Caravaggio and Baglione: The Collision of Humanism and Religion

Qianyi Yang

College of Arts, University of Arts London Camberwell, London, U.K.

Keywords: Humanism, Religion, Caravaggio.

Abstract: The Renaissance has always played an important part in the history of art, and during this period many new

doctrines and ideas were born in Europe. Caravaggio and Baglione, as artists belonging to the same Renais-

sance period, expressed very different symbolic meanings in their creations. This paper will explore the con-

flict between humanism and religion during the Renaissance in the context of the times by presenting the

different ideas expressed by these two artists in their opposing paintings: the Amor Vincit Omnia and the

Sacred Love Profane Love and then demonstrate how this idea was reflected in society through Caravaggio's

St Matthew and the angels, and shows the specificity of humanism and religious culture in the times and

confirms the importance of change in the development of society.

1 INTRODUCTION

"In modern terms, humanism is a value of life. It

stands for the idea that values are embodied around

the centre of the human being, that history and

humanity are created by human beings, and that this

idea says that various religious cultures are formed

not because of some superhuman entity, such as God,

a moral code, but by human beings who determine its

meaning and value."(Tzvetan, 2002) “Behind every

historical conflict is not just a superficial quarrel, but

the product of the collision of elements of thought,

feeling and behaviors in an era born of various

factors. If religiosity was the burden of the

Reformation, freethought is the burden of the

Renaissance, of contemporary society. “(Trinkaus,

1976) Viewed with an objective eye, every period has

its counterpart in humanistic thought corresponding

to the age, and they are the product of the society of

the time and the influence of the various results

obtained.

"For a long time down the line, people were under

the asceticism brought on by religious fanaticism.

They refused to see the beauty of nature and instead

saw it as something evil. “(Rose, 1898) Prior to the

Renaissance, religiosity dominated the ruling class of

power, promoting a range of ideas centered on

Christian theology and emphasizing the importance

of faith and the afterlife. Renaissance humanism, on

the other hand, promoted reason and secularism, with

its emphasis on the importance of rational thought

and reality, as opposed to the religiousism that

continued in the Middle Ages, which emphasized the

value of the present world by focusing on secular life

and humanistic thought. Its ideas have caused far-

reaching influence and reform in later generations.

Here's what Trevor had to say about it, "Like a

succession of rainstorms ending in a magnificent

thunderstorm, it purified the European ethos and

changed the temperature of Europe, beginning at the

end of the fifteenth century and sustaining it until the

Renaissance period of the mid-seventeenth century

represented that change, after which came change and

enlightenment." (Trevor-Roper, 1959). The 17th

century was at the end of the Renaissance movement.

The Renaissance was one of the most influential

intellectual movements in the history of art, and

indeed in Western history, a cultural movement

resulting from class confrontation, in which the birth

of humanism and the conflict between this new

ideology and religion had a huge impact on the

development of art and indeed of the humanities.

During this period, Caravaggio created Amor

Vincit Omnia in 1601 and 1602, and then in 1602, the

artist Giovanni Baglione opposed the ideas expressed

by Caravaggio with his work Sacred Love Profane

Love. That same year, 1602, Caravaggio was hired to

create St Matthew and the Angels, a work against

which the society of the time also maintained a

different voice.

This study begins with the conflict between the

two artists, borrowing a work by the artist Caravaggio

and a work by the artist Baglione, exploring the

collision between religious culture and humanism

Yang, Q.

Caravaggio and Baglione: the Collision of Humanism and Religion.

DOI: 10.5220/0013998500004912

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Innovative Education and Social Development (IESD 2025), pages 415-418

ISBN: 978-989-758-779-5

415

during the Renaissance in terms of the conflict

between the elements and the symbolism, and then

borrowing Caravaggio's St. Matthew and the Angel to

embody how these conflicts were embodied at the

time in the social level, and at the same time, applying

the literature as well as the relevant Using literature

and the analysis and reading of relevant knowledge,

the change in the symbolic meaning of the picture

shows the change in thinking that occurred under the

influence of different cultures and purposes in society.

2 AMOR VINCIT OMNIA AND

SACRED LOVE PROFANE

LOVE

Figure 1: Amor Vincit Omnia, Caravaggio, 1602, oil on

canvas. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amor_Vincit_Omnia

_(Caravaggio)

As shown in Figure 1, Amor Vincit Omnia is an oil

painting by Caravaggio completed in 1602. The

image shows a naked boy with black wings against a

dark background, smiling and holding several arrows,

which occupy the central of the image. The young

man bends one knee and rests on a pile of

miscellaneous objects, which are stacked in a

triangular slope, from top to bottom you can see the

crown, white cloth, olive branches, armor that looks

like it is broken, musical instruments, sheet music and

other items.

