Now I see the fascination that Tom Ripley had with the paintings of Caravaggio in the Netflix series. Although Patricia Highsmith never referred to the artist in her books, she does state that Ripley is fascinated with his friend, Dickie's, copy of Quattrocento art. See https://mashable.com/article/ripley-netflix-caravaggio
This explains more to me about why I have always found Caravaggio’s work extremely Dionysian. As I read I see it’s almost all the result of patron’s cult of male ecstasy. Am I getting this wrong?
Thanks! Great seeing these portraits together, the erotic sensibility. Reminds me, oddly of Colette’s Cherie, also a paen to male beauty. But by a woman said to be bisexual?
I love that connection. Chéri has that same languid, almost aching appreciation for male beauty, filtered through a complex lens of desire, memory, and power. Her perspective, especially given her own fluid identity, adds such a layered view….erotic, maternal, nostalgic, and unapologetically aesthetic. And yes, she lived as an openly bisexual woman. She had relationships with both men and women including prominent figures like Mathilde de Morny. Her bisexuality was a notable aspect of her life and is deeply reflected in her work. Her relationships with women were often the subject of public fascination and even scandal. The kiss she shared with Missy during a performance at the Moulin Rouge caused an uproar. That defiance, that sensual gaze, permeates so much of her work and it’s exactly that sensibility I sense here too.
Now I see the fascination that Tom Ripley had with the paintings of Caravaggio in the Netflix series. Although Patricia Highsmith never referred to the artist in her books, she does state that Ripley is fascinated with his friend, Dickie's, copy of Quattrocento art. See https://mashable.com/article/ripley-netflix-caravaggio
This is so interesting! Now I want to watch the series.
This explains more to me about why I have always found Caravaggio’s work extremely Dionysian. As I read I see it’s almost all the result of patron’s cult of male ecstasy. Am I getting this wrong?
You hit the nail on the head!
👍🏻
Thanks! Great seeing these portraits together, the erotic sensibility. Reminds me, oddly of Colette’s Cherie, also a paen to male beauty. But by a woman said to be bisexual?
I love that connection. Chéri has that same languid, almost aching appreciation for male beauty, filtered through a complex lens of desire, memory, and power. Her perspective, especially given her own fluid identity, adds such a layered view….erotic, maternal, nostalgic, and unapologetically aesthetic. And yes, she lived as an openly bisexual woman. She had relationships with both men and women including prominent figures like Mathilde de Morny. Her bisexuality was a notable aspect of her life and is deeply reflected in her work. Her relationships with women were often the subject of public fascination and even scandal. The kiss she shared with Missy during a performance at the Moulin Rouge caused an uproar. That defiance, that sensual gaze, permeates so much of her work and it’s exactly that sensibility I sense here too.
awesome piece, a nice synchronistic reminder to go to Bersani for my own Substack
Thank you so much!