Lux Et Filum: A Contemporary Vision of Caravaggio by Monica Silva

Caravaggio was one of the leading artists during the Renaissance; he masterfully portrayed the society of his contemporaries through careful observation of the human state, both physical and emotional. He is known to have had a formative influence on the Baroque painting.



LUX ET FILUM, (Latin for Light And Canvas), is Monica Silva's interpretation of Caravaggio's paintings. It is not only inspired by his most famous works but reinvents them, by placing them at the center of a simple question: How would these same paintings be portrayed today?

Monica Silva

Characters and poses remain the same, but the subject matter is transformed into a 21st century setting. The chiaroscuro (light and shade) Caravaggio was known for allow characters and objects to emerge from darkness. In Silva’s interpretation non-contextualized backgrounds are replaced by uniformed pastel tones and solid colors, keeping the original functionality of the background; to leave the actors suspended in vague places, describing them simply by objects and furniture in the composition.

Photographer: Monica Silva monicasilva.it
Videographer: Alessandro Vallotto vimeo.com/user3901961

Text and video via Phase One