Master Baroque artist Caravaggio used a โcamera obscuraโ among other techniques to trace the models in his paintings.
According to a Florentine researcher, Caravaggio made use of a dark room, first described by Leonardo da Vinci, and was able to fix the outline of his subjects in order to paint them.
Itโs unclear whether the artist used or needed optical instruments to paint his famous scenes of food and banquets. These, of course, were the subject of a book we mentioned in an earlier post titled Caravaggioโs Kitchen by Gianni Ummarino. Several readers have written to us to ask how to obtain this book. We havenโt been able to find it on amazon.com or through other vendors. But we did find the author/photographerโs website. Go to ummarinoeummarino.com for more information.
Update! The title of the Ummarino book is 15 Ricette del Rinascimento (15 Recipes from the Renaissance) and can be ordered directly from Ummarinoโs website.
Photo from Discovery, Inc.
Last updated on December 15th, 2020Post first published on March 12, 2009