October 16, 2025

“There was art before him and after him, and they were not the same,” said Robert Hughes, Time Magazine's art critic, about 17th-century genius Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. Known as the king of light and shadow, Caravaggio’s magic with chiaroscuro changed art forever. Now, his masterpiece Magdalene in Ecstasy has arrived in Mumbai for the very first time! Shining bright at the Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum, this show is a blockbuster in the city’s cultural tale. Brought to Mumbai thanks to a partnership with the Italian Consulate and Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Mumbai, “L'invenzione della luce: Caravaggio's Magdalene in Ecstasy” has already wowed Delhi and Bengaluru. Italy’s Consul General, Walter Ferrara, said, “The arrival of a Caravaggio in India for the first time is a sign of the excellent relations and trust between India and Italy. Partnerships like this have to be nurtured to accomplish cultural diplomacy.” He added that Mumbai had never seen “anything like it,” calling it the city’s first big European masterpiece visit. And what better time? The exhibition coincides beautifully with Mumbai’s festival of lights celebrations! The show matches Caravaggio’s work with two amazing paintings by Indian legend Rao Bahadur M V Dhurandhar. Both artists explore devotion and spiritual ecstasy. While Dhurandhar uses colorful Hindu myth stories of Usha and Anniruddha, and Banasura binding Anniruddha with snakes, Caravaggio’s dark, stark style focuses the spotlight fiercely on Magdalene’s rapt trance. “As in Caravaggio, the bodies in Dhurandhar's works become sites of devotion and emotion; sensual love becomes a metaphor for spiritual love,” says curator Tasneem Mehtra. Co-curator Andrea Anastasio contrasts the styles: Dhurandhar’s paintings are rich with details of grand palaces and plush furniture, while Caravaggio’s work shines through pure light against darkness — a vacuum where Magdalene glows with deep emotion. Caravaggio painted directly on canvas without sketches, and his realistic style stunned the world when he showed common people as saints, rebels, and even prostitutes. Magdalene in Ecstasy, painted around 1606, shows Mary Magdalene in a hypnotic spiritual trance — head back, eyes closed, in white robes glowing against a dark background. A tiny skull beside her hints at passing time but also life beyond life. Legend has it Caravaggio may have used a drowned woman’s body as inspiration. At the time, Caravaggio was hiding from the law after a murder charge and was living under noble protection. This ‘Bad boy of the Baroque’ was as famous for his volatile temper as his art — arrested for fights and wild antics. Anastasio says, “Today, we might say he had bipolar disorder.” Francesca Amendola, director of the Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Mumbai, reveals, “The exhibition was put together in a month. Even though it was just one artwork, it needed a lot of care. The painting is over 400 years old!” Bombay Art Society’s president Rajendra Patil praised the show, saying, “It’s a wonderful initiative, bringing together two masters across continents. Dhurandhar mastered oils with finesse, while Caravaggio revolutionized chiaroscuro, illuminating entire compositions with a single light source. Both artists capture human emotion and form with breathtaking intensity.” Don’t miss this sparkling cultural moment! Catch Caravaggio’s Magdalene in Ecstasy from October 16 to November 2, 2025, at the Kamalnayan Bajaj Special Exhibitions Gallery, Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Byculla. It’s art history lighting up Mumbai like never before.

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Tags: Caravaggio, Magdalene in ecstasy, Dr bhau daji lad museum, Baroque art, Indian art, Chiaroscuro,