SPOTLIGHT:
BAROQUE ART AT THE McMULLEN MUSEUM“Your ancestors brought civilization to my people.” So remarked Queen Elizabeth II in a formal address to the Italian Parliament on the occasion of one of her offcial state visits to Italy. Many parts of the globe have been profoundly enriched by the prodigious cultural forces emanating from the Italian peninsula. This semester, Boston College and the McMullen Museum of Art celebrate the achievements of Italy’s creative genius with the exhibition, Saints & Sinners: Caravaggio and the Baroque Image.
The exhibition explores the religious and social functions of art in Italy ca. 1580-1680, a period often called the Baroque. It gathers paintings on religious themes by some of the most important artists working in Italy during these years, including the recently discovered work by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, “The Taking of Christ.” Through the artwork, plus a variety of documents from the period, including
sermons, spiritual pamphlets, religious poetry, devotional treatises and biblical commentary, the exhibition asks questions about how these paintings were received by their original audiences. What were they meant to teach viewers? Come to the McMullen Museum of Art in Devlin Hall from February 1 through May 24, and discover what these paintings can teach us today.