Caravaggio's champion
Keith Sciberras talks to Showtime
As Director of Studies of the Caravaggio Studies Programme at the Department of History of Art at the University of Malta, you must take a pretty eclectic view of art and artists, so why do you think Caravaggio is so special?
Caravaggio is an artist who single-handedly revolutionised the story of 17th century art. The fascination for the artist is further augmented by the turbulent story of his own life.
Caravaggio arrived in Rome from Lombardy in the early 1590s, and after spending his first years roaming intermittently as a street artist and bottega painter, his naturalist approach to painting gradually attracted the attention of influential patrons. His powerful realism and strong chiaroscuro took Rome by surprise, and distinguished cognoscenti and collectors soon moved to protect him. His first truly important move was made around 1596, when Cardinal Francesco Del Monte took him in as his court painter and proudly showed the artist's hauntingly innovative work to his influential friends. Emerging into the public sphere of Church painting, whilst still enjoying the benefits of being a cardinal's painter, he soon shot to fame. In his work, religious or not, Caravaggio painted from reality and played with dramatic effects of light and shade. His art was far removed from that of the establishment and, simultaneously, it was the cause of both admiration and disdain. By 1600, he was one of the most famous artists in the city and thus enjoyed celebrity status. But Caravaggio also led a chaotic life-style, he roamed the streets with his friends, many a time armed and looking for trouble. His art was, however, extraordinarily powerful and in many ways compensated for the blemishes of his life-style. This is what makes Caravaggio special.
As an acknowledged expert on the life and works of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, what initially prompted you to study this painter in depth?
The answer is not difficult at all. Try spending five minutes in front of Caravaggio's Beheading of St John the Baptist at the Oratory of the Decollato in Valletta. It is a picture that sucks you in. It captures your intellect and does not let it go. Few are the artistic delights that can get close to it.
Do you think Caravaggio was the most important artist of his and indeed all time? If not, who fits the bill?
There is no single artist who fits the bill as the most important artist of all time. Indeed, the history of art is the story of different styles and each style had it's own great exponents. Caravaggio is one of the most important figures in the birth of Baroque art.
This year is the 400th anniversary of Caravaggio's presence in Malta. Very briefly, how is this being celebrated here?
Malta should celebrate this with a bang. We are trying, and we will manage to do something well worthy of it, with the help and hard work of a number of institutions. The events are grouped under the umbrella CARAVAGGIO400 and include lectures by international scholars, an Old Master Paintings Exhibition, a Contemporary Art Exhibition, events in the performing arts and others. But, there are also too many counter currents. If you ask me if I'm happy, the answer is simple. I'm not. The initial dream was much bigger.
Let's find out a little more about you. What are your achievements in the study of Caravaggio's art?
I specialise in Caravaggio's later years and, in this field, I have been elected Senior Fellow in European Painting at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. I've participated in the organisation of a number of high profile exhibitions, including major ones in London, Naples, and Milan. I've delivered the opening night lecture at the Caravaggio: The Final Years exhibition at the National Gallery in London in 2005. I've published in numerous international journals and publications and had my work reviewed, amongst others, in the New York Review of Books, The Times Literary Supplement and The Burlington Magazine. I've lectured in many universities, museums, and institutions in Europe and the USA. There are many projects in the pipeline, including setting up a specialised Caravaggio Library at the University of Malta.
As you mentioned earlier, Caravaggio is acknowledged as a somewhat reprehensible character, even by the standards of his time. How, in your opinion, could such a man be responsible for such spiritual works of genius?
The European context of c.1590-1610 is obviously different from that of 2007 and we must not judge the man by today's standards. It is true that Caravaggio had a difficult character, but the context in which he lived was prone to violence. Caravaggio's genius is precisely in how he invented some of the most spiritually intense pictures of the century, in how he re-invented the iconography of many religious subjects. Try standing in front of the powerful Raising of Lazzarus in Messina and at the same time consider it as the work of a double fugitive, a man who first fled Rome on account of murder and then fled Malta following a violent brawl. Caravaggio painted this picture when, according to his biographers, "fear drove him from place to place".
