The Canticle of the defeated victors
With Flavio Caroli, art historian
Saint Francis and the Canticle of the Creatures mark a turning point in recognizing the dignity—perhaps even the sublimity—of the marginalized. The thought of the defeated is often more fertile than that of the victors. Cimabue, Lotto, Caravaggio are just a few examples.
Another history of art is possible: the history of the “defeated victors,” whose ideas have nourished and shaped the future. Starting from this premise, Flavio Caroli reinterprets certain episodes in art history, investigating those artists, cultural centers, and patrons who, though seemingly left behind by dominant narratives, were in fact “defeated victors”—because their ideas and works have profoundly influenced the evolution of the discipline.
With his passionate storytelling, Flavio Caroli guides us through the discovery of a submerged, often overlooked artistic heritage. An art that, against all odds, has continued to feed creative thought and influence the course of history—an art that truly deserves to be brought back into the light.
