Robb's attempt to give insight in the life and times of the painter now known as Caravaggio yields a remarkable book. The author is the first to concede that hard data about the painter's life are flimsy at best, so a lot of research went into digging up information about contemporaries of M (patrons, powerbrokers, friends, other painters, ...). This led to a book that paints a very lively picture of late 16th and early 17th century Italy, but somehow fails to bring the central character really to life. Robb tries to correct Caravaggio's image of an unbalanced hothead - focusing on his trailblazer role in the search of a new pictural language that continuously clashed with the stifling dogmas of the Catholic Church - but is certainly not fully succesful in this respect : after reading this book one remains with the feeling that Caravaggio was a man hellbent on self-destruction. His violent temper, arrogance, pedophile inclinations and seemingly total lack of social graces made sure that - although at some point he was recognized as the most talented painter of his time - he could never secure the mecenate of the pope and that his careerpath had all the characteristics of a wild rollercoaster ride. At the end of his life, Robb shows his central character as a hunted man who has used up all favors and who has become a liability even to the powerful families that had frequently managed to get him out of trouble. His end remains clouded in mystery : no dead body, doubtful descriptions of the cause of death and even uncertainty about the whereabouts of his death. All this leaves much room for speculation and Robb does a good job in exploring the different possibilities.
Caravaggio was a taciturn man when it came to his art. He did not leave any written material and the reports made of the court cases he was involved in, give us a few terse statements that are hardly elucidating - whatever Robb tries to make of it, seems like grasping at straws. So Caravaggio's art should speak for itself and it must be said that Robb's analyses of Caravaggio's paintings are very insightful - although some interpretations seem a little forced in order to gell with the author's view on the life of the painter.
The reader should however be warned that the b/w and colour plates in the book represent only a fraction of the paintings put on review by the author. This is in my opinion the major shortcoming of this edition : a next editon should contain plates not only of the works of Caravaggio, but also of his contemporaries the author abundantly refers to. Now, you really need to have a separate art book at hand containing colour plates of all the works described by the author, or you will feel like the proverbial blind man listening to another man's description of an elephant... I used Roberto Longhi's "Caravaggio" (Editori Riuniti).
Do not expect "an easy read" : Robb is determined to show his readers he has made his homework and this led to a book packed with historical detail, names and complex family ties. Personally, I was facinated by Robb's digging.
