he desire . He cull up an addiction to sleeping oral contraceptive , had an affair with his best friend ’s wife , and create some of the most fascinating religious work in history , include " The Passover of the Holy Family,“ " The Seed of David,“ and " Mary Magdalene . “
Artist: Salvador DalÃSins: orgies; possibly hoodwinking the Pope
After Hitler occupy Europe , Dalà and Gala fled to the United States . To everyone ’s surprisal , Dalà returned to his Catholic roots and began creating Christian artistry . He painted a Madonna and Child called " The Madonna of Port Lligat,“ using Gala as his model for the Virgin Mary . He also run on to make out two versions of Jesus ' crucifixion and the Sacrament of the Last Supper . The Church readily sweep up his new painting , and in 1949 , Dalà enjoyed a secret audience with the Pope .
Not astonishingly , both critics and friends determine the melodic theme of Dalà expressing a religious side mirthful . Many suspected that he was assay to win the party favour of the stanchly Catholic General Francisco Franco in Spain . Artists such as Picasso had denounced the fascist authoritarian , but Dalà defended him — which allowed Salvador to retrovert to Spain , while Picasso could n’t . Others distrust that money was his major motivating . Indeed , Dalà claimed that mailing-card of his 1955 painting " The Sacrament of the Last Supper" sell more " ¨than post card of all the works of Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael combined . Or possibly Dalà really did " ¨have a religious side . Would n’t that be dreamlike ?
Artist: RembrandtSins: lust; having his lover arrested
What the pious Dutch did n’t care were Rembrandt ’s relationship with women . In 1635 , he painted his married woman , Saskia , as a sporting lady in a tavern , literally sitting in the overlap of the prodigal Word . His art was strange , but his personal life was stranger . Things became particularly fraught after Saskia died in 1642 , allow for behind a newborn son . A woman nominate Geertje Dircx took over as Rembrandt ’s nanny , housekeeper , and lover . But when the artist started up with yet another retainer , Geertje occupy him to lawcourt for break of hope . defective idea . The indignant puma used his influence to have her incarcerate for theft . Meanwhile , church official summoned his other mistress before a local council and charged her with living in sinning .
All of this hurt Rembrandt ’s report as a religious cougar tremendously . Because the pious Calvinists wanted nothing to do with him , Rembrandt lose his patrons and died in poverty in 1669 . One of his last painting was " Return of the Prodigal Son . “ This time , the painting depict the end of the chronicle , when the son — his clothing just rags and his horseshoe just fleck of leather — returns to his father to seek forgiveness .
Artist: Leonardo da VinciSin: forbidden love
In the 1470s , the Roman Catholic Church was take bill of the talents of young Leonardo da Vinci , but they hesitated to give him his big breach . Rumor had it that the creative person was homophile , and at the time , Italian police penalise homoeroticism with exile , branding , or burning at the stake . In April 1476 , after years of whispers , someone anonymously incriminate Leonardo of anal intercourse , and Florence police promptly arrested him .
In 1513 , with closely 40 eld of scandal - costless employment under his belt , da Vinci finally found himself in the good graces of the Church , and he was invited to work out for the Vatican . It was a expectant purity , but Leonardo did n’t experience obligated to give the Pope what he ask for . Instead of painting Madonnas , Leonardo produced several odd depictions of John the Baptist that were sit on his lover , Salai . The half - naked paintings featured seductive grinning and boyish side , and they rattled his employer . In 1516 , King Francis I of France invited Leonardo to become his court of law painter , and the Vatican was happy to see him go . When Leonardo died in 1519 , he allow the bulk of his property to Salai .
This clause originally appear in mental_floss magazine .
