The Secrets Hidden in Painting ep.1--The Cardsharps by Caravaggio

【Humanities Series】

Hi! Welcome to our brand new series—- Humanities series🎉🎉🎉!! In this series, we will share knowledge related to literature and arts through English. If you are interested as well, be sure to follow along with the article🦾! Let’s explore the subtleties of the fascinating world of humanities together🤩! 

🖌️ Have you ever seen the movie “God of Gamblers”? Well, the young man on the left in the painting below is not as fortunate. He is completely focused on his poker cards, carefully considering his next move. The two men beside him are in cahoots, plotting to cheat him. One, older and standing behind the young man, pretends to offer advice, while the other, the young man’s rival, waits for his next card. We cannot observe the expression on the man’s face on the right, nor whom he is staring at—-his partner, the older man, or the young man? But we know he is hiding a card behind his back, waiting for a perfect moment to cheat. 👿

What card will the young man play next? Will he realize it’s all a trap? The painting skillfully captures the moment of the cardsharp（老千）’s evil action, creating a tense atmosphere throughout. 

🧑‍🎨 The painting is called The Cardsharps, created by Roman artist Caravaggio. In his youth, he usually hung out at these illegal, dark places such as gambling houses. It is said that this painting depicts an actual scene he witnessed at a gambling house. It was also his first work as a professional artist, earning him some recognition and his initial sponsorship. 

🗯️Spoiler: Think the young man in The Cardsharps has it bad🥲? Wait till you see the next painting we’re going to introduce – it’s even more shocking! Stay tuned for the next episode, where we will delve into a similar painting with more dramatic details! Gossip ready!🍉  

Reference: 《膽小別看畫：藝術很殘酷——解謎西洋名畫中的恐怖心機與人性弱點。那些藝術史上不說，你不知道的繪畫黑歷史》, 作者: 中野京子。

Picture source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Caravaggio_(Michelangelo_Merisi)_-_The_Cardsharps_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg