The Brian Mulroney Institute of Government Fellows Lectures Presents

Art, Politics, and Caravaggio

Louis Groarke, Department of Philosophy 

Thursday, January 19, 2023
5:30 pm–7:30 pm ADT
Mulroney Hall 2030

Politics is pervasive. It informs, in perhaps surprising ways, how we think, what we believe, and what we do. Politics is not limited to elections, to government, to legislation, to decisions, or discussions about political principles, market regulation, and social policy. In this presentation, Dr. Groarke will explore the connections between visual art and politics. The talk will focus, in particular, on The Calling of St. Matthew, a famous religious painting by Baroque painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571–1610). Dr. Groarke will show that understanding the politics of a historical era can shed light on the painting and help resolve outstanding disputes in scholarly literature. In many important cases, we cannot fully appreciate or understand art or music or literature without some awareness of the political sensibilities of the era. In short, politics is omnipresent. As scholars trying to understand the cultural heritage of the past (and the present), we ignore politics at our peril.

Please join us in person or via Zoom.

StFX COVID-19 protocols will be enforced.