Do you think there could be some sort of correlation between genius and debauchery?
Apart from Caravaggio I am thinking of people like Christopher Marlowe and even Dylan Thomas.
We can find numerous artists, whose brilliance and genius is beyond doubt, who led a life of perfect moral integrity.
Some scholars believe that Caravaggio was imprisoned in Fort St Angelo for a homosexual offence. Others, like Mgr John Azzopardi disagree. What do you think?
No way. This question has been solved following my publication of the events that led to the violent tumult of August 1608, an event which eventually led to the artist's detainment. Homosexuality is very topical in the art world. There are some reasons to maintain that Caravaggio could have entertained homosexual relationships when he was in Rome, but evidence for this is very fragile and much is built on hypotheses and on the subjective interpretation of some of his paintings.
The guva (oubliette) at Fort St Angelo, which is where Caravaggio is said to have been imprisoned, is virtually escape proof. Many theories abound as to how he escaped from it and subsequently from Malta. What do you think happened?
Caravaggio was not detained in the guva. This is pure fiction. Caravaggio was not yet condemned and he was detained in a sort of preventive custody. It is possible that he also enjoyed some degree of movement within the fort. I do not believe that he was helped to escape by some high-ranking knight. His escape was probably organised by the local underground crime world.
Apart from Caravaggio, what other artists do you admire?
Easy. Melchiorre Cafà (or Gafa) and a thousand others.
What is your opinion of conceptual artists like Tracy Emin, Damien Hirst and Gilbert and George?
In simple art historical terms, conceptual art is when the idea or concept involved in creating a work becomes the most important aspect of the work. Popularly, it is sometimes heralded as that art in which the traditional skills of painting (or sculpture) are not practiced. I am for art in all its forms, which involves the work of a creative mind.
Do you not think that the time is ripe for a major new movie on the life and work of Caravaggio?
Certainly. What are we waiting for?
Caravaggio is an artist who single-handedly revolutionised the story of 17th century art. The fascination for the artist is further augmented by the turbulent story of his own life.
Caravaggio arrived in Rome from Lombardy in the early 1590s, and after spending his first years roaming intermittently as a street artist and bottega painter, his naturalist approach to painting gradually attracted the attention of influential patrons. His powerful realism and strong chiaroscuro took Rome by surprise, and distinguished cognoscenti and collectors soon moved to protect him. His first truly important move was made around 1596, when Cardinal Francesco Del Monte took him in as his court painter and proudly showed the artist's hauntingly innovative work to his influential friends. Emerging into the public sphere of Church painting, whilst still enjoying the benefits of being a cardinal's painter, he soon shot to fame. In his work, religious or not, Caravaggio painted from reality and played with dramatic effects of light and shade. His art was far removed from that of the establishment and, simultaneously, it was the cause of both admiration and disdain. By 1600, he was one of the most famous artists in the city and thus enjoyed celebrity status. But Caravaggio also led a chaotic life-style, he roamed the streets with his friends, many a time armed and looking for trouble. His art was, however, extraordinarily powerful and in many ways compensated for the blemishes of his life-style. This is what makes Caravaggio special.
As an acknowledged expert on the life and works of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, what initially prompted you to study this painter in depth?
The answer is not difficult at all. Try spending five minutes in front of Caravaggio's Beheading of St John the Baptist at the Oratory of the Decollato in Valletta. It is a picture that sucks you in. It captures your intellect and does not let it go. Few are the artistic delights that can get close to it.
Do you think Caravaggio was the most important artist of his and indeed all time? If not, who fits the bill?
There is no single artist who fits the bill as the most important artist of all time. Indeed, the history of art is the story of different styles and each style had it's own great exponents. Caravaggio is one of the most important figures in the birth of Baroque art.
