SER Historia | El Arte (31 de Agosto, 2025)

Cadena SER | Presentado por Nacho Ares

Overview

This special summer episode of SER Historia dives deeply into the world of art as a historical phenomenon—not just focusing on artworks and their creators, but also uncovering hidden stories, medical curiosities, and the struggles fates of iconic artists. The episode looks at enigmatic painter Caravaggio's tumultuous life and his revolutionary technique, explores how disease and facial features are immortalized in portraiture, and pays tribute to the remarkable, often overlooked contribution of female artist Luisa Roldán, “La Roldana”. The tone is lively, inquisitive, and rich in detail, interweaving historical insight with anecdotes, expert opinion, and social context.

1. Caravaggio: Rebel Genius and Baroque Innovator

[02:00–22:42]

Guests:

• Jesús Callejo — Historian, regular show contributor
• Antonio Sánchez Barriga — Art restorer

Caravaggio: The Man and the Legend

• Caravaggio (Michelangelo Merisi, 1571–1610) is painted as both a master of Baroque tenebrism and a figure whose life was marked by violence, scandal, and rebellion ([02:07] Jesús Callejo).
• Callejo comments on Caravaggio’s “vida intensa y muy polémica” — “I think he took to painting and fighting with the same ease.”

  “Era un genio con mal genio, pero desde luego es para imitarle en la pintura” ([02:45], Jesús Callejo).

• His radical realism and use of common people, prostitutes, and unidealized forms in religious works brought both scandal and admiration.
• Caravaggio’s work, unappreciated by some contemporaries for its brutal honesty, sparked a school of followers despite his turbulent lifestyle.

The Pivotal Incident: Murder and Exile

• Chronovisor journey: Callejo and Ares transport the listener to May 29, 1606—the day Caravaggio killed Ranuccio Tomassoni in Rome during a dispute after a game of Pallacorda ([05:15]).
• Callejo vividly narrates the deadly duel, suggesting both personal and professional rivalries, as well as Caravaggio’s penchant for real-life models from society’s fringes (prostitutes, criminals).

  “Por eso parece que todo indica que va por una cuestión de faldas, le intenta cercenar su pene…” ([06:04], Jesús Callejo).

• Following the murder, Caravaggio is sentenced to death, forced into exile—first to Naples, then to Malta, and always pursued by violence.

Artistic Impact and Personal Obsessions

• Caravaggio’s obsession with decapitation motifs grows after the murder; Callejo notes that in several later paintings featuring beheading, the decapitated head is Caravaggio’s own self-portrait ([08:00]).

  “Siempre en el personaje decapitado, pinta su autorretrato, es decir, se queda obsesionado con la decapitación…”

• Listeners hear how Caravaggio’s love-hate relationship with church patrons let him revolutionize religious painting—using everyday people and “imperfections” instead of idealized saints ([11:36]).
• Callejo highlights the scandal caused by paintings such as the Madonna dei Palafrenieri—depicting a “provocative” Virgin and a nude, older Christ child, which was quickly removed from its intended church ([13:18], Jesús Callejo).

Notable Quote

“Hacía esas decapitaciones, esos cuadros que hoy podríamos entender un poco violentos para mayores, al menos de 15 o 16 años” ([19:15], Nacho Ares).

Attribution and Restoration: “San Juan en el desierto”

• [14:26] Restorer Antonio Sánchez Barriga discusses the identification of the San Juan en el desierto painting (Toledo Cathedral) as a true Caravaggio—highlighting debates on authorship, paint analysis, and Caravaggio’s rapid, five-color technique ([15:16]).

  “No ha tardado más de ocho días en pintar esto. Eso no lo hace Cavarocci. Yo pienso que es Caravaggio…utiliza solamente cinco colores y con cinco colores hace este claro. ¿No es maravilloso?” ([15:16], Antonio Sánchez Barriga).

Caravaggio’s Dark Legacy

• His only signed work, the Decapitación de San Juan Bautista (St. John’s Co-Cathedral, Malta), is literally signed in the spilled blood—emphasizing his lifelong preoccupation with violence and personal doom ([19:53], Jesús Callejo).
• Biographer accounts describe him as “orgullosa, terca y siempre dispuesta a participar en una discusión o a enfrascarse en una pelea” ([19:53], Jesús Callejo).
• Legacy: Caravaggio marks the true beginning of Baroque painting, profoundly influencing contemporaries and the next generation, including Artemisia Gentileschi.

2. Portraiture and the Hidden Histories of Disease

[24:40–44:21]

Guest:

• Florencio Monge — Oral and maxillofacial surgeon, and art-history author

The Art of Medical Diagnosis in Portraits

• Nacho Ares introduces Florencio Monge’s project: using painted portraits to infer real medical conditions, especially deformities and syndromes of the face and neck ([25:45]).

The Methodology

• Realist art, especially from the Renaissance onward, can act as a historical archive of disease.

• Monge’s career began after his medical mentor sent him to the Prado as “castigo”—which became a passion:

  “A veces cuando se suspendían los quirófanos, nos mandaba como castigo ir al Museo del Prado.” ([27:40], Florencio Monge)

• Analysis of Goya’s and others’ works revealed 25 portraits with facial abnormalities, leading to his book El rostro enfermo. 50 pinturas para comprender las enfermedades de la cara y el cuello.

