Angelus News | September 22, 2023, Vol. 8, Issue No. 19

PAUPERS AND PILGRIMS
A forgotten Italian master who devoted his talent to painting the poor
completes his comeback at the Getty. Is it any accident?
BY STEFANO REBEGGIANI / ART COURTESY OF THE GETTY MUSEUM
“Two Beggars,” about 1730-1734, by Giacomo Ceruti.
Oil on canvas. Pinacoteca Tosio-Martinengo, Brescia.
Oct. 29, “Giacomo Ceruti, A Compassionate
Eye” brings together 17 of
Ceruti’s finest works.
There are more than a few aspects
that make this one of the Getty’s most
important exhibits in recent years.
The quality of Ceruti’s painting is extraordinary,
and his realistic style and
sympathetic attitude make his works
easy to appreciate even for those with
no particular knowledge or interest in
painting. And it’s hard to believe that
the exhibit’s destination is by chance,
in a city where the plight of the homeless
and those living on the margins of
society has never been more visible.
According to art historian Tom Nichols
(“The Art of Poverty,” Manchester
University Press, $114.64), there are
two major trends in the way European
artists depicted the poor from the 16th
century onward. An ‘ironic’ approach
was predominant in Northern Europe,
where the destitute were
stereotypically depicted
as lazy, deceitful, and
morally debased. In the
Catholic world, however,
an idealized view
prevailed which looked
at the impoverished
individual as “another
Christ” (“alter Christus”).
The work of Caravaggio
marked a major turning
point in this tradition.
He was the first to devote
“Women Working on Pillow
Lace (The Sewing School),”
about 1720-1725, by Giacomo
Ceruti. Private Collection.
Jesus, Mary, and the saints. There
was an outcry when his “Madonna di
Loreto” was uncovered and viewers
noticed the dirty feet and scrappy hat
of the pilgrims depicted at the Virgin
Mary’s feet.
historical characters.
The first painting in the exhibition
depicts an elderly beggar, sitting alone
against a blurred background. He
looks at the viewer as if to ask for help,
with a bundle of clothes — probably
In a society obsessed with comfort and control,
Ceruti’s portraits suggest that perhaps the road to
happiness is the one taken by the pilgrim.
Ceruti comes from the same area of
Italy as Caravaggio, and his approach
is influenced by the great Lombard
master. But Ceruti went even further.
He granted the outcasts of the time
–– the beggars, the homeless, the
physically and mentally disabled ––
the space and dignity that had so far
only been granted to the nobles and to
the extent of his possessions — in his
hands.
Until Ceruti’s time, commoners
were depicted according to pre-existing
“types.” In Ceruti’s paintings, we
are looking at real people, with their
unique stories and characters. Ceruti’s
art restores to them the dignity of being
human, and we empathize with
Giacomo Ceruti is one of the
masters of Italian painting in
the 18th century. This artist
is also known by the nickname of
“Pitocchetto” (“the little beggar”),
because of the compelling portraits of
beggars, vagrants, and impoverished
workers which form a large part of his
production.
Despite his popularity in life, art
historians of later generations largely
looked down on Ceruti’s humble subjects,
and he was all but forgotten after
his death. His genius was rediscovered
only in the 20th century, partly thanks
to the fortuitous finding of 12 large
paintings known as the “Padernello
cycle” in a castle near the city of Brescia
in northern Italy.
One could say that Ceruti’s comeback
is complete with the arrival of
a major exhibition of his work at the
Getty Center, the first of its kind to
come to the U.S. Running through
large canvases to everyday
life scenes featuring
peasants and commoners.
And he abolished
the distinction between
sacred and profane by
bringing his poor peasants
into the picture with
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