Processing
The work is realised in oil-painted pictography on canvas category ‘Picta’, following the methods and recipes typical of Caravaggio's work. The work is executed with Maimeri and Winsor & Newton and Schminke colours, while the details are executed with the aid of a special magnifying glass, in order to perfectly recreate every detail. Two successive levels of covering are provided. Solid wood frame made on an original Florentine cassette-style model, prepared with red bole and gilded with gold leaf. The picture frame may vary depending on availability at the time. Linen canvas 230/280 gr. m/2. Preparation with chalk and 3-layer natural glue. Framed picture size: 132x113 cm.
History
Caravaggio's version of Narcissus is a unique work because of the way it transforms the concept of specularity and illusion into an image, conveying the drama of vanity and the search for the self. Through the reflected composition, Caravaggio creates a visual game that represents the theme of the double: Narcissus is mirrored in the water, but the reflected figure is upside down, almost like a playing card. Visual attention is captured by the naked knee in the centre, visually connecting the real and reflected worlds. The large puffed sleeve guides the gaze towards the hand submerged in water, in a poignant attempt to touch the deceptive image of himself. Narcissus' face, with its open mouth, expresses the pain of an impossible desire: the young man realises the illusory nature of his love for his own image and succumbs to his dead-end passion, as recounted in Book III of Ovid's Metamorphoses. The work is not just a representation of a myth, but a profound reflection on identity and illusion, making visible the blurred boundary between reality and perception.
Caravaggio, Narcissus (PICTA)