The lead-white path
A little poem inspired by various paintings of Caravaggio, an artist who emphasised humanity over divinity, while struggling with his own place in society.
The truth of brave
Caravaggio
Lies in
Shadows and poverty
Doubt and dirty feet
Death in all its
Lack of grace
Betrayal in all its
Broken love, full of fear.
_
He holds aloft
His weak lamp at the
Taking of Christ,
Failing to light
Judas’ betrayal half so well
As the pitiless gaze
Of the moon.
_
Somewhere in the shadows
Of lost centuries
The shambling
Headless corpse of Goliath
Looks for a lead-white path
To reclaim his missing face
Caravaggio hid
Behind his own
To tell something more true
Than light would allow.
About the Creator
Roderick Makim
Read one too many adventure stories as a child and decided I'd make that my life.
I grew up on a cattle station in the Australian Outback and decided to spend the rest of my life seeing the rest of the world.
For more: www.roderickmakim.com
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Comments (1)
This description of Caravaggio's work really makes me think. You mention how his paintings showed the darker sides of life. I've always been drawn to art that reveals the raw truth. It makes me wonder how he managed to capture such intense emotions and scenes. Like, how did he decide which moments to focus on and how did he translate them onto the canvas so powerfully? It's fascinating to consider the stories behind his art.