Did Caravaggio use projection to paint his masterpieces?

For lovers of art particularly the old masters, among them Caravaggio, tomorrow's talks by Roberta Lapucci will like a kind breeze on a warm summer evening.

Dr Lapucci is making waves among international art critics, not to mention the headlines in national newspapers in Europe, with her recent book Caravaggio e l' ottica, (Caravaggio and Optics).

In her book, she comes up with the thesis that great masters, among them Caravaggio, made use of the camera oscura to paint his magnificent masterpieces.

The camera oscura was a method whereby the artist, by means of lenses and a light source coming through a small opening in their studio, projected their subject/s onto their canvases.

In the first lecture, in English, which will be held at the university, Gateway Hall E, at 11 a.m., Dr Lapucci will talk about The Technique Of Caravaggio - Methods and Materials with particular reference to the great master's Malta period.

She will deal also with recent restorations and a thorough explanation on The Beheading Of St John housed at the Oratory of St John's Co-Cathedral, in Valletta.

In the 6.30 p.m. lecture at the Italian Cultural Institute, at St George's Square, Valletta, which will be in Italian, Dr Lapucci will focus on the use of the camera oscura.

Keith Sciberras, a Caravaggio historian, said the method of the camera oscura had been mentioned by Leonardo da Vinci and was used by late 16th and 17th century masters, particularly the Dutch masters. "This method became even more common with the improvement of lenses.

"I have my doubts about the use of this method by Caravaggio but Dr Lapucci's thesis, which is sending ripples around the art world, is worth looking into and discussing," Dr Sciberras said.

Dr Lapucci's visit to Malta was made possible by the Caravaggio Foundation, the History of Art Programme at the university of Malta and the Italian Cultural Institute.