{"id":25427,"date":"2026-07-03T09:56:43","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T06:56:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lndm.devmerit.com\/radvilu-rumu-dailes-muziejus\/renginiai\/the-dramatic-masterpiece-st-mary-magdalene-in-ecstasy-by-the-master-of-baroque-art-caravaggio-arrives-for-display-at-the-radvila-palace-museum-of-the-lnma\/"},"modified":"2026-07-03T09:56:43","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T06:56:43","slug":"the-dramatic-masterpiece-st-mary-magdalene-in-ecstasy-by-the-master-of-baroque-art-caravaggio-arrives-for-display-at-the-radvila-palace-museum-of-the-lnma","status":"publish","type":"renginys","link":"https:\/\/lndm.devmerit.com\/en\/radvila-palace-museum-of-art\/events\/the-dramatic-masterpiece-st-mary-magdalene-in-ecstasy-by-the-master-of-baroque-art-caravaggio-arrives-for-display-at-the-radvila-palace-museum-of-the-lnma\/","title":{"rendered":"The dramatic masterpiece St Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy by the master of Baroque art Caravaggio arrives for display at the Radvila Palace Museum of the LNMA"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>From the\u00a04th\u00a0July,\u00a0<\/span>St Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy,<\/span><\/i>\u00a0a masterpiece<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/i>by one of the most unorthodox figures in the European history of art,\u00a0<\/span>Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio,\u00a0better known as\u00a0Caravaggio,\u00a0goes\u00a0on display\u00a0at the Radvila Palace Museum of Art of the Lithuanian National Museum of Art (the LNMA), having already captivated visitors\u00a0of\u00a0the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018We are\u00a0pleased\u00a0by the increasingly intense\u00a0collaboration of the Lithuanian National Museum of Art with the Italian cultural institutions, which\u00a0opens opportunities\u00a0to\u00a0the Lithuanian public to experience\u00a0the\u00a0top level\u00a0heritage of the\u00a0cultures of\u00a0the\u00a0world\u00a0first-hand.\u00a0The exhibition of the masterpiece by Caravaggio at the Radvila Palace Museum of Art is a result of\u00a0our\u00a0mutual trust\u00a0and joined\u00a0commitment to preserve and share the\u00a0artistic\u00a0heritage of Europe. We\u00a0<\/span>owe a debt of gratitude\u00a0<\/span>to\u00a0the Ambassador of Italy to Lithuania\u00a0<\/span>Emanuele de Maigret for his personal attention and\u00a0a\u00a0helpful hand\u00a0in realizing this project, and\u00a0to\u00a0the President of the Chamber of Deputies\u2019 Committee on Culture, Federico Mollicone\u00a0for his\u00a0continuous\u00a0support to the strengthening of\u00a0bilateral\u00a0cultural\u00a0cooperation\u00a0between\u00a0Lithuania and Italy.\u00a0I\u00a0<\/span>extend\u00a0my\u00a0heartfelt gratitude\u00a0<\/span>to\u00a0<\/span>the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania in Vilnius, especially,\u00a0the\u00a0Director\u00a0of the museum\u00a0Vydas\u00a0Dolinskas\u00a0for\u00a0his\u00a0efficient partnership in carrying out this project,\u00a0to the Italian<\/span>\u00a0cultural institution\u00a0Associazione\u00a0MetaMorfosi\u00a0and the\u00a0Director General\u00a0of the Association\u00a0Vittorio Faustini for the confidence\u00a0showed\u00a0in lending the piece of art and all logistical support. We are positive that this impressive project brought to fruition will pave\u00a0the\u00a0way\u00a0for\u00a0many other consequential international initiatives\u00a0which serve to\u00a0enrich\u00a0cultural life in Lithuania,\u2019 the Director General of the LNMA Dr Ar\u016bnas\u00a0Gel\u016bnas\u00a0has stated.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The\u00a0controversy, which\u00a0Caravaggio\u2019s\u00a0unorthodox style and\u00a0his\u00a0action-packed life\u00a0earned him,\u00a0did not hinder\u00a0the painter\u2019s\u00a0immense recognition\u00a0neither\u00a0prevent him from\u00a0obtaining\u00a0numerous\u00a0commissions during his\u00a0life-time.\u00a0His interpretations of the religious subject matter\u00a0seemed\u00a0to go against the grain of\u00a0traditional\u00a0sacred\u00a0art.\u00a0However, by choosing\u00a0models from\u00a0everyday life\u00a0and\u00a0emphasizing\u00a0human fragility to\u00a0heighten\u00a0emotional impact of his scenes,\u00a0the painter\u00a0anchored his\u00a0art\u00a0in the defining pillars\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0Baroque aesthetic: drama, emotion, and viewer inclusion.\u00a0He created a new\u00a0relationship between a\u00a0work\u00a0of\u00a0art and\u00a0its\u00a0viewer by bringing art closer to life and transforming\u00a0it\u00a0into\u00a0an\u00a0extension of daily experience.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The mysterious witness\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Mary Magdalen is one of the most mysterious figures in the history of Christianity.\u00a0Caught in\u00a0a moment of\u00a0ecstasy\u00a0in Caravaggio\u2019s canvas,\u00a0Mary Magdalen \u2013 the apostle of apostles \u2013 seems to\u00a0veritably\u00a0emerge\u00a0from\u00a0the\u00a0painting. Her pale skin and arched neck\u00a0cut through the dense darkness of the\u00a0background,\u00a0her loose\u00a0shiny\u00a0tresses\u00a0play in the\u00a0folds\u00a0of her dress.\u00a0The\u00a0face\u00a0turned upwards,\u00a0the\u00a0expression of\u00a0a\u00a0blissful stillness,\u00a0tears trickling\u00a0down her cheek\u00a0suggest\u00a0the saint\u00a0is\u00a0visited by\u00a0a mystical\u00a0vision, a sensory and heavenly experience recurrent\u00a0in\u00a0the paintings of the Baroque epoch. While the saint woman turns to the Divine, we cannot turn away from her.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The biblical Mary Magdalen was the woman\u00a0who had\u00a0seven demons exorcised\u00a0from her\u00a0before\u00a0becoming\u00a0one of the most devoted Jesus\u2019s\u00a0disciples\u00a0and the first witness of His resurrection. The painting\u00a0most likely depicts\u00a0the last day of Magdalen\u2019s life after\u00a0thirty\u00a0reclusive\u00a0years\u00a0she spent in a cave.