With the first lecture we started near Milan in the small town of Caravaggio, the birth place and eponym of the artist born as Michelangelo Merisi. This week we focus on the artworks made mostly in Rome after his travels post-studying, and particularly those found in the La chiesa di San Luigi dei Francesi (The Calling of Saint Matthew, The Inspiration of Saint Matthew, and The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew) and the Basilica di Sant’Agostino (Madonna di Loreto). In this lecture Tom expertly guides us through theses works as well as others by the artist, supplemented with works by Titian, Masaccio, Leonardo da Vinci, Jusepe di Ribera, Artemisia Gentileschi, Rembrandt and more!

Although a man of complex character, we are asked to break down the artworks Caravaggio made into their simple building blocks; pondering the elements used to create pictures that still captivate viewers over 400 years after their creation. Focusing on the variety of gesture, use of facial types, historical inspiration behind compositions, and the use of a multitude of genres in the paintings (drapery, still life, figure, etc.), together we ponder the question of whether Caravaggio was a painter of “reality” or a painter of “truth.”