Caravaggio

The film Caravaggio (1986) covers portions of the famous Baroque painter’s life; his lovers, friends, and crimes. To properly convey the drama and mystery of the film, as well as the classical painting style: The title sequence, poster, and intertitle are fully painted. The type choice of Le Murmure and Tangier represent Baroque themes whilst Hoarse represents Italy and Spain, pairing together for a bold look in each application while not taking away from the artwork. The color palettes are pulled directly from Caravaggio’s paintings.
The movie poster depicts a cross with a broken ruby and engraved type as well as the iconic knife Caravaggio kept beside him throughout the film. The pointed blade and destruction of the ruby allude back to the Cardinal who raised Caravaggio and the implied sexual abuse he faced but overcame. Within the motion piece, era-specific papal coins are shown and various objects throughout the film are used to tell a story, from carved candles to a brass bowl of leaves and goji berries.

The scope of the project required an exclusive item, so a frame for a painting was chosen and modeled from scratch in Cinema 4D. The frame features quotes from Caravaggio’s narration, extravagant type filigrees, rubies, jade, and pearls as luxury and excess were strong themes throughout the film and relate back to the Baroque art era. The pearls also relate to the character Lena and her tragic death due to her involvement with Caravaggio, serving as a reminder of her.