The Fortune Teller Analysis

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1610) was an influential Italian painter who

combined his technique of shadowing to emphasize lighter areas with the focus on the physical and

emotional state of his characters to create dramatic works of art. Through Caravaggio's painting of The

Fortune Teller, he is able to capture the realism of the characters and their encounter to leave a natural

feeling for the observer. This effect of Renaissance realism of the painting tells a tale about the

characters. Caravaggio is also able to express his own form of individualism through the work of art, as

his leap towards uniqueness and style made it stand out. Lastly, Caravaggio through the painting has

been able to depict the reality and

truth of the time in which he lived in. Caravaggio wanted to depict

the reality of Rome, and does by recording history through his painting. In this paper I will argue that

Caravaggio's The Fortune Teller is culturally significant to the Renaissance movement because of the

realism/naturalism in the painting to make it come alive; the expression of his own unique style by the

means of individualism; and the reflection of the accurate history of the time in which he lived in.

The naturalism in Caravaggio's The Fortune Teller shows the cultural significance this painting

has with regards to the later Renaissance as it depicts the real. Caravaggio's unprecedented technique

and his careful attention to the detail in the painting make it naturalistic. The painting does not only

exist for visual aesthetic, but instead it tells a true story of his time. Through The Fortune Teller,

Caravaggio introduced a new visual dynamism that he combined with a highly developed naturalism.1

The naturalism in the painting is depicting the new and real. The encounter between the gypsy fortune

teller and the young man is something that occurred on a regular day, but it is something that was never

painted. Caravaggio is aware that this encounter happens, but produces the encounter from his own

imagination. He does not go out into the public and wait for this scene to occur, he uses his memory

and knowledge to create the painting. His knowledge of deceitful gypsies and naive men help create

this painting. Caravaggio depicts the clever woman holding the young man's hand with her own, and
2

using the fingers of her other hand to discreetly run them through the man's hand. To him she is reading

his future and the man's attention is caught up in her eyes, unaware that she is taking his ring off of his

finger.

This realistic and natural activity that occurs on a daily basis is captured by Caravaggio. This

dynamic of naturalism contributes to the Renaissance movement with regards to the real. The Fortune

Teller portrays a sense of deception that has been witnessed in person; observed as it happened from a

naturalistic view and then altered the characters slightly to enhance its dramatic appeal. The Fortune

Teller portrays Caravaggio's importation of fresh new naturalistic ideas from the North into Rome.2 The

main scope of the Renaissance was to bring out new ideas and build on old ones. Through The Fortune

Teller, Caravaggio incorporates two ideas together with naturalism and realism. In the painting there is

a well dressed young man, who as a result of being young is unaware of the dangers of the world. He

has no experience of life and is letting his appeal for the gypsy cloud his judgement. He gives his hand

to the young woman who he is attracted to so that she can read his future. Based on secular ideas and

realism, the young woman cannot look into the future and is using it as a ploy to distract the

young

man. His ideas about his future are definitely locked into the gaze of the young gypsy girl's eyes, and

she carefully caresses his hand while taking the oblivious man's ring. Caravaggio depicts this

naturalistic feeling through this realistic scenario. It feels so real that it is as if the painting is a actual

scene taking place in person. The Fortune Teller is like a narrative unfolding as it is being observed; it

invites the observer to be a part of the painting, to be a part of the scene. Caravaggio is able to use this

effect well as just as the young man is caught in a gaze, as is the observer who is caught in a gaze

plotting what happens next. Caravaggio's painting is a sort of manifesto of his claim to be devoted to

nature as a model.3 The Fortune Teller is Caravaggio's first painting with more than one person. It's

main intuitive is to show a gypsy girl using deception to cheat a young, foolish man. This theme and

genre was very new for Rome. Caravaggio is using nature to create its own work of art. Caravaggio is
3

making nature and realism the main theme for his painting. Even through the clothing of the characters

Caravaggio lets nature unfold itself. The young man with the hat covered with feathers, his gloves, and

the visible sword. This immediately depicts the type of person the young man is, and the same goes for

the gypsy woman. Her clothing is also meant for her to be distinguished as a type. This allows

Caravaggio naturalism to make the observer understand the two types of people in the painting, and

how the scene is played out: a naive young man and a deceitful gypsy. The Fortune Teller's

Renaissance characteristics allow Caravaggio to input his own naturalistic ideas to create a unique style

of Renaissance culture.

