IL BACCHIACCA'S ST. PAUL by Joan K. Yanni

IL BACCHIACCA'S ST. PAUL

by Joan K. Yanni

One of the most interesting paintings in MAG's collection of Italian art is The Conversion of St. Paul  (54.2) by Francesco Ubertini, called Il Bacchiacca (bock-ee-ah-ka). The painting, a departure from the serene, elegant works of the Renaissance, reflects the more emotional, somewhat distorted style of the Mannerists.

Bacchiacca was born near Florence in 1494, the son of a goldsmith. His first teacher was Perugino, who painted in the classical manner.  Said to be easy-going and gregarious, Bacchiacca was a friend of Andrea del Sarto and collaborated with other Florentine painters of the time.  Ultimately he combined the balanced, symmetrical composition of his teacher with new, exciting color and exaggerated form, producing a fresh and delightful style.  He borrowed from the earlier masters, as was often done in his day, but rearranged their elements and made them his own.

Artist-writer Giorgio Vasari says that Bacchiacca was especially adept at painting small animals and was in demand as an all-around painter in Florence.  He designed cassoni (wedding chests) and decorated rooms for the Medici with his paintings.  He was one of the early and best designers for the Medici Tapestry works.  His success permitted him to marry and support a family, and he became the father of three sons.  From 1540 to his death in 1557, Bacchiacca worked chiefly for Cosimo de' Medici, Duke of Florence, painting pictures for the court.

The story of St. Paul can be found in the New Testament Acts of the Apostles. Paul—his Jewish name was Saul—was a Roman citizen, born in Tarsus, an area near present-day Turkey.  He was a relentless persecutor of Jesus and his disciples.  The Acts relate that one day, as Saul and his followers were traveling from Jerusalem to Damascus, a bright ray of light suddenly pierced the heavens and shone on Saul.   He fell to the ground, and when he arose, he was blind.  His companions led him into Damascus where a follower of Jesus restored his sight. Saul, now Paul, converted to Christianity and traveled extensively throughout Asia Minor, bringing Christianity to the Greek and eastern Roman world and writing on Christian doctrine.  He was ultimately imprisoned and later returned to Rome, where he was executed.  In respect for his Roman citizenship, he was beheaded with a sword instead of being crucified or stoned.  (Thus Paul, often seen in religious paintings, is the saint holding the sword.)

It's not easy to find Paul in our painting.  The foreground is crowded with men, horses, and even a dog, all seemingly bumping against one-another.  Colorful figures in red, blue and green clothing push toward the front of the painting.  Paul is in the center foreground, still mounted on his horse, which has fallen to its knees.  His hat lies on the ground.  He holds up his hand as though to deflect the light emanating from the finger of God, who hovers above the melee on a cloud in the upper right.  If God looks familiar, he is.  He is taken directly from the Gathering of the Waters panel in Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling.

Dr. Howard Merritt, University of Rochester art history professor emeritus, has pointed out in the catalog for an exhibit on Bacchiacca and His Friends, that in addition to the figure of God, at least four other figures in the painting were taken from Michelangelo.  The man directly above St. Paul's horse, the helmeted soldier on the left, the drummer in the central middle distance, and the mounted soldier at right are all from the Battle of Cascina.   With Michelangelo's drummer is a second drummer, taken from Lucas van Leyden's engraving, Conversion of St. Paul.  The bearded figure to the left of Paul is said to be Bacchiacca's self-portrait.

The background comes from two sources: the steep cliffs on the left are from Albrecht Dürer's woodcut Visitation, the tower at far right from his Madonna of the Pear.  Bacchiacca no doubt saw the Sistine Chapel and other works of Michelangelo on a visit to Rome in 1524.  His knowledge of Dürer and van Leyden came when Northern European prints were circulated in Italy, influencing the art of the time.

Though he used segments of known artists' works, Bacchiacca never copied an entire picture.  He took what he liked and adapted it in his unusual style—lively, colorful, sometimes humorous.  His mountains are more contorted, his horizon higher, his hills more fantastic than the original.  He gave a fresh, new interpretation to familiar subjects.  The vivid colors in MAG's painting, done in Florence over 450 years ago, are testament to the skill of both the painter and modern conservation techniques.  The work was done in oil on panel between 1530-35, and its fresh colors were renewed at Oberlin College conservation laboratory in 1989.

Note: Bacchiacca's work can be compared with Raffelino del Garbo's Renaissance work Madonna and Child with Angels, and with El Greco's Mannerist Vision of St. Hyacinth.

Sources: Curatorial files; Nikolenko, Lad: Francesco Ubertini called Il Bacchiacca, J.J. Augustin Publisher, Locust Valley, NY, 1966; Bacchiacca and His Friends, an Exhibition presented by The Baltimore Museum of Art, News Quarterly, Vol. XXIV, No. 2, Winter 1961.