The Cardsharps, by Scott Higgins

The Cardsharps by Caravaggio is an interesting and stimulating piece of art that portrays the “art” of scamming someone while playing a game of primero, a forerunner to poker. The reason I was drawn to this picture was because of the theatricality of the piece and the representation of the morals and behavior of the society at the time. Through the use of artistic elements, media, and technique, Caravaggio created this unique piece while he was in Rome.
The painting shows a scene of two men who are in the process of scamming another man by the use of marked cards. To distinguish the different characters one can use visual clues created by the artist. For instance, the man being duped is the one who is wearing fashionable clothing and concentrating on his cards. We know that he has more money than the other two men because during this time period clothing is a representation of an individual’s wealth. We also know this man is important because Caravaggio creates two main focal points for the viewer: the first is the cards being held by the man being duped, while the second is the cards that the accomplice is reaching for.
Caravaggio employs a realistic approach when it comes to the style of the piece, most likely because it was a real event that theoretically could have occurred. He places the vantage point from behind the cardsharp accomplice, that way the viewer can witness the deception taking place. Color and pattern is used to differentiate and group the men being portrayed. The gentleman wears dark, noble colors while the two cardsharps wear lighter colors with vertical stripes. This could perhaps symbolize the flighty nature of the cardsharps and represent their lack of grounding in society, morally or physically. In addition to the accomplice pulling the cards out of his breeches, the older cardsharp has fingertip exposed gloves which also help inform the viewer that they are scamming the gentleman by using marked cards. Both cardsharps’ faces display a sense of nervousness and strict attention which convey how important the situation is and how vital it is that they are not discovered.
The light source for the piece comes from out of the picture in the upper left and subsequently creates a shadow on the right side of the people and objects. Going in line with the realistic styling, the shadows are not distorted but portrayed true to life. While the younger cardsharp is fully illuminated, the older cardsharp stands behind the gentleman and is covered by a slight shadow, giving the viewer another reason to suspect him of dishonesty and cheating. It is also clear that he is making hand gestures to his accomplice, who then responds by pulling a specific card out of his breeches. Due to the straight-forward vantage point of the viewer there is no vanishing point, but depth is achieved by the placing of the younger cardsharp in front of the table and the other men.
The artwork ultimately brings attention to a rather shady business that occurred during this time, quite in contrast to typical paintings of landscapes and activities which displayed more acceptable social behavior. No doubt Caravaggio created this piece to inspire discussion and provoke thought about the society in which he lived, and in turn allowed future generations to experience and analyze this seemingly innate human conduct of taking advantage of others for personal gain.