The Musicians (1597) by Caravaggio

This painting is also known as the Concert of Youths, and that is an appropriate title. The boy in the center plays the lute. The boy in the background on the right plays a horn-like wind instrument called a coronetto. And the boy on the right with his back towards us studies the musical scores. And the last boy, the one on the left, does not seem to participate. Instead, he's reaching for some grapes. And in the foreground is a violin. Caravaggio invites us to participate with these boys. But it depends on your mood. The boys are practicing a non-religious song about the sorrows of love. We don't only know this from the scores, but also by looking at some of the symbols in this painting. The boy reaching for the grapes actually represents Cupid. If you look carefully, you can see his wings and some arrows next to his right shoulder. But not all arrows of Cupid fill you with love and uncontrollable desire. The arrows in this painting actually have blunt tips of lead. And when Cupid hits you with this type of arrow, it will fill you with aversion and the desire to flee. Funny man, this Caravaggio. He makes a beautiful painting and invites us to participate. But then we have to make music about the misfortunes of love. Caravaggio loved to play around with his audience. And this painting also contains a self-portrait of the 24-year-old painter. He used himself as the model for the second boy from the right.