Palazzo Barberini

La Maddalena (1501) tempera su tavola cm. 72,5x76 | Piero di Cosimo

This is just one of the many brilliant artworks on display in the Palazzo Barberini. There are too many to write about here, but if you are interested in seeing more, you should visit the museum's Italian website http://www.galleriaborghese.it/barberini/it/default.htm
This is the only one I managed to snap, just out of the guards' line of sight. I was especially interested in this rather androgynous looking Mary Magdalene because I was reading Jeffrey Eugenides' Middlesex at the time. This seated figure has a static pose that hearkens back to Piero della Francesca (who I love) and slighted elongated proportions that foretell later paintings by Bronzino (who I also love, and if you are interested - and you should be... "if not now, for your life"- you can see great pieces by both these artists at the Frick in New York).

In another room there is a very different interpretation of Mary's penitence by Guido Cagnacci. Since I could not photograph it, I wrote out the description:

Guido Cagnacci (1601-1663)
St. Mary Magdelene Penitent, 86 x 72 cm
dating to the 1620's.
Exhausted by her physical pain, with no strength left, Magdelene's head has fallen backwards and she has interrupted her penitence; the scourge has fallen from her right hand while her left hand is holding the skull in her lap. Cagnacci's artistic experience in Venice and Bologna, where he worked with Guido Reni, blends with Caravaggio's realism and is reflected in the painting; rather than tarnishing the soft sensuality of the nude, enhances it.

These contrasting depictions of (St.) Mary Magdalene Penitent at the Barberini transcend the biblical story, and speak to the complex nature of the human condition. Beyond their historical relevance as religious propaganda, these paintings are important because they provide a window into a world where anybody, not just Roman Catholics, can reflect on loss and desire. And, individually, they appear to be ahead of their time: the northern/Flemish-looking Piero di Cosimo is pre-Bronzino, proto-Mannerist; while the Baroque Cagnacci has an eroticism and immediacy true to the period, but much brighter lighting that gives it a more modern, Romantic quality.

To date, I have not been able to find a reproduction of this image, not even in the BSR's vast library.
(n.b. Much to my surprise, I did find a Cleopatra by Cagnacci at Calcutta's Asiatic Society)

I must admit, it irks me when I can't take a photo in a museum of an artwork that is otherwise unavailable. In my ideal world, all the works in the museum would be available for purchase in the museum shop and/or online; and no cameras would be allowed in the galleries. This way, reproductions of the images are available is you want them, and the viewing experience wouldn't be disrupted by the idiots who haven't figured out how to turn off their camera's flash. Plus, there is the philosophical argument that trying to see and record an image at the same time isn't possible: that the viewfinder or 2.5" LCD screen is collapsing the true size and effect of the image simultaneous to the eye's unadulterated perception of the said image.

Nevertheless, it is hard to be upset by the 'no photo' policy when you find yourself standing in a room in a palace with two remarkable Caravaggios, and the only other person there is the guard sitting in his chair. Magnifico! Such is the beauty of being in Rome mid-November to mid-December: fewer tourists in the galleries, glorious winter light, and cool, crisp air that results in the beautiful Roman women wearing scarves and gloves, that somehow, as improbable and impossible as it may be, makes them even sexier. Che bella!


One of the bigger realisations from my time in Rome was that this city is very much a 20th and 21st century city. Despite the weight its glorious past throws about like wide-eyed Christians to hungry lions, Rome continues to forge forward and create new places and spaces for the dissemination of culture. Palazzo delle Esposizioni is one such place. It the largest interdisciplinary exhibition area in the centre of Rome and while I was there had three distinct, yet important and engaging exhibitions: retrospectives on Stanley Kubrick, Mark Rothko and Gregory Crewdson. The Kubrick show provided an amazing look at the various aspects of his creative genius; from technical innovator to master story teller. The exhibition catalogue looked to be one of the more impressive volumes on Kubrick, and a must have for fans. It can be found through his official website: http://www.stanleykubrick.de/eng.php?img=img-l-2&kubrick=katalog-eng