“Caravaggio, il corpo ritrovato” - Symposium in Avezzano, Italy

One of the most celebrated painters of all times, Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio is not only admired because of his masterpieces, but also for the obscurity sorrounding his life that has awaken the curiosity of art historians through time.

Caravaggio was quite probably one of the most controversial characters of his time.
His successful romantic life, quarrels, the problems with justice (on May 1606 Caravaggio was accused of murder and fled from Rome to Naples, Sicily and Malta to escape the price that had been placed on his head), conclude in misterious circumstances in one day of July 1610 in Porto Ercole, but his body was not found and his death remains involved in mistery.

Produced by Doclab (authorship of Patrizia Marani and directed by Marco Visalberghi) for the National Geographic Channel HD, the documentary "Caravaggio, il corpo ritrovato" follows step by step the unveiling of an important scientific discovered wit the collaboration of Giorgio Gruppioni, antropology teacher at the Università di Bologna; Elisabetta Cilli, geneticist at the Università di Bologna; Antonio Moretti geology teacher at the Università dell’Aquila; Maurizio Calvesi, the most acredited Caravaggio's Italian biographer and art history teacher at the Università La Sapienza di Roma.

After several scientific exams, DNA comparisons and historiacal researches, the team os scholars believes that the bones kept in an ossuary in a church crypt in Porto Ercole, after reportedly being exhumed in 1956, are of a man who died in about 1610, aged between 38 and 40.

During the symposium organized by L’Associazione Culturale Etereoarte, the Liceo Scientifico “V. Pollione”, the Liceo Classico “Torlonia”, and Liceo Artistico “Bellisario", a team of researchers will illustrate the methodology and the contribution of modern scientific tecniques to help to come to a conclusion about this enigma.

The team will be constituted by: Antonio Moretti; Marco Visalberghi; Gianluca Ferrini (geology teacher Università dell’Aquila); Domenico Mancinelli (Facoltà di Scienze Università dell’Aquila); Emidio Di Carlo (art historian in Aquila).

The “ Caravaggio, il corpo ritrovato “ will take place on the 27th of May (9h30) in the mutimedia hall of the Cinema Astra in Avezzano, Italy.

In 2009 The Art Inquirer started to present to its readers a series of videos about famous artists. Watch the first episode about the life and art of Caravaggio.