MUSEO DI CAPODIMONTE, The 17Th Century

You'll be amazed by the richness and variety of the 17th-century paintings at Capodimonte thanks to the splendor of the Neapolitan pictorial school of the time, which is then complemented by prestigious contributions from other Italian cities.

One of the museum's most admired works is the great canvas with the Flagellation of Christ, painted by Caravaggio in 1606 during his first stay in Naples. Look at the dramatic and engaging power of the contrast between the muscular, fully illuminated body of Christ and the partially shadowed figures of the executioners, and notice how the suffering of Christ's noble face is even more evident beside the vulgar scowls of the two jailers. There are few other works in the history of painting where chiaroscuro translates into pure emotion like it does here.

The example of Caravaggio's realism is followed by a number of exponents from the Neapolitan school, including the Spaniard Jusepe de Ribera known as "Lo Spagnoletto": out of all his works at Capodimonte you won't easily forget the depiction of the Drunken Silenus, who continues to drink even after falling to the ground drunk. The playful atmosphere and overwhelming fatness of the protagonist make it one of the most original works of 17th-century mythological painting....