Art News

Original or Replica? Works by the Legendary Caravaggio at Nationalmuseum this Spring

STOCKHOLM.- Nationalmuseum is one of many venues around the world commemorating the 400th anniversary of Caravaggios death this spring. The 17th-century painter is one of the great names in art history. His acute realism and distinctive chiaroscuro (light and shade) technique proved hugely influential for 17th-century painting. The exhibit comprises two paintings of St. Francis and is being presented at Nationalmuseum by the Embassy of Italy and the Italian Cultural Institute in Stockholm. Nationalmuseum has never hosted a Caravaggio exhibition before. This exhibit is an in-depth look at two paintings featuring the same motif, on loan from two churches in the Rome area. The Italian government is giving two Scandinavian art museums the opportunity to present the works and the scholarly debate surrounding them. The debate focuses on Caravaggios techniques and working methods, and the relationship between original and replica