This year is the 400th anniversary of Caravaggio's presence in Malta. Very briefly, how is this being celebrated here?
Malta should celebrate this with a bang. We are trying, and we will manage to do something well worthy of it, with the help and hard work of a number of institutions. The events are grouped under the umbrella CARAVAGGIO400 and include lectures by international scholars, an Old Master Paintings Exhibition, a Contemporary Art Exhibition, events in the performing arts and others. But, there are also too many counter currents. If you ask me if I'm happy, the answer is simple. I'm not. The initial dream was much bigger.
Let's find out a little more about you. What are your achievements in the study of Caravaggio's art?
I specialise in Caravaggio's later years and, in this field, I have been elected Senior Fellow in European Painting at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. I've participated in the organisation of a number of high profile exhibitions, including major ones in London, Naples, and Milan. I've delivered the opening night lecture at the Caravaggio: The Final Years exhibition at the National Gallery in London in 2005. I've published in numerous international journals and publications and had my work reviewed, amongst others, in the New York Review of Books, The Times Literary Supplement and The Burlington Magazine. I've lectured in many universities, museums, and institutions in Europe and the USA. There are many projects in the pipeline, including setting up a specialised Caravaggio Library at the University of Malta.
As you mentioned earlier, Caravaggio is acknowledged as a somewhat reprehensible character, even by the standards of his time. How, in your opinion, could such a man be responsible for such spiritual works of genius?
The European context of c.1590-1610 is obviously different from that of 2007 and we must not judge the man by today's standards. It is true that Caravaggio had a difficult character, but the context in which he lived was prone to violence. Caravaggio's genius is precisely in how he invented some of the most spiritually intense pictures of the century, in how he re-invented the iconography of many religious subjects. Try standing in front of the powerful Raising of Lazzarus in Messina and at the same time consider it as the work of a double fugitive, a man who first fled Rome on account of murder and then fled Malta following a violent brawl. Caravaggio painted this picture when, according to his biographers, "fear drove him from place to place".
Do you think there could be some sort of correlation between genius and debauchery?
Apart from Caravaggio I am thinking of people like Christopher Marlowe and even Dylan Thomas.
We can find numerous artists, whose brilliance and genius is beyond doubt, who led a life of perfect moral integrity.
Some scholars believe that Caravaggio was imprisoned in Fort St Angelo for a homosexual offence. Others, like Mgr John Azzopardi disagree. What do you think?
No way. This question has been solved following my publication of the events that led to the violent tumult of August 1608, an event which eventually led to the artist's detainment. Homosexuality is very topical in the art world. There are some reasons to maintain that Caravaggio could have entertained homosexual relationships when he was in Rome, but evidence for this is very fragile and much is built on hypotheses and on the subjective interpretation of some of his paintings.
The guva (oubliette) at Fort St Angelo, which is where Caravaggio is said to have been imprisoned, is virtually escape proof. Many theories abound as to how he escaped from it and subsequently from Malta. What do you think happened?
Caravaggio was not detained in the guva. This is pure fiction. Caravaggio was not yet condemned and he was detained in a sort of preventive custody. It is possible that he also enjoyed some degree of movement within the fort. I do not believe that he was helped to escape by some high-ranking knight. His escape was probably organised by the local underground crime world.
Apart from Caravaggio, what other artists do you admire?
Easy. Melchiorre Cafà (or Gafa) and a thousand others.
What is your opinion of conceptual artists like Tracy Emin, Damien Hirst and Gilbert and George?
In simple art historical terms, conceptual art is when the idea or concept involved in creating a work becomes the most important aspect of the work. Popularly, it is sometimes heralded as that art in which the traditional skills of painting (or sculpture) are not practiced. I am for art in all its forms, which involves the work of a creative mind.
Do you not think that the time is ripe for a major new movie on the life and work of Caravaggio?
Certainly. What are we waiting for?