Maria Cristina Terzaghi, Professor of Art History at Roma Tre University, is one of the world’s leading experts on Michelangelo Merisi (1571-1610), known as Caravaggio. She has been studying the Baroque master for almost twenty years, with various published works. She is the author of the first published scientific report on ‘Ecce Homo’ which, a year ago now, was put up for sale at the Ansorena auction house in Madrid for a starting price of 1,500 euros. Withdrawn from the auction after being declared an Asset of Cultural Interest, it could have exceeded 100 million euros if it could have been sold on the international market. Professor Terzaghi, who is still studying ‘Ecce Homo’, returns to Madrid to
offer a lecture on the painting ‘Salomé with the head of the Baptist’, which is now on display at the Royal Palace in Madrid. It will be next Tuesday the 15th with the title ‘Caravaggio today: certainties and questions’. Before traveling to Madrid, he has spoken for ABC.
—You made the first scientific report on ‘Ecce Homo’, and you are still studying it. A year later, what is it that continues to attract your attention in this painting?
—Caravaggio is always innovative. The discovery of this work enlightens us about the master’s artistic career and makes us understand an extraordinary way of representing the theme of eccehomo. This is a great novelty. It is also interesting that it sheds more light on the taste of Spain’s preference for the works of Caravaggio, which was very early. Studies now show that the first European country to which Caravaggio’s works were exported was Spain.
—Nobody has answered his study and nobody has said that he is not a Caravaggio. During this year, what impact has the discovery had on the scientific community that determines authenticity?
—At the moment, the problem with ‘Ecce Homo’ is that very few art historians have been able to see it. Also, the box has not yet been cleaned and restored. It needs to be analyzed with scientific instruments. I know that everything has already moved in that direction, so we will be able to see the results of a restoration, which will be fundamental. Naturally, the more people who come into contact with the painting, see it and study it, the more we can advance with the research.
‘The discovery of the Caravaggio caused a sensation. What have been the repercussions in the art world this year?
—There is a method problem. What happened is that the discovery happened in a jiffy, that is, very fast, at the rate of articles on the web. The only article published in a scientific journal was mine. This has motivated art historians to begin to question the very tools for disseminating research and a debate has been opened about it.
—Why hasn’t the attribution of the painting arrived from the scientific community yet?
—This is very pressing because, first of all, in the years immediately following Caravaggio’s death it was very difficult to distinguish the originals from the copies; and then because today, unfortunately, there are also many economic interests involved. Therefore, it is even more difficult to implement all the objective research tools without the market intervening. But this has always been the case with Caravaggio’s works for decades.
—When the investigation of the ‘Ecce Homo’ is completed, will we be surprised or will some chapters on Caravaggio have to be rewritten?
“I’m sure he’ll surprise us again.” Investigation into this painting is not over yet. I myself continue to investigate, because we still do not know what the first origin of the painting was, for whom Caravaggio painted it. We can trace history from 1657 onwards, from the Count of Castrillo [el virrey de Nápoles García Avellaneda y Haro II, que lo llevó a España]. But we cannot go back any further with certainty. There is still a lot to work on.
—There are about 60 authenticated works by Caravaggio in the world. Can others appear?
—I do not rule out the emergence of other Caravaggio paintings. Just as this one appeared, some more could arise and obviously bring new knowledge to the catalog of the artist’s career.
—You define Caravaggio with two words: «True and human». Does this definition fit the ‘Ecce Homo’ of Madrid?
—I am fully convinced that this is one of Caravaggio’s most moving works due to the dominant presence of the figure of Christ, so human and different from the other two characters. This is an extraordinarily human representation of that moment of the Passion of Christ. And then, of course, there is the realism, the naturalism with which the whole composition is built.
—The ‘Ecce Homo’ and ‘Salomé with the head of the Baptist’ are two of the four Caravaggios preserved in Spain. What are their characteristics?
—’Salomé’ is also one of your masterpieces. Here we still have a lot of color like in Roman paintings. It is not as dramatic as in the last period. But in any case the theme of light and shadow is very strong, because, according to sources, Caravaggio painted in a completely dark room and received light only from above. This was his Roman system. In relation to Naples, we have to see where he had the workshop. There were probably other situations. But his technique is always that of drama with the construction of the body of the figure through the contrast of shadow and light.
—The master of the Baroque is today the most famous ancient painter. Why is there a kind of ‘caravaggiomania’?
—Compared to other artists of his time like Rubens, for example, or even Velázquez himself, who were also great artists, Caravaggio has greater media capacity. In my opinion, there is also a different approach to being human. Velázquez and Rubens –especially the former, who is an extraordinary painter– above all paints the humanity of the Court and is less universal than Caravaggio.
—What characteristics make Caravaggio a current painter, a star of world art to the point of being the most sought-after painter in recent decades?
—There are historical painters; some are extraordinary giants, but somehow limited in their time. Instead, Caravaggio always crosses the barriers of the time in which he produced his paintings, so one immediately feels that his paintings are contemporary. Nor today, in 2022, do we have to make any effort to be passionate about the works of Caravaggio. He captures the psychological and emotional nuances of the human and that is why he is universal. Caravaggio’s success in today’s world is not a media construction. He is an artist who plays strings that others don’t get to play.