The university’s History of Art Programme by the Faculty of Arts in collaboration with the Caravaggio Foundation, will be holding lectures by Dottoresa Roberta Lapucci in the coming days on the technique of Caravaggio with special reference to the Malta period.

After discussing the main scholars working in this field and how this methodology of research developed, Dott.essa Lapucci will introduce the genesis of the paintings of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio.

The technique will be examined layer after layer (from support, to priming, to drawing(?), to paint layer, to varnishing) and stage by stage (youthful period, early roman, late roman, escape) with particular concern to the later time (from Naples to Malta to Sicily).

Unpublished information will be shown on the Sleeping Cupid and a thorough discussion of the recent restorations will follow, with an in-depth explanation of the Beheading of St John.

Dott.essa Roberta Lapucci is a distinguished scholar who has worked and published extensively on Caravaggio and Italian seicento painting. Her main area of specialisation is the study of the techniques of the artists, having co-ordinated with Mina Gregori the landmark project on Caravaggio technique undertaken by the Fondazione Longhi in Florence. Her latest book is Caravaggio e l’ottica (2005).

The first lecture, “The Technique of Caravaggio”, will be held at the university next Friday in the morning. Time and place will be announced later. The second lecture, “Caravaggio and Optics” will be held at the Istituto Italiano di Cultura on Friday evening. The time will be announced later as well.