17世紀初義大利藝術家卡拉瓦喬（Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, 1571-1610），以繪製羅馬教堂的公共祭壇畫聞名歐洲地區。當時他以創新的世俗形式詮釋宗教史實，卻遭到親教廷派贊主多次的公開拒絕與同儕藝術家的妒嫉毀謗。僅管卡拉瓦喬的繪畫風格與克萊門八世訂立的官方圖像規範產生衝突，背離了教皇支持宗教藝術發展的政治目的，卻因此突顯了他堅持傳達個人遵循的宗教信念之繪畫意圖。本論文即透過剖析卡拉瓦喬在羅馬時期接獲委託的11幅公共祭壇畫，申論卡拉瓦喬如何在反宗教改革環境中，以獨特的繪畫風格展現他所認同的信仰精神與教義內涵。 論文第一章首先追溯卡拉瓦喬在青少年時期的技藝養成與宗教人格發展背景，理解他如何自先驅者的創作中，汲取描繪宗教圖像的藝術理念與手法；並釐清當時倫巴底地區推行的宗教文化藝術政策，探討它對卡拉瓦喬宗教藝術表現的可能影響。第二章逐一分析卡拉瓦喬在1599年至1606年為羅馬教堂繪製的公共祭壇畫，闡明卡拉瓦喬獨特的創新手法，並揭示其所傳達的宗教意涵，連結與之契合的宗教思維。第三章檢視17世紀羅馬地區盛行的宗教藝術理念，以實際舉例各別立場所支持的藝術形式表現，與卡拉瓦喬的祭壇畫風格進行比對，釐清卡拉瓦喬意圖遵循的宗教思想來源。透過上述研究面向，本論文將指出，卡拉瓦喬如何遵循特蘭托公會議提倡的重返聖奧古斯丁人性救贖觀，支持民間新修會關注平民觀者認知的思想理念，繼而以創新的世俗風格繪製祭壇畫，影響17世紀藝術史的發展面向。Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1610), an artist in early 17th century Italy, was famous in Europe for his altarpieces in Roman churches. He depicted religious histories in a whole new secular form, but was publicly rejected by the Church authority and suffered envy and slander from peer artists. Although Caravaggio’s artistic style was in conflict with Clement VIII’s prescript of religious images and deviated from the Pope’s political intention of expanding religious art, it indeed revealed that Caravaggio made the altarpieces with the religious belief in which he had faith. By analyzing Caravaggio’s eleven altarpieces made in his Roman period, this dissertation discusses how Caravaggio manifested his religious belief through a distinctive painting style in the Counter-Reformation. The first chapter traces the development of Caravaggio’s artistic skills and religious personality back to his apprentice period, to comprehend what artistic ideas and skills he might have studied from his master and predecessors. It also tries to clarify the religious culture and art policies at that time in Lombardy, and to investigate the possible influences they had on Caravaggio’s religious art. The second chapter analyzes Caravaggio’s altarpieces made for the Roman churches during 1599-1606, discussing Caravaggio’s innovative approach and exploring the meanings behind each work by considering their underlying religious ideas. The third chapter investigates the ideas of religious art prevalent in 17th century Rome, comparing paintings supported by different religious groups to Caravaggio’s altarpieces so as to clarify the foundation of Caravaggio’s religious ideology. In conclusion, this dissertation argues that Caravaggio adhered to St Augustine’s idea of Redemption, which had been advocated by the Council of Trent. Moreover, he sympathized with the New Religious Orders’ deep concern with the populace, and thus developed a unique secular style to paint altarpieces, a style which greatly influenced the development of 17th century art.
