Overview
Caravaggio is one of the painters in my pantheon of greats. I admire him not just for his technical skill, but also for his extraordinary ability to create compositions of compelling realism that are subtly deceptive and often paradoxical: explicit, yet ambiguous; superficially true, yet profoundly subversive.
The creation of any painting is part exploratory, part executive; how great painters managed this varies. In the case of Caravaggio, I’m struck by how much of the exploration seems to have been resolved before the painting starts. Meaning, what pentimenti do exist are minor changes to placement or position. This suggests to me that his compositions were often resolved before the painting began (which in turn means drawings must have existed), and, as such, much hangs on Caravaggio’s ability to execute the idea in direct and efficient fashion.
This course is a continuation of my long-running fascination with his painting technique and expands upon the investigation I recently conducted of his painting of Judith and Holofernes in Palazzo Barberini, in collaboration with the technical art historians Dott.ssa Beatrice De Ruggieri and Dott. Marco Cardinali.
For more on my recent of Caravaggio, I invite you to read the following article: Decoding Caravaggio: Bridging the Gap between Technical Analysis, Theory and Performance.
I hope you will join me on what I’m sure will be yet another glorious painting expedition.
Photo below: Tim with Dott.ssa Beatrice De Ruggieri and Dott. Marco Cardinali in Palazzo Barberini in May, 2024
Curriculum
By the end of this course we will have:
- Examined the palette and pigments of Caravaggio
- Hand-ground a pigment into paint and saved in a tube
- Experimented with the palette and the various mixes of tints and shades
- Executed a large-scale single figure painting over 16 hours (for 8 of the lessons we will work from a live model)
The pose of our model will take inspiration from Caravaggio’s Saint John in Palazzo Barberini.
Very important: part of this course will also involve a visit to Palazzo Barberini to examine first-hand his painting of San Giovanni. Please see the registration page for the date and details.
Please note: the cost of the museum visit is NOT included in the cost of the course.
Materials
Paint
I insist my students use Michael Harding paints. I’ve used his colors for over two decades and his are easily one of the best paints on the market. In order to make it easy for students to try out these paints without requiring a significant investment, I offer all of the paint you will need for an additional fee of €30.
Medium: Oil and Solvent
I will provide you with linseed oil, Tintorsetto (odorless solvent) and a medium holder at no additional charge.
Brushes and Brush Holder
It is best to have an assortment of brushes: flats, rounds and filberts, with some made of hog bristle, an others, synthetic. Once you have had some experience, it is worth adding some sable brushes to your collection.
To ensure proper care of your brushes, I strongly recommend a brush holder.
Palette
Each student should invest in their own wooden palette. Round or rectangle is fine, just make sure it isn’t too small.
Rags
Please bring with a worn t-shirt to cut up for use as a rag.
For further details, please download the Materials list.
Terms and Conditions
A non-refundable deposit is due at the time of registration.
There is no reimbursement for absences, nor make-up lessons.
Registration is managed through our Course Registration portal. If you have any difficulties registering, please let us know via email or call/text via WhatsApp: +39 347 263 1033.
If the course that interests you does not appear on our Course Registration portal, it may not currently be offered. Check the schedule of courses to confirm the dates.
If this course isn't on the schedule, but it interests you, let us know!
Meet Your Instructor:
Timothy Joseph Allen
Founder and President of the Association of Social Promotion A.P.S. PADASOR (acronym for the Painting And Drawing Art Studio Of Rome), Timothy Joseph Allen is an American professional painter who has been living and working in Rome, Italy for over twenty years. He began his career in 1992, earning a BA in Studio Art at DePauw University and an MFA in Painting at Indiana University, Bloomington in 1998. He has also been teaching at The American University of Rome since 2006.
His medium is oil on canvas and his style and subject matter are principally inspired by the Renaissance and Baroque. Of special importance to his process is painting from life: “I enjoy painting most when the presence of the subject and the limit of time combine to bring a sense of urgency to my analysis, intuition and performance.”
In recent years his work has been pre-selected and/or selected in several international competitions including the Royal Society of Portrait Painters, the Mod Portrait competition at the MEAM museum in Barcelona, the Figurativas Painting and Sculpture Competition in Barcelona, the World Wide Kitsch online painting competition, and the BP National Gallery Portrait Competition in London.
To understand best what Tim can teach you, please have a look at his paintings and drawings.
If you would like to take private lessons with Tim, please follow this link.
Above: the second copy, completed after two sessions. May 20th, 2024.
Below: the painting we’ll use as our primary source of inspiration, Caravaggio’s St. John in Palazzo Barberini.
