Caravaggio – the master of light and dark and emotion, a tormented, violent and yet brilliant artist, who died too young, leaving a legacy of art work which captures the imagination and adoration of so many, including myself.
The painting above, The Nativity with Saint Francis and Saint Lawrence, is a work by Caravaggio, believed to have been painted around 1609 in Sicily, completed in Rome, and later moved to Palermo, although some believe it was painted in Palermo. In this work, measuring 2.7m x 2m, you can see the new mother Mary, baby at her feet, with Joseph leaning on his staff. Caravaggio was on the run having killed a man in Rome and another in Malta, with a life that was soon to be cut short possibly by pneumonia.
On the 17 October 1969, thieves broke into the Oratory of San Lorenzo in Palermo and cut this astonishing artwork from its frame. It has never been seen since. It is believed that the Sicilian Mafia have it but reports suggest that it is no longer in a recognisable form, possibly after being kept in a barn, eaten by rats or pigs or even partially burnt. It is probable that we will never know what happened to this magnificent artwork, and may have to be satisfied with the replica that now hangs in the Oratory.
Its disappearance is perhaps representative of the life of Caravaggio – a man for whom the boundaries of art during life merely were representative of the life he lived – unconventional, violent, provocative and simply brilliant!!!
