The Guardian of Mercy

How an Extraordinary Painting by Caravaggio Changed an Ordinary Life Today

By: Terence Ward

Narrated by: Fred Stella

Now celebrated as one of the great painters of the Renaissance, Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio fled Rome in 1606 to escape retribution for killing a man in a brawl. Three years later he was in Naples, where he painted The Seven Acts of Mercy. A year later he died at the age of thirty-eight under mysterious circumstances. Exploring Caravaggio's singular masterwork, in The Guardian of Mercy Terence Ward offers an incredible narrative journey into the heart of his artistry and his metamorphosis from fugitive to visionary.

Ward's guide in this journey is a contemporary artist whose own life was transformed by the painting, a simple man named Angelo who shows him where it still hangs in a small church in Naples and whose story helps him see its many layers. As Ward unfolds the structure of the painting, he explains each of the seven mercies and its influence on Caravaggio's troubled existence. Caravaggio encountered the whole range of Naples's vertical social layers, from the lowest ranks of poverty to lofty gilded aristocratic circles, and Ward reveals the old city behind today's metropolis. Fusing elements of history, biography, memoir, travelogue, and journalism, his narrative maps the movement from estrangement to grace, as we witness Caravaggio's bruised life gradually redeemed by art.

©2016 Terence Ward. (P)2017 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Fusion History -Wonderful

We learn about Caravaggio through the painting's guardian, Angelo in a small Naples church. We find out about the seven mercies that influenced Caravaggio’s life. But also about Naples’s social layers, from the lowest ranks of poverty to lofty gilded aristocratic circles. And we come to love Angelo. A great listen, an excellent story told with the craft of an experienced writer, producer, UN observer, Vatican consultant, and well just about anything you can imagine. Loved this and quote the story often.

A Generous Dose of Mercy

A beautifully intertwined modern/ancient tale of beauty and heartbreak, faith and deceit, love and mercy. Caravaggio's true genius is revealed-- transcending time and redeeming himself and others. “Audible 20 Review Sweepstakes Entry”

The balance of life, caring for the needed.

Beautiful book and very informative. I loved the way we where traveling between the past and the present.

Excellent except for the epilogue

I knew nothing about Caravaggio before this book. Now, I can't wait to see his work in person. I love the story of Angelo, too. However, the epilogue was nothing but George Soros WEF propaganda.