What in me is dark

Illumin, what is low raise and support;

That to the heighth of this great Argument

I may assert Eternal Providence,

And justifie the wayes of God to men.

Like John Milton in his 'Paradise Lost', we seek the help of the Holy Spirit to find inspiration to complete our journey Into Darkness and Out of Darkness...a Darkness Visible

Milton did not write Paradise Lost despite his blindness; he wrote it because of his blindness. 

Caravaggio did not paint his late, dark masterpieces despite being a fugitive; he painted them because he was a fugitive. 

     Milton and Caravaggio both transformed personal ruin into immortal art. Milton’s physical blindness forced him inward, trading sight for visionary, auditory epic poetry. Conversely, Caravaggio’s violent life as a hunted fugitive drove him into literal and psychological shadows, birthing a raw, desperate realism. For both men, catastrophe was the catalyst for genius. Their mastery of light was born directly from these crucibles. Milton, trapped in perpetual shadow, conjured a brilliant, holy "inward light" to illuminate the unseen realms of heaven and eden. Meanwhile, Caravaggio dragged light into the gutter, weaponizing a fierce, theatrical beam to pierce his pitch-black canvases, exposing the raw humanity of saints and sinners alike. 

Welcome to "Darkness Visible," where we will look at how these two masters used deep shadows to make their light burn brighter

and see how you can turn your own challenges into creative power

Enjoy

Prof.ssa Maddalena Drera

Prof.ssa Maria Chiara Cattaneo

Ms. Caitlin Joe Connor