About the Caravaggio Seminar Walk in Rome
Early Baroque painter, Michelangelo Merisi (1573-1610), better known as Caravaggio, left an indelible mark on the world of art; and Rome is fortunate to contain a large selection of his works. Many know him only as a controversial artist who fled Rome after committing murder, but his art stands alone in its quality and originality. For some, Caravaggio and his influence defines Baroque Italian art. This three-and-a-half-hour walk, normally led by an art historian, explores the nature of Caravaggio's art in the context of its time, in order to fully understand his innovation and the controversy surrounding him.
We begin with Caravaggio's work in-situ, visiting three prominent churches. These churches, and the masterpieces within, comprise the core of the walking seminar, and we may linger here for some time. We start at Santa Maria del Popolo, where two of Caravaggio's works are juxtaposed in the same chapel with that of his stylistic rival Annibale Carracci. After a leisurely stroll
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Early Baroque painter, Michelangelo Merisi (1573-1610), better known as Caravaggio, left an indelible mark on the world of art; and Rome is fortunate to contain a large selection of his works. Many know him only as a controversial artist who fled Rome after committing murder, but his art stands alone in its quality and originality. For some, Caravaggio and his influence defines Baroque Italian art. This three-and-a-half-hour walk, normally led by an art historian, explores the nature of Caravaggio's art in the context of its time, in order to fully understand his innovation and the controversy surrounding him.
We begin with Caravaggio's work in-situ, visiting three prominent churches. These churches, and the masterpieces within, comprise the core of the walking seminar, and we may linger here for some time. We start at Santa Maria del Popolo, where two of Caravaggio's works are juxtaposed in the same chapel with that of his stylistic rival Annibale Carracci. After a leisurely stroll through the historic center, where the artist worked and sought inspiration, we will come upon Sant' Agostino, which contains a late work. Reversing the chronology, we end at San Luigi dei Francesi, which contains Caravaggio's first public altarpieces.
We end the seminar at the fantastic Galleria Doria Pamphilij, which houses several early works by Caravaggio. In addition to his works, the museum is an excellent opportunity to explore artists whose styles opposed Caravaggio's, as well as those who were influenced by him. Depending on the group's interests, we may look at such artists as Guido Reni, Domenichino, and Annibale Carracci, all of whom overlapped with Caravaggio and were influenced by his innovations.
Normally led by a Masters- or Ph.D.-level art historian, this seminar aims to give clients a strong understanding of not only Caravaggio's style and art, but also of the many other splendid artists working during this fascinating period in Rome.
