Bacchic Concert

Pietro Paolini's Bacchic Concert reveals the powerful influence of the artist Caravaggio on the 17th-century Baroque. Borrowing Caravaggio's dramatic interplay of light and dark, Paolini bathes his musicians in a golden light as they emerge from the shadowy, mysterious background. The narrative of the painting is ambiguous, hinging on the sidelong glance of the figure at right and the turned back of the figure reading at left. The text she studies is apparently a sonnet by the ancient poet Petrarch, which reinforces the aura of mystery and even erotic tension. The subject may be an entertainment at a grand wedding in 17th-century Rome, which included performances by musicians clad as the god of wine.