The moment of Caravaggio

Fried (Johns Hopkins) here applies concepts he developed in earlier writing on 19th-century art (especially the idea of absorption) to paintings produced predominantly at the turn of the 17th century. He suggests that Caravaggio employed representational strategies of absorption and address in new ways, largely in response to the demands of a new type of autonomous picture produced for the private exhibition spaces of a circle of Roman patrons. Based on a series of lectures, the prose retains a sense of address and is accessible despite its theoretical sophistication. Fried is a persistent spectator, and his careful eye produces remarkable analyses that make for a thrilling read. Some might find a few of his conclusions questionable (the author himself concedes this at one point), but his process of looking should be an inspiration to students of art history at many levels, and his observations about how viewers respond to paintings (especially how they are prone to project states of mind into absorbed figures) are thought-provoking. Finally, the extensive and outstanding illustrations in this handsome book are a perfect complement to Fried's interpretations. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-level undergraduates through researchers/faculty. D. N. Dow Kansas State University

This extravagantly produced, scholarly study of Caravaggio's art is based on six lectures given at the National Gallery of Art. Fried is rather like an extreme docent: this is no casual stroll. A professor of humanities and art history at Johns Hopkins, he winds through Caravaggio's oeuvre and several related themes: the use of mirrors and reflection; moments of extreme concentration and absorption; and events in and around the edges of the work. Fried pulls his thread taut, starting with the self-portrait-often just a torso or head-painted in front of a mirror and ending with the sword, made of reflective metal, that beheads John the Baptist. Caravaggio's works share the page with those of Dolci, Gentileschi, Manet, Courbet, and other artists, providing a place to continue looking, as Fried asks: "which way does a painting face?" In his response, Fried dares his reader to look into these paintings and see a reflection of what exists outside the frame. 194 color illus., 9 half-tones. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

New publications celebrate the 400th anniversary of Caravaggio's death. Spike (A History of Western Art: From Prehistory to the 20th Century) relates Caravaggio's paintings to contemporaneous events as well as to his religious, political, and social surroundings in this lavishly illustrated catalogue raisonne. The accompanying searchable CD-ROM catalog includes extant, lost, and rejected paintings; discussions of iconography; medium; dimension; location; provenance; and an annotated bibliography. This second edition features a new preface, updated biography, additional illustrations, and comparative photographs and X-rays showing the artistic process. Fried (Why Photography Matters as Art as Never Before) retains the style of his series of Mellon Lectures, on which his new book is based, while expanding the content. His central themes are Caravaggio's "internal dynamic" of the acts of creating the painting, finishing the work, and giving it over to the viewer. Fried, who uses Spike's first edition as a source, also explores "self-absorbed" paintings in which viewers do not participate vs. those into which they are invited. Both books offer indexes and endnotes; Spike's catalogue raisonne also presents comparative and technical illustrations. While Fried compares Caravaggio's work to that of artists as seemingly far afield as James McNeill Whistler and Henri Matisse, Spike takes the more traditional chronological approach. VERDICT Owing to differing approaches and content, both titles are recommended for special collections, art faculty and students, and interested general readers.-Nancy J. Mactague, Aurora Univ. Lib., IL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.