Caravaggio’s «Seven Works of Mercy» (1606/07) in Naples

What is it about?

The artistic heritage of the Catholic Church still attracts attention all over the world. For almost 2000 years it has provided aesthetic access to spiritual meaning, together with the Church’s text communication, both spoken and written. Christian art and architecture therefore rank among the oldest communication media. Even today they can empower a culture of reflection and high-content communication. This article explains why Christian art offers opportunities for religious correspondents, Church media relations, as well cultural and arts journalists. Especially during major Church events, like the Jubilee Year of Mercy (2015‒2016), many media editorial boards will take an interest in art which refers to such events, fostering reader interest through current affairs. For the Jubilee Year proclaimed by Pope Francis, the communication of mercy seemed appropriate, because in God’s pardon and mercy people can find the core of the Gospel. The works of mercy (Mt 25, 31‒46) are a human response to this mercy of God. They are an important element of social responsibility for the poor in Christianity, and have also been depicted in art.

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Photo by Montse Monmo on Unsplash

Photo by Montse Monmo on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Readers of this article gain insights into the famous altarpiece by Caravaggio (1606/07) in the church of the Pio Monte della Misericordia in Naples. The painting is a major example of the “acts of mercy” in art. Research has found out that Caravaggio’s light, amidst a dramatic chiaroscuro, can be decoded as a metaphor for mercy. It probably attests to the artist’s own desire to receive pardon after killing someone in Rome (1606) as the result of a duel. This study aims to build a cultural awareness that Christian art has a wide range of semantic meaning, and Caravaggio’s painting in a very personal way. These references to human life can help the media audience to explore mercy in their own lives. The multiple meaning of Christian art is one more reason why Church events continue to provide prime time for cultural journalism.

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