Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was an influential painter in the Early Modern period, one who changed how people thought about art and artists. Today, he remains a popular figure, not only because of his powerful paintings, but also because of his violent life, socially deviant behaviors, and provocative declarations about art. This class approaches the life and art of Caravaggio from the perspective of deconstructing not only the artist’s art and biography, but also the Eurocentric and canonical frames of art history that acknowledge him as an “old master.” Within the artistic, cultural, and historical contexts of Rome, Europe, and the colonial world of the 17th century, the class will engage with topics such as: artists active within geopolitical conflict; the challenges of biography; the economics of markets, collectors, and patrons; notions of deviance in art and society; religion and reform; realist styles vs. classicism; the function of art for religious redemption and/or political propaganda; and the myth of the genius artist. Research projects will use contemporary theoretical approaches to art history and students will engage in critical looking, thinking, reading, and interpreting of historical objects at an advanced level. (Not offered 2024-25).

Prerequisite: Any AH class at the 200 level or consent of instructor.

1 unit

No offerings are currently scheduled.