Abstrakt: | Vincenzo Consolo, in one of his interviews, said that painting is counterbalance to
style in his artistic work. In fact, the fine art is a frequent motif appearing in his works. The
novel titled L’olivo e l’olivastro is a great example of this kind of narration since one of the
chapters depicts Caravaggio’s stay in Siracusa, as well as the consequences of this fruitful visit.
Taking into account the way an olive and a wild olive sprout from the same trunk, so as to be the
symbol of everything that is cultivated and what is wild, it should be noted that in the same way
the heroes in Caravaggio’s paintings have the features that characterize both human beings and
animals. This split is present constantly in artistic work of Caravaggio who broke the cardinal
rules set out in painting. As a result, he was called both a scandalmonger and the author of the
first painting transgression, as well as a highly provocative artist. Vincenzo Consolo’s prose is
thought-provoking and encourages reflection on relativity of goodness and beauty in the real
world which is depicted as disappointing. |