An Evening With Caravaggio is the theme of a series of evenings the St John’s Co-Cathedral Foundation will be holding to mark the 400th anniversary of the great artist’s death (1571-1610).
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio arrived in Malta in 1607 where he was knighted by Grand Master Alof de Wignacourt and commissioned to produce what turned out to be the masterpiece of his career, the Beheading of St John the Baptist for the oratory in St John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta. Also housed within the same oratory is the St Jerome Writing, which he originally painted for Fra Ippolito Malaspina who then donated the painting to the co-cathedral in 1629.
The first event will take place on October 21 at 6 p.m. and will consist of a concert of early organ and vocal music by Dione Buhagiar and mezzo soprano Graziella Debattista. This will be followed by a lecture on Updates On Caravaggio by visiting Caravaggio expert John Gash, senior lecturer at the History of Art Department of the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. Prof. Gash wrote two books on Caravaggio and is working on another on the Caravaggeschi.
Another visiting Caravaggio expert, David Stone, professor at the Department of History of Art at the University of Delaware, will give a lecture entitled The Apelles of Malta: Caravaggio And His Grand Master on November 25.
Both Prof. Stone and Prof. Gash were last in Malta for the exhibition entitled Caravaggio And Paintings Of Realism held at St John’s Co-Cathedral in 2007 to mark the 400th anniversary of his sojourn in Malta. They were two of four guest speakers at the symposium organised by the St John’s Co-Cathedral Foundation on Shedding New Light On The Master Of Chiaroscuro.
A third lecture will be given at a later date.
The events, which will take place in the oratory of the Beheading of St John the Baptist, at St John’s Co-Cathedral, are open to the public. Those who wish to attend can call the St John’s Co-Cathedral Foundation on 2248 0400 or e-mail info@stjohnscocathedral.com to ensure a seat.
Guests are requested to refrain from wearing stiletto/narrow heels.