ARTH-3448 Caravaggio and Artemisia: Painting, Gender, Fiction, Film

Caravaggio's bold naturalistic style and innovative approach to religious narrative transformed painting with immediate impact on art across Europe. Artemisia Gentileschi is celebrated as the creator of powerful images of heroic women and female nudes. Violence was a significant factor in the lives of both Caravaggio and Artemisia. Both artists attracted fame, criticism, and controversy in their lifetimes and we will consider both the historical sources and paintings in detail. Caravaggio and Artemisia also played leading roles in the rise of queer studies and feminist art history in the 1970s and 1980s. The course will also consider the continuing fascination with these two legendary artists in popular culture and analyze the exhibitions, films, novels, and creative responses to these two painters right up to the present day. (Offered every other year.) Prerequisite: Completion of one course in Art History, or sophomore standing, or consent of instructor.