Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

This course will examine the extraordinary career of one of the most influential painters in history – Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. Known as the pittore maledetto – or the “cursed painter”, Caravaggio not only revolutionized painting at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries with his “hyper-realistic” style, he also literally turned Rome on its head with his often-criminal behavior. Spending much of his time between brothels and taverns, Caravaggio’s love of the vulgar and violence became his primary artistic inspiration. His paintings would often reflect his sociopathic tendencies, frequently depicting Christian subjects in entirely inappropriate ways. We shall follow in the footsteps of the artist to recount his unique and dramatic biography, but also to explore the sublime art of his paintings.

Course Objectives:
- To bring a historical figure to life through a “hands on” approach to the works produced by the artist throughout the entirety of his career.
- To understand the role that the historical context of Caravaggio’s life had on his extraordinary artistic production.
- To learn to appreciate the rich and influential aspects of Baroque Italian painting at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries.
- To develop the fundamental skills of art historical analysis that include formal analysis and iconographic interpretation.
- To develop an ability to interact in a personal and intimate manner with works of art – which in the case of Caravaggio are some of the most innovative in history – and their surroundings.

LECTURE 1 – A New Visual Language – Life Imitating Art
Born in Milan in 1571, Caravaggio moved to his nearby namesake town at the age of 5. He would later train as a painter with a student of Titian, before making his way to Rome in 1592. After an inauspicious beginning to his artistic career in the “Eternal City,” Caravaggio’s photorealistic style and “street” iconography began to draw the attention of some important patrons. The most important of the patrons was Cardinal Francesco Maria del Monte, whose patronage launched Caravaggio’s career. This lecture will examine Caravaggio’s early biography, as well as his entirely new approach to painting, which involved a close observation and faithful reproduction of nature and the introduction of non-traditional subjects.

LECTURE 2 – “The Most Famous Painter in Rome” – Caravaggio’s Mature Roman Period
With the completion of his first large-scale commission for the Contarelli Chapel in San Luigi dei Francesci in Rome, which includes The Calling of St. Matthew, Caravaggio became an instant celebrity. His dramatic use of chiaroscuro to organize his compositions – later known as “tenebrism” – rocked his contemporary artistic world that was still largely inspired by Mannerist trends. Furthermore, Caravaggio’s exaltation of violence, use of prostitutes and peasants as artistic models, and bad-boy lifestyle made him both immensely popular and, at the same time, feared and criticized by his contemporaries. This lecture will examine Caravaggio’s most productive and inspired period in Rome between 1599 and 1606, when he produced many of his most famous and influential paintings.

LECTURE 3 – Wanted Dead or Alive - Caravaggio’s Late Works
On May 29, 1606, Caravaggio stabbed and killed a man on Via della Scrofa in Rome. Wanted for murder, he immediately fled the city and spent the last four years of his life as a fugitive on the run. He went first to Naples, then traveled to Malta, Sicily, and then back to Naples again. While making his way back to Rome in 1610 after receiving a papal pardon from Pope Paul V, Caravaggio died from unknown causes. This lecture examines those works that Caravaggio produced during this dramatic time of his life and that define his late career, as well as the murky details surrounding the mysterious death of the artist.

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- Download videos to watch offline
- Available on Apple and Android