Caravaggio once got into trouble with his landlady in Rome because he had smashed a hole in the roof of his rented attic.
He did this to let more light into the room while he was painting the Madonna of Loreto.
Now his artwork has caused another row, over whether or not to permanently block off certain windows in the oratory of St John’s Co-Cathedral, where his Beheading of St John the Baptist is to be found.
According to Caravaggio expert Keith Sciberras, this blockage, caused by the planned construction of the co-cathedral’s new museum, will mean natural light would never again pass over the painting in the way Caravaggio intended his audience to experience it.
Such is the consternation about this move that 28 Caravaggio scholars and art curators have signed an open letter by Sciberras to express their concern over the impact this window’s permanent blockage will have on the painting.
They contend it will “obliterate the original line of light that Caravaggio took into account” when he worked on the painting.
However, these concerns have been dismissed by St John’s Co-Cathedral Foundation, which says an “ambitious renovation” of the oratory in 1695, led by artist Mattia Preti who painted the nave of the co-cathedral, meant the original environment for Caravaggio’s painting has long since been changed.
Two years ago, the foundation also installed a state-of-the-art LED lighting system that illuminates the painting while protecting it from possible light damage.
Preti was himself most concerned with the way natural light illuminated the co-cathedral’s artwork. According to its curator Cynthia de Giorgio, he arranged for the window above the main entrance to be enlarged. He also asked for the side chapels to have their interconnecting doorways installed, all with the intention of letting more light into the space.
Caravaggio’s remarkable painting of St John’s brutal death is unusual in that it is found in the same place where this Renaissance genius originally painted it. This means our generation, and all those who follow, have a responsibility to preserve our artistic heritage, particularly when dealing with the works of one of humanity’s greatest artists.
The foundation is making decisions today that will create a permanent state, that future members of its governing foundation, its future curators, and its future audiences will be powerless to change.
While the foundation’s statement explained that Preti had already made changes in 1695 that altered the light flow in the oratory, it could be argued that the oratory should always have been left as Caravaggio intended, regardless of who made the changes. Having LED lights in the oratory to take the place of natural light today does not satisfy many in the global art community.
None of us, not even the foundation’s members, own this or any other work of art. Our role is to preserve them and pass them on.
It’s the job of the next generation to do exactly the same. It would be wise not to impose the tastes and opinions of today onto those who come to marvel at this remarkable painting in the future.
Certainly, we should never deflect or detract from what Caravaggio wanted, because while his behaviour during his short but tempestuous life was often questionable, his ability to captivate, enthral and move us remains unsurpassed. Nothing should ever jeopardise that.