Following Amor Vincit Omnia, Sacred Love

Profane Love in figure 2 is an oil painting by

Giovanni-Baglione from 1603, which is divided into

two parts, the upper part of which shows an angel in

magnificent armour, holding a bow and arrows, and

dividing the lower part of the picture between the two

characters in a graceful gesture. The two characters at

the bottom of the picture are a demon with a close-up

of his face, turning his head, and an angel, who, unlike

the other, is paralysed on the ground, with his right

hand raised and a look of panic on his face.

Figure 2: Sacred Love Profane Love, Giovanni-Baglione,

1603, oil on canvas. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/5939

1288808615020/.

2.1 Definition of the Elements of

Religious Art

Before discussing these two works, what needs to be

understood is the definition of religious art. Howes

Graham, in his study of icons, states that 'the image is

not only a medium for worship purposes, but also an

essential element. For the icon painter, the process of

creation is not a demonstration of one's claims, but

rather an act by which one establishes a sphere in

which power can operate...The image of the icon

shares in the sanctity and glory of its archetype, and

as such is worthy of acceptance and veneration, and

its adoration is transferred to the subject idea of God

behind the symbol." (Howes Graham, 1984).

From this, we can conclude that religious art is full

of religious nature, the core of propaganda is to

convey the teachings and beliefs, and most of the

religious stories, myths and legends and images of the

gods as the content of the creation, in order to achieve

the purpose of religion is sacred and cannot be

offended by the idea of propaganda. Secondly,

religious art is usually full of symbolism, and the

creators will use specific symbols or signs to convey

religious meanings. In other words, the images that

appear in religious art usually have a fixed meaning,

more important than the image and the artist who

created it, is the symbol of the idea behind the image.

It is important to note that although they both use

cupid as a medium for conveying ideas, Caravaggio

and Baglione's two works are not religious art, and

they choose to use mythological figures to create a

contrast and conflict that is more of a contest of

positions than a propaganda of religious doctrines.

This break with tradition is more indicative of the

intensity and conflict of the Renaissance intellectual

revolution.

IESD 2025 - International Conference on Innovative Education and Social Development

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2.2 Behind the Techniques and

Elements Used

In Caravaggio's Amor Vincit Omnia, Caravaggio

uses chiaroscuro, a realist representation that seeks a

sense of realism and objectivity in the image and

usually avoids the interference of subjective

interpretation. This method of expression focuses on

the true reflection of real life and nature.

Baglione counters not only by using the same

painting technique as Caravaggio's, but he also draws

the face of the Devil in the picture as Caravaggio's

face, satirising Caravaggio through the Devil's evil,

unrighteousness and holiness, and also using the

layout of the picture to show this: in Baglione's

picture, the angel stands triumphantly in front of

Caravaggio's cupid and prevents cupid from

communicating with the Devil (Caravaggio) from

communicating. After analysing the elements, it can

be concluded that: angels and demons, sacred and

secular, the elements in these two works of art are in

opposition to each other, and through the point of

view of which side's love is fuller of power, it shows

the confrontation that was created by the opposing

ideas of the Renaissance, between secularism and

religiosity.

However. The fall of the reign of religiosity is

inevitable, as analysed from the point of view of

behaviors and as evidenced by later society: 'The

work, as the output of the artist, represents a

generated connection between the individual artist

and reality, and what is in it cannot be a pure

experience of reality...A work is real when it

embodies a personal significance and an

understanding of what this particular person

understands to be the truth, it is real." (Dixon & John,

1993). Society is made up of human beings, and how

it is perceived, embodied and expressed is the result

of the influence of objective reality and subjective

will. This also proves that it was impossible for the

ruling class in the Middle European period to try to

use the concept of religion to suppress the reality and

the rise of humanistic thought.

From this it can be concluded that behind the

elements and techniques being employed is actually

the struggle between human. "Human beings are not

subject to anything other than their own kind, not

even to God, and the norms or measure of existence

must come out of the will of the person who has it.

The Renaissance, contrary to much classicism,

believed that the right direction for human life was

the creative use of practicality in shaping one's being,

rather than defining ascent or unity in terms of the

"sacred" represented by religious cultures..."

(William Schweiker, 2009). Baglione's choice of

opposing elements and the same painting technique to

counter Caravaggio can be described as a clash

between the two doctrines on a macro level, however

the choice of method and the act of expressing dissent

is of his own choosing. Although he represents

religious opposition to secularism, his own choice of

behavior is contrary to religious dogma, and his

confrontation with Caravaggio is only driven by the

personal will of the religious religion he believes he

represents. To use the point mentioned by William

Schweiker, Baglione's behavior is a paradoxical

phenomenon. "It is only when society becomes

secular that the hidden problems behind the concept

of the sacred become apparent." (Dupré, Louis.

1975). These subtle differences may represent the

results that will be seen in later reforms, and this may

be sideways evidence that the ruling class of religion

will become a thing of the past in the reforms of

history and the changing minds of mankind.

3 ST MATTHEW AND THE

ANGEL: THE DIFFERENCE

BETWEEN BEFORE AND

AFTER THE REVISION

Figure 3: St Matthew and the Angel ver1 and ver2,

Caravaggio, oil on canvas. https://x.com/solas_na_greine/

status/1781393092051943529?mx=2.

The image3 shows the first version of the image of St

Matthew and the Angel. In it, St. Matthew is depicted

by Caravaggio as a bald, barefoot, poor, aged

labourer, frowning, with his clothes dishevelled, and

a wide book clutched tightly in his hand as he records

something. Beside him is an angel, intimately situated

at St Matthew's side in the position of one arm resting

on his palm.

"Caravaggio's religious paintings were not always

approved by the Church, as in the case of the first

Caravaggio and Baglione: the Collision of Humanism and Religion

417

version of the altarpiece of St Matthew and the Angel,

which was destroyed in Berlin in 1945, and he was

forced to paint an entirely new version."(Gash john,

2015). The example is a good demonstration of how

the conflict between humanism and religiosity is

manifested in society as well as among the people.

The picture on the right is the final version of St

Matthew with the angel. The figures and postures of

St Matthew and the angel have been drastically

altered, with St Matthew, in his glorious clerical

robes, looking up at the angel to the right, and the

angel being laid out in a distanced orientation,

looking down on St Matthew at a top-to-bottom

angle. These modifications behind the physique and

layout are very strongly symbolic. The alterations to

the painting, where the original angel is in physical

contact with St Matthew and the two figures are

positioned very close to each other, reflect equality

and intimacy, symbolising religious theology and

mankind being brought closer together. However,

Caravaggio's interpretation was not recognized, and

was considered anathema at the time - the reason for

this was that, combined with the thinking of the time,

most people still retained a religiously orientated

mindset that Christian theology should be sacred and

superior to mankind, and that for the angel,

symbolizing God's messenger, to be close to a human

being was a kind of blasphemy against a sacred

symbol. They believed that God's love should be

divine and that being His believer should be devout

devotion. Thus, in the socially acceptable version of

St Matthew and the angel, the angel and St Matthew

no longer have physical contact but are modified to

appear as coming down from heaven to embody the

Gospel of God's coming to earth.

"In terms of tradition in art history, Caravaggio

may not be as great as Leonardo da Vinci or

Michelangelo, but I think Caravaggio is a more

important presence than any artist. He is not the

greatest artist of the Baroque period, but his art has

become a perception, a logic and tradition of

behaviour and has influenced us implicitly."(Arenas,

2016). Under the influence of the religionist ideology

of the time, which considered the divine right to be

immaculate and superior to human rights, the first

draft of St Matthew and the Angels, with its human

light of equality and gentleness, was undoubtedly a

major shock, and, as Amelia says, Caravaggio's

unique interpretation of religious themes triggered the

thoughts of people from different social classes,

appreciating or rejecting it, and it was a proof of the

shock he caused to society of the time. As Amelia

says, Caravaggio's unique interpretation of religious

themes provoked the thoughts of people from

different social classes. Caravaggio's work forced

society to rethink the relationship between religion

and human nature, and had a profound impact on the

intellectual progress of art history.

4 CONCLUSION

It is because of the conflicts that existed in the history

that the modern man can enjoy the equality of human

rights and freedom of thought, which are more open

than in the Middle Ages. Even if the conflict between

religion and humanism is only a part of the long

history that has helped mankind to evolve, the spirit

of rebellion of those who dared to fight against the

traditions of their time, as Caravaggio did, is

undoubtedly great, because the reforms of the

pioneers have laid the foundations for the generations

that came after them. As Amelia Arenas said,

Caravaggio has become a legacy of ideas, and the

same can be said for art - it is the ideas and needs that

emerge as times change and people's needs change

that slowly liberate the artist's mind from its

framework.

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