Art historian John Spike is bringing Italy to Ames this weekend in the form of a three-day symposium. For several years, ISU students have been going to Italy to study abroad under the direction of Carl Bleyle, lecturer in music. Spike says it was Bleyle who had the idea for him to come stateside.

“A number of American university classes visit me in Florence,” Spike says. “I am always pleased to receive classes and having received ISU groups about three times, Carl asked me if I would ever think of coming to Ames.”

Spike’s particular interest in art is the paintings of Renaissance Italy. The Florence Symposium will focus specifically on the works of Caravaggio.

The opening event will be a lecture Thursday evening given by Spike, titled “The Ambiguities of Caravaggio.”

“The often confusing subject matter in Caravaggio’s works was calculated,” Spike says. “Artful deception and ambiguity were seen as avant garde. Everything has a double meaning; on one side it seems sacred, while from the other side it’s profane.”

Friday evening, there will be a concert of chamber music composed by Respighi, inspired by Renaissance paintings. Before each piece is played, Spike will present the art that inspired the composition, and Bleyle will talk about the music.

“We will see as we listen, if the music evokes a reaction to the painting,” Spike says. “In a sense, we’re putting Respighi to the test.”

Saturday, there will be another concert and lecture combination. Spike says in some of the Renaissance paintings you can see pieces of music. The music in these paintings will be performed Saturday evening.

“It’s a very intriguing idea to perform music we can see in paintings by Caravaggio,” Spike says. “It is especially intriguing to me because I’ve never heard these pieces performed. Maybe when we hear the music played while viewing the paintings, we’ll understand why it appealed at the time.”

Spike is originally from New Jersey but has been living in Florence since 1989.

“I’d worked as a guest curator for several years and in 1989, I finally decided to move to my beloved Italy,” Spike says. “I moved there with my wife Michelle and our 6-year-old son at the time. It didn’t really disrupt our lives because our son had already been to Italy nine times.”

He says he has presented similar programs all over the world, including Musee du Louvre, the Royal Society in London, Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Oxford.

