Guido
cagnacci or natural classicism
This essay is very
strange because it unifies two words that haven’t sense if they are took
together, because in artistic critic it is very strange, nature is contrary
always to the classicism, one is ideal form of body and other is very nature
also very unsightly, it is sufficient to consider Caravaggio(Fig.1) and Andrea
Sacchi(Fig.2), two Italian painters of 17th century in Rome, and we
can see what are differences, very radical for real nature of Caravaggio and
beauty of Sacchi, very charming to form and elegance; therefore Guido Cagnacci(1601-1663)
unifies these cultural address, he used naturalism with very charming elegance,
he painted with much refinement, he paints his body with much definition but,
Death of Cleopatra(Figg.3-4) are two version of same episode but they are
joined by same think, this is same elegance and natural version of body; light
is same and it is possible that Cagnacci seen during his Roman period, he has
seen Sacchi and baroque culture of light, he took his of same country Guido Reni,
and also Paolo Caliari called Veronese, that he has took to Glory of saints Mercuriale and Valeriano(Fig.5),
but to this painting cagnacci used same classical elegance and refuses almost
totally nature, although it is present, but it is a very cleaned naturalism,
all is fine and figures are clear and very fine to elegance; The kidnapping of Europe(Fig.6) is
manifest of this concept, two moments are together, one is natural definition
of bull and other is classical body of Europe, two moment but a painting alone,
now Cagnacci seems he distinguished two addresses that usually are united, at
last to his painter and style. Anyway he has very importance because he made a
compensation between classical and natural.
Alessandro Lusana
Fig.1
Fig.2
Fig.3
Fig.4
Fig.5
Fig.6
