Sul naturalismo di Giovanni Baglione. Il Cristo in meditazione sulla Passione del 1606

The essay analyzes the production of the Roman painter Giovanni Baglione (1566 ca – 1643) at a crucial moment of his stylistic evolution (1598-1606). He progressively dismissed his Late Mannerist style, which had been deeply influenced by Cavalier d’Arpino, to approach a more accentuated Naturalism. This stylistic mutation is understood not only in relation to the pictorial revolution proposed by Caravaggio around 1600, but on a wider and more complex network of stylistic connections and cultural demand. Some pivotal works of these years were paid special attention and in particular the Christ in meditation on death, whose new signature and 1606 date are now disclosed, giving rise to new considerations on the meaning and the hypothetical commission of the canvas.