L'Italo-Americano

es of blood bring a sense of realism, emphasizing the gruesome act she undertakes. The artwork, intended for g r a n d d u k e C o s i m o d e ' Medici, was cast aside due to its violent nature and ended up spending years in a dim room of Palazzo Pitti before receiving the appreciation it deserved. M i c h e l a n g e l o ' s L a s t Judgment and Braghet- tone's intervention Michelangelo, a giant in the world of art, also faced his fair share of controversy. His epic Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel, filled with nude figures, was seen as inappropriate and obscene. The Council of Trento, in 1564, ordered the coverage of nudity in the painting, and t h e o m i n o u s t a s k f e l l t o Daniele da Volterra, nick- named thereafter Braghet- t o n e , o r " T h e T r o u s e r controversy, and she definite- ly stirred the pot with her interpretation of Judith Slay- ing Holofernes. The painting showcases the biblical story of Judith, a brave Hebrew woman, beheading the Assyr- ian general Holofernes with the assistance of her maid, Abra. The work, filled with violent and bloody imagery, caused an uproar, but Gen- tileschi's personal history of sexual assault at the hands of A g o s t i n o T a s s i , a f e l l o w artist, made the artwork even more scandalous because people speculated about the link between her experience and the brutality shown in the painting. The centrality of Judith herself was problematic: the force she exerted, her royal attire, and the golden orna- ments she wears make her, a murderer, the visual catalyst of the work. Plus, the splash- Maker." He discreetly added flowing drapery to cover the n a k e d f i g u r e s , s h o w i n g respect for Michelangelo's artistry. However, two fig- ures, Saint Blaise and Saint C a t h e r i n e o f A l e x a n d r i a , were seen as scandalously erotic, and Volterra had to extensively rework them. O l i v i e r o T o s c a n i ' s provocative vision Fast forward to the mod- ern era, and we encounter another Italian who mastered the art of scandal - Oliviero T o s c a n i . K n o w n f o r h i s p r o v o c a t i v e , s o c i a l l y a n d politically aware photogra- phy, Toscani made a name for himself with his idea of "shockvertising," advertising aimed at shocking the viewer. One of his most controversial campaigns was for Italian fashion house Nolita and fea- t u r e d I s a b e l l e C a r o , a n anorexic model, fully naked looking painfully into the camera: the aim was to raise awareness about the disor- der, but many couldn't look past Caro's emaciated fea- t u r e s . I t i s h i s w o r k f o r Benetton, however, to be per- haps most notorious: with it, Toscani truly pushed bound- aries, sparking conversations on racism, discrimination, and societal issues. In the 1980s and 1990s, T o s c a n i ' s c a m p a i g n s f o r Benetton were as beautiful as t h e y w e r e s c a n d a l o u s : a young nun and priest kissing; three real human hearts with "white, black, yellow" printed underneath to symbolize the equal essence of all races; the miracle of new life portrayed in a two-level photo showing colorful condoms above and a newborn, covered in blood and with its umbilical cord in full view below. Whether it's the Madonna dei Palafrenieri, Judith Slay- i n g H o l o f e r n e s , T h e L a s t Judgment, or Toscani's pho- tography, Italian artists have a history of creating art that scandalizes, challenges, and ultimately changes the way we perceive the world. From Caravaggio to Toscani, their audacious creativity contin- ues to prove the enduring power of art. child, was crushing a serpent underfoot caused even more heat, because the act was seen as blasphemous by the C a t h o l i c C h u r c h , w h i c h viewed it as suggesting direct salvation from God without the need for the Church's intervention. Commissioned by the con- fraternity of the Palafrenieri, and meant for the high altars of St. Peter's, the painting was too scandalous to stay: after a mere few days on dis- play, it was taken down and put up for sale - an ignomin- ious end to a work that today is hailed as a masterpiece of European art. A r t e m i s i a G e n - tileschi's vivid take on J u d i t h s l a y i n g Holofernes Artemisia Gentileschi, o n e o f t h e m o s t a c c o m - plished painters of her gener- ation, was not a stranger to THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 2023 www.italoamericano.org 18 L'Italo-Americano A r t s e r v e s a s a c a t a l y s t f o r human expres- s i o n : i t s p a r k s emotions, insti- g a t e s c o n v e r s a t i o n s , a n d challenges societal norms. Sometimes, however, art sur- passes mere provocation and creates scandal. A number o f I t a l i a n m a s t e r p i e c e s t h r o u g h o u t h i s t o r y h a v e ignited controversy and scan- dalized the public, pushing the envelope of artistic free- dom. From Caravaggio to modern-day photographer Oliviero Toscani, here are some of the most controver- sial works of art Italy pro- duced. C a r a v a g g i o a n d h i s M a d o n n a d e i Palafrenieri Let's begin with Caravag- gio, an artist known for his dramatically realistic and e m o t i v e s t y l e . O n e o f h i s m o s t i n f a m o u s p i e c e s i s the Madonna dei Palafre- nieri, a painting that caused q u i t e a s t i r w h e n i t w a s revealed in 1606. Caravag- gio's Madonna was seen as a pretty unorthodox represen- tation of the Virgin Mary, who is portrayed as an ordi- nary woman, a commoner Dressed in a daring red dress showing her generous cleav- age, she looked more like a girl you could meet at the local market than a holy fig- ure, which was rather scan- dalous considering the rever- e n c e a s s o c i a t e d w i t h h e r figure. Further controversy was added by the fact that the model Caravaggio used was rumored to be Maddalena Antonietti, a Roman prosti- tute known as "Michelange- lo's girl," where Michelangelo was Caravaggio himself (his full name was Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio). As if t h a t w a s n ' t s c a n d a l o u s e n o u g h , t h e d e p i c t i o n o f Jesus added further fuel to the fire. He was in the nude, which wouldn't have caused m u c h o f a p r o b l e m i f t h e painted child weren't consid- e r e d t o o o l d t o b e s h o w n naked. The fact he, Jesus as a GIULIA FRANCESCHINI The art of scandal: when Italian masterpieces shocked the world Judith kills Holofernes by Artemisia Gentileschi (Wikicommons. Public Domain) LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE

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