2016 Volume 37 Pages 179-194
The author expands and renovates the method of reading-oriented appreciation in this paper. Previous research has focused mainly on the study of Italian Renaissance paintings, but this time the focus is on the 17th century, especially the initial stage of the Baroque and Caravaggio’s “Calling of St. Matthew (1599-1600).” This altarpiece has been displayed as part of the trilogy dealing with St. Matthew at the Contarelli Chapel located in San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome. The relation between texts and images is analyzed from multiple angles. This is recognized as an indispensable step for the comprehension of Caravaggio’s imaginative work based on Matthew 9:9. Four articles on “Instructional Resources” published in Art Education provide significant viewpoints and useful attitudes for planning reading-oriented appreciation classes. The six-stage program predicated on Edmund Burke Feldman’s ideas is redesigned for diversified research methods on Caravaggio’s piece. Role-playing of seven characters and a game-like activity for judging who St. Matthew is in the picture are suggested as unique parts of the program. In addition, the idea of international (in this case, Western cultural) understanding through art is set up as an essential pillar for the development and construction of teaching materials for improving visual-reading skills. Grounded on this educational aim, the author asserts the importance of local, in other words, site-specific real experience of art like the altarpiece taken up here for Japanese learners who belong to different cultural traditions, including religions.
