in Caravaggio's case this was primarily brought about through masterful technique in creating contrasts of light and shadow. All of these elements are clearly visible in A Concert.
In terms of its subject matter, A Concert does not at first glance appear to be a typical Baroque genre piece; the boys seem to be angelic, almost religious figures, and a mythical theme seems to be implied by the inclusion of the figure of Cupid. However, the subject matter is actually secular. Although contemporary viewers may not immediately perceive it, the setting of the work is an ordinary tavern, like those which were popular in Caravaggio's time. A highly social man, Caravaggio frequently visited such taverns and commonly depicted them in his works of this period. Waterhouse has noted the tavern setting of A Concert, and has even gone so far as to state that the painting depicts the "low life," or the "romantic possibilities of the flash underworld" (23).
Although the tavern is not explicitly shown in A Concert, the setting is implied by the simple fact that in Caravaggio's time, taverns were the typical places where everyday people went to make or listen to secular music. Fu
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