Tag: Hidden Art Histories

  • The Lost Caravaggio: Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence

    On a dark October night in 1969, thieves entered a small, unguarded church in Palermo, Sicily. Inside, hanging above the altar of the Oratory of San Lorenzo, was a masterpiece by Caravaggio—Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence, painted in 1609. In a matter of minutes, the criminals cut the painting from its frame, rolled…

  • The Dark Side of Art: Why Art Gets Suppressed

    This post examines previous art movements and moments that have fallen prey to controversy, suppression and vilification to discover why art gets suppressed. In these movements we see three common justifications: The justifications can cause some of the most seemingly-innocent art to fall victim to suppression and fall into obscurity. Art as Heresy: When Religion…