Learn how art communicates emotion in this four-part lecture series led by Dr Lisa Beaven.  

To communicate their desired emotion to the viewer, 17th-century artists had to overcome the unique challenge of translating emotions into facial expres-sions and body language for accurate representation in their paintings. To do this successfully relied on the skills of the artist, but also on what the viewer brought to the en- counter and their ability to recognise the emotions they were seeing. Delve into how horror, fear, humour and love are represented in iconic works by Caravaggio, Nicholaes Maes, Nicholas Poussin and Peter Paul Rubens. Discover the reasons for the creation of each work – who commis-sioned them, where they were hung, and why they sought to provoke a strong emotional response in the viewer.  

Dr Lisa Beaven is an adjunct senior research fellow at La Trobe University, whose specialties include material cul-ture in Rome in the 17th century. Each lecture will be held on Friday and re-peated on Saturday in the Domain Theatre. Each session includes a 15-minute intermission, during which tea and coffee will be provided in the Domain Theatre foyer.

Using Caravaggio’s painting Amor vincit omnia 1601–02 as a case study, this lecture will delve into the destructive and conquering power of love. Amor vincit omnia, which translates to ‘love conquers all’, is personified in the figure of Cupid, the subject of this work. This ancient phrase was not always a positive one, and there are many examples in literature and visual culture of lovers driven together by forces beyond their control – with love as a devouring force. Love madness, love frenzy and love melancholia are all common aspects of early modern love.

​Caravaggio’s Cupid is defiant, smiling directly at the viewer, and strewn below are objects relating to music, learning and knowledge. The message is clear – in the face of all-conquering love, no amount of scholarship can save you.