Through The Fortune Teller, Caravaggio is capable of showing his inner Renaissance ability of

expressing his very own individuality. The uniqueness of the painting and the infusion of Renaissance

style are what depict the painting as later Renaissance culture. From the beginning to the end of the

Renaissance, the ideas and styles continued on evolving. For Caravaggio, he wanted to really step

outside of the box and revel with his own individualism. None of these authors can identify any

previous painting of a gypsy fortuneteller.4 What really makes Caravaggio's The Fortune Teller

culturally significant to Renaissance movement is that he decided not conform to the ideas of other

artists, but instead depended on his own individual ability to create something unique and different, but

still hanging onto Renaissance art values. Just as other artists before him, he was evolving Renaissance

art to a different level. Caravaggio wanted to show his unique ability, and he did it by painting an

ordinary scene. No artist before Caravaggio had painted a gypsy fortuneteller as an exclusive subject.5

Caravaggio's The Fortune Teller differs in unique and specific fundamental respects than compared to

that of other artists' work. The genre portrays a scene of a normal, everyday activity. At first glance is

seems as if it is a regular encounter; however, there is a hidden meaning within the painting that

Caravaggio leaves for the observer to configure. The ring is hardly visible, but it is there, and
4

Caravaggio wants the observer to engage the painting, to be a part of it. Compared to other painting of

his time, the main focus was famous people or religious monuments. Caravaggio decided that ordinary

people deserve to be included in the history of the Renaissance as well. This is what his painting does,

it is a historically accurate story about the deception that occurred in his time. Caravaggio's The

Fortune Teller captured the characters in moments of intense psychological tension.6 Caravaggio's

focus on naturalism is what makes this painting so unique.

This means that the observer does not only

see two people as they are, but instead an everyday story about them. There is no specific time or place

that takes away the observers' attention, the painting is of just two ordinary people living out an

ordinary encounter. This gives the observer a sense of connection as well as visual pleasure because

they could possibly have encounters like this on their own. Caravaggio's use of raking light and deep

shadow is dramatic and original.7 Caravaggio with the colour and shading gives an almost satisfying

effect for the observer. The colour tones of the skin, clothes with the background blend well together.

This colour effect with the size of the two characters makes the painting seem realistic. The dark shade

on the gypsy and the lighter shade on the young man also depicts a sense of evil versus good. The

gypsy is up to no good, and the young man seems innocent to her intentions. The uniqueness of these

effects makes the painting looking extremely realistic. Caravaggio with this effect appeases

the

observer to gaze at the painting just as the young, naive man is gazing at the deceitful gypsy. It allows

the observer to feel in control as they can see everything that is happening as if it is happening

realistically in front of their eyes. Caravaggio's innovative ideas influenced the later work of Velazquez

and Rembrandt.8 Caravaggio's revolutionary thinking and unique individualism allowed for him to

create his own Renaissance style. This resulted in Caravaggio receiving praise and influencing other

artists; his individualism was admired. Not only was Caravaggio excellent at depicting his own ideas

5

onto the painting, but he was also able to reflect the problems of his time onto the painting.

Caravaggio also uses The Fortune Teller to reflect the time in which he lived. Though his

painting is at first glance portrayed to be a friendly encounter, Caravaggio installs a vaguer point to the

painting, and it is about how damaged Rome was. During Caravaggio's time, Rome was violent

and dangerous.9 This is depicted through the painting as the seemingly friendly gypsy

woman is actually very dangerous. The young man is being fooled by her, and the observer is being

tested by Caravaggio. Just like what an observer from the outside might see Rome, Caravaggio is

depicting the corruption of the city. Not only is the issue with the deceitful gypsy, but other issues exist

outside of that. There is an even bigger picture to be painted that depicts the danger of his time.

Caravaggio's genre of this painting is deception and theft. Through this painting, Caravaggio shows the

sad history of his time. This painting is culturally significant because it exposes the corruption of

Rome. Caravaggio through The Fortune Teller does a good job in highlighting the portrayal of Roman

street life, it is also an imitation.10 . With the Renaissance, all of Italy was seen to be at the highest level

intellectually and morally, but that is not how history actually played out. Caravaggio through this

painting is able to depict how actual history and actual actions happened. He is imitating the truth of his

time, he is depicting it for what it is. The portrayal of street life shows what the real Rome was like, it

shows how Rome's history was as he saw it. He used real models drawn from the streets, a practice that

enhanced his naturalism.11 Caravaggio did not deceive through his paintings, he wanted the most

natural and realistic portrayal of Rome as he could get. This is why The Fortune Teller is a part of the

Renaissance culture, because of the truth and realism of the context of the painting. The story is true

and real, it is not something made up, it is something that happened frequently. The theft is the most

important and dramatic moment of the painting; however, it is undetected at first glance. This is how