The Habsburg Jaw & Historical Inbreeding

• The Habsburg (Austrian) royals were intensely inbred, yielding the prominent “quijada” (prognathic jaw) and other features.

  “Son un chollo. Los Austrias son un chollo por varios motivos. Primero, fundamental, la endogamia…” ([29:17], Florencio Monge)

• Eleven marriages between close relatives led to exaggerated features traceable through generations ([29:17]).

Labio Leporino (Cleft Lip) and Medieval Superstitions

• Historical art documents the untreated progression of deformities prior to modern medicine.
• Monge recounts how children born with cleft lip in the past were often steered toward monastic life, stigmatized, or even demonized.

  “En la cultura sajona, el labio leporino se identifica como el demonio… cualquier tipo de deformidad facial se entendía que eran personajes que quizá no eran normales, que tenían algún tipo de correlación con la delincuencia…” ([34:02], Florencio Monge).

Violence, Trauma, and Portraits

• Portraits may also capture injuries—enucleations (missing eye sockets), post-infection disfigurements, and, after WWI, the use of facial masks ([35:35], Florencio Monge).

Diagnosing Disease from Paint

• Subtle clues in famous paintings (like skin tone, facial swelling, or hand deformities) allow diagnosis of conditions like rheumatic fever (example: Adele Bloch-Bauer by Klimt) ([37:24]):

  “…unas chapetas malares, se ven unos dedos muy largos y muy deformes…es muy, muy propio de una enfermedad reumática…”

Idealization vs. Reality

• Portraits may be idealized (especially royal ones), masking physical issues, but experts can nonetheless sometimes see through the retouching:

  “El que paga es el que manda… más de un cuadro de Carlos II un poquito deformé y en otros un poquito más deforme…”

• The detective work includes extensive documentation, biographical research, and museum visits.

3. The Forgotten Great: Luisa Roldán, “La Roldana”

[45:03–53:22]

Guest:

• Andrés Damián — Professor, historian, and expert on La Roldana

Pioneering Female Artist in Baroque Spain

• Nacho Ares highlights the rarity—and historical neglect—of female artists, introducing La Roldana as an exception and a star.

Who Was La Roldana?

• Luisa Roldán (1652–1704), daughter of renowned sculptor Pedro Roldán, was called “la más insigne escultora… de todos los tiempos en España” ([46:17], Andrés Damián).
• Achieved prestigious commissions and signed works, including leaving a hidden note in her sculpture’s head declaring her authorship.

  “Ella misma deja un pergamino en la cabeza de esta imagen donde se declara como la insigne y gran artífice de esta gran obra.” ([46:17], Andrés Damián)

Social Obstacles and Artistic Triumphs

• Despite her talents, La Roldana faced sexism and a restrictive society; her work focused on religious sculpture due to the demands of the Counter-Reformation ([48:23]).
• Some of her best pieces are now recognized internationally (Hispanic Society, Getty Museum), though many attributions are disputed.

Suffering and Artistic Expression

• Her turbulent, often abusive marriage is reflected in the emotional depth of her religious sculptures.

  “Se cree que ella desarrolla e imbuye a sus imágenes de ese dolor… tiene una gran calidad en cuanto a la expresividad de sus obras, pero también, naturalmente, la impronta del barroco…” ([49:30], Andrés Damián)

• Notable works include San Miguel pisando al diablo (where the angel’s face is her own, and the devil’s is her husband’s) and Virgen de la Soledad (her only fully documented “dolorosa”).

Style, Attribution, and Enduring Legacy

• The identification of the Virgen de la Soledad has provided a stylistic baseline for authenticating other works, correcting many misattributions.

  “La Virgen de la Estrella… tras su restauración…, parece confirmarse que es obra de la Roldana…” ([52:05], Andrés Damián)

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• “Era un genio con mal genio, pero desde luego es para imitarle en la pintura…” ([02:45], Jesús Callejo)
• “No ha tardado más de ocho días en pintar esto… utiliza solamente cinco colores y con cinco colores hace este claro. ¿No es maravilloso?” ([15:16], Antonio Sánchez Barriga)
• “Son un chollo. Los Austrias son un chollo por varios motivos. Primero, fundamental, la endogamia…” ([29:17], Florencio Monge)
• “Se creía que el labio leporino se producía porque la madre andaba cerca de una liebre… y transmitía ese tipo de características al feto que llevaba…” ([31:25], Florencio Monge)
• “Luisa Roldán ha sido la más insigne escultora, mujer artista, podemos decir, de todos los tiempos en España.” ([46:17], Andrés Damián)
• “Se cree que desarrolla e imbuye a sus imágenes de ese dolor…” ([49:30], Andrés Damián)

Key Episode Segments and Timestamps

• [02:00–22:42] Caravaggio: The Revolution and the Scandal

  • Life, murder, artistic innovation
  • Restoration, attribution, biographical roots of his style

• [24:40–44:21] Anatomy and Disease in Art

  • Portraits as medical documents
  • Habsburg inbreeding, cleft lip stigma, trauma, realism vs. idealization

• [45:03–53:22] La Roldana: Baroque Master Sculptor

  • Biographical overview, works, her struggle as a woman and enduring legacy

This episode offers a vivid, compelling synthesis of art history, medicine, and social commentary, bringing new dimensions to centuries-old masterpieces and their creators.