Caravaggio

Olivia Miller
Summer 2021
Thursdays |  
10 AM - 12 PM
July 8, 15, 22, 29, and August 5, 2021
Course Format: Hybrid
Location: Online
Tuition: $145

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1610) was both a beloved and rejected painter of the Baroque era. His paintings, which often included realistic figures, theatrical lighting, and dark, obscure settings activated a deep sense of spiritual contemplation for many. Yet he was also critiqued for depicting shocking subjects and eschewing traditional painting standards. Much has been made of his dramatic biography, which includes a lengthy arrest record, a murder, and a death in exile. Throughout this course we will examine Caravaggio’s development and working methods in the context of his own time, exploring his influences, innovations, and commissions. We will also consider his biography and think critically about the way it has been retold over the years in relation to his artwork. The course will end with an examination of his legacy and the ways his methods impacted other artists’ works.

Registration will open online on Monday, April 12, 2021 at 8 AM (AZ Time)

  • Classes will be delivered online via the Zoom video conferencing platform. Course will be password protected and only available to enrolled students.
  • All class sessions will be recorded and made available to enrolled students for a limited time to assist those who may not be able to attend the live class times.
  • Enrolled students may withdraw from a course and receive a tuition refund if the request is received before the second class session. See our FAQ page here for more answers to general program questions.

Required Reading
  • No textbook is required. All readings will be distributed to students electronically.
Recommended Reading
  • Baxandall, Michael. “The Period Eye.” Painting and Experience in Fifteenth Century Italy: A Primer in the Social History of Pictorial Style. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1974.

  • Mahon, Denis. “Caravaggio’s Death: A New Document,” Burlington Magazine 93 (1951): 202.

  • Moffitt, John F. Caravaggio in Context: Learned Naturalism and Renaissance Humanism. Jefferson: McFarland & Company, 2004.

  • Pericolo, Lorenzo and David M. Stone. Caravaggio: Reflections and Refractions: Visual Culture in Early Modernity. Burlington: Ashgate, 2014.

  • Posner, Donald. “Caravaggio’s Homo-Erotic Early Works.” Art Quarterly. 34 (1971): 301-324.

  • Puglisi, Catherine. Caravaggio. London: Phaidon, 1998.

  • Sohm, Philip. “Caravaggio’s Deaths.” The Art Bulletin. 84 (2002): 449-468.

  • Warwick, Genevieve. Caravaggio: Realism, Rebellion, Reception. Newark: University of Delaware, 2006.

Meet Your Instructor

Director and Curator

OLIVIA MILLER is the Director of the University of Arizona Museum of Art where she has worked since 2012 as the Curator of Exhibitions. Her recent accomplished exhibitions include “Pulse: Paintings and Weavings by Marlowe Katoney,” funded by the Terra Foundation for American Art and “Restored: The Return of Woman-Ochre,” which traces the incredible story of Willem de Kooning’s stolen and recovered painting.

Location

THIS COURSE WILL BE OFFERED ONLINE ONLY

Classes will be live streamed during the time and dates specified in the course details section above. Instructions about how to access the course online will be sent to all enrolled students before the course begins.

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