\u00a0<\/span>The Golden Legend,<\/span><\/i>\u00a013th-century collection of hagiographies, has it that Mary Magdlen was\u00a0then\u00a0visited\u00a0by\u00a0Maximin, Bishop of\u00a0Aix,\u00a0<\/span>who came to administer the Eucharist to her. Mary wept for joy, received Communion, and died. This narrative inspired the two most celebrated depictions of Mary Magdalene in Western art: the Penitent Magdalene and the Magdalene in Ecstasy, the latter being the subject of Caravaggio\u2019s painting.\u00a0<\/span>St Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy,\u00a0<\/span><\/i>arriving from<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/b>the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania,\u00a0<\/span>will be displayed in\u00a0the Radvila Palace Museum of Art\u00a0rooms\u00a0featuring\u00a016th\u00a0-18th-century\u00a0Western European paintings of religious passions.\u00a0The Italian master will\u00a0hang among\u00a0Italian,\u00a0Spanish\u00a0and\u00a0Flemish\u00a0paintings\u00a0of similar periods\u00a0depicting powerful spiritual experience.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Original beyond doubt\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Mina Gregori, a distinguished Caravaggio scholar and professor at the University of Florence, this\u202f<\/span>Magdalene<\/span><\/i>\u202fis unquestionably an original work by the master of Baroque painting. Several distinctive aspects of the picture support this view. Principal among them are the hands,\u00a0an important element\u00a0in Caravaggio\u2019s work. The tonal transitions and contrasts that\u00a0render\u00a0the image of firm yet elegant palms suggest that the composition could only have been painted from life, not copied by imitators. The gleaming tear on Magdalene\u2019s cheek exemplifies the subtle realism characteristic of the artist. Her mantle is distinguished by the vivid red tone that recurs throughout Caravaggio\u2019s oeuvre, alongside broad, freely\u00a0rendered\u00a0drapery folds.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Caravaggio\u2019s<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/b>St Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/b>epitomizes the defining features of\u00a0the\u00a0Baroque painting \u2013 the drama of the narrative and the manner of painting\u00a0dependant on\u00a0strong\u00a0contrasts\u00a0of light and shadow\u00a0known as\u00a0chiaroscuro,\u00a0even,\u00a0tenebrism.\u00a0Caravaggio\u2019s\u00a0thorough exploration of\u00a0the effects of\u00a0light\u00a0establishes\u00a0him\u00a0as\u00a0an exceptional\u00a0master of painting whose virtuosity over time paved the\u00a0way\u00a0to modern painting techniques.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The masterpiece by Caravaggio\u00a0<\/span>St Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy\u00a0<\/span><\/i>will be on at the Radvila Palace of the LNMA until\u00a0the\u00a02nd\u00a0August. Guided tours, planned by the museum,\u00a0will\u00a0enhance\u00a0visitor\u00a0experience of looking at the masterpiece. The Lithuanian National Museum of Art invites to see\u00a0yet another\u00a0exhibition,\u00a0at the Vilnius Picture Gallery,\u00a0of the canvas\u00a0<\/span>The Caravaggio Question: The Painting \u201cThe Taking of Christ\u201d<\/span><\/i>\u00a0attributed to Caravaggio\u00a0and brought to Lithuania\u00a0from the Odesa Museum of Western and Eastern Art in Ukraine.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The project is realized by the Lithuanian National Museum of Art in collaboration with\u00a0the Italian\u00a0Embassy\u00a0in Lithuania, the Italian Culture Institute in Vilnius, the Museum of the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania,\u00a0and the\u00a0Cultural\u00a0Association\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

MetaMorfosi\u00a0dedicated to the enhancement and promotion of Italian cultural heritage\u00a0worldwide.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From the\u00a04th\u00a0July,\u00a0St Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy,\u00a0a masterpiece\u00a0by one of the most unorthodox figures in the European history of art,\u00a0Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio,\u00a0better known as\u00a0Caravaggio,\u00a0goes\u00a0on display\u00a0at the Radvila Palace Museum of Art of the Lithuanian National Museum of Art (the LNMA), having already captivated visitors\u00a0of\u00a0the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u2018We are\u00a0pleased\u00a0by the increasingly […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25340,"template":"","tags":[],"department":[79],"renginiu-tipas":[233],"renginio-zymos":[],"class_list":["post-25427","renginys","type-renginys","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","department-radvila-palace-museum-of-art","renginiu-tipas-parodos-atidarymas"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lndm.devmerit.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/renginys\/25427","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lndm.devmerit.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/renginys"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lndm.devmerit.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/renginys"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lndm.devmerit.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lndm.devmerit.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/renginys\/25427\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lndm.devmerit.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25340"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lndm.devmerit.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25427"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lndm.devmerit.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25427"},{"taxonomy":"department","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lndm.devmerit.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/department?post=25427"},{"taxonomy":"renginiu-tipas","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lndm.devmerit.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/renginiu-tipas?post=25427"},{"taxonomy":"renginio-zymos","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lndm.devmerit.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/renginio-zymos?post=25427"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}