Via Zoom, this event is presented by the Harvard Catholic Forum and is co-presented by the Lumen Christi Institute.

A webinar lecture featuring US Art Historian, Dr. Elizabeth Lev.

The 17th century Catholic Church found itself engaged in a battle over the sacraments, especially the Eucharist. Most Protestant Reformers rejected the teaching of Transubstantiation, while an increasingly empirical culture grew doubtful that a piece of bread and a glass of wine could ever be more than mere matter. To return the gaze of the faithful to mystery, to assist congregations to see beyond the material, the Catholic Church called upon the talent of Caravaggio. the Carracci School and other great artists, who produced works that still delight, teach and move people today. This talk will look at old masterpieces with new eyes, revealing how artists used their gifts to render the invisible, visible.

Dr. Elizabeth Lev is a US art historian based in Rome, with degrees from the University of Chicago and the University of Bologna. In addition to teaching at Duquesne University’s Italian campus, she has been offering tours of the artistic riches of Rome and beyond for over 20 years. Dr. Lev is the author of four books, including How Catholic Art Saved the Faith: The Triumph of Beauty and Truth in Counter-Reformation Art (2018).