Talk on painting said to be by Caravaggio
Art historian John C. Spike, an international authority on Caravaggio and the author of a book about the artist, will today speak at the Caraffa Stores on the Vittoriosa Waterfront, where the exhibition Caravaggio - Una Mostra Impossibile is being...
Art historian John C. Spike, an international authority on Caravaggio and the author of a book about the artist, will today speak at the Caraffa Stores on the Vittoriosa Waterfront, where the exhibition Caravaggio - Una Mostra Impossibile is being held.
His talk will focus on Caravaggio and Still-Life Painting in Rome. Prof. Spike will focus on a still-life painting which he and others attribute to Caravaggio, and he will show where this fits into the story of still-life painting in Rome.
The painting shows late summer Mediterranean fruits on the left-hand side, and gourds and a watermelon on the right.
The painting was discovered during a Sotheby's sale in Spain in 1992. It was blackened, and the ray of light, which distinguishes so much of Caravaggio's work, had been painted out. "The painting had been neglected completely. It wasn't even stretched," Prof. Spike said, "but Sotheby's were so excited about it that they took out a full page advertisement for the painting in Burlington's magazine.
"The painting is so unusual because it comes across as a portrait of the actual fruit and gourds that the artist had before him, with all their faults and quirks. The produce is not idealised or stylised at all.
The portrayal of the watermelon is unique, in that it is shown with slices cut out at regular intervals, rather than the usual crescent slices shown in art," he said.
Prof. Spike will also speak about the possibility that projection techniques were used in the production of this still-life.
"Cardinal del Monte protected Caravaggio, but he also protected Galileo," he said.
The talk begins at 7.30 p.m. Booking is advisable.
www.caravaggio.com