BAD BOY OF THE BAROQUE
CARAVAGGIO BETWEEN DARKNESS AND LIGHT
Tuesday, February 18, 4:30 PM EST
Followed by a Reception
DiGiovanni Hall, 29 Mount Auburn Street, Cambridge, MA & Livestreamed
Elizabeth Lev
Duquesne University
The painter Michelangelo Merisi, now known to us as Caravaggio, had a hard time initially breaking into Rome's seventeenth century art scene. He was from the wrong town (Milan), he had the wrong training (still-life), and certainly the wrong personality (violent). He even had the wrong name, given that the other more famous Michelangelo had recently died, retiring that jersey, as it were. Yet Caravaggio was a passionate maverick whose vision of light vs dark, nature vs mystery, and good vs evil not only captivated his age, but also speaks to us today in a culture of moral ambiguity and conflicting desires. Elizabeth Lev’s presentation will dive into the art of this enigmatic and contradictory painter and explore his masterpieces in relation to his dramatic life and his fascinating era. Reception to follow.
Co-sponsored by the Abigail Adams Institute
LIVESTREAM & IN-PERSON
Caravaggio, The Seven Works of Mercy, painting, c. 1606-1607, Pio Monte della Misericordia, Naples, Italy
ELIZABETH LEV
Elizabeth Lev is a Rome-based art historian with a specialization in early modern Italian art. She serves as a consultant to the Vatican Museums, and teaches at Duquesne University’s Italian campus, the University of Mary, and the University of St Thomas Aquinas in Rome. Her writings include her books The Tigress of Forli: Renaissance Italy’s Most Courageous and Notorious Countess, Caterina Riario Sforza de’ Medici, and Roman Pilgrimage: The Station Churches with George Weigel, as well as numerous articles in journals and magazines like First Things. She earned her A.B. in Art History at the University of Chicago and did her graduate studies at the University of Bologna. Professor Lev is a famous tour guide to the city of Rome, and has also appeared on the Today Show, Nightline and 60 Minutes. Her TED Talk, “The unheard story of the Sistine Chapel,” currently has over 1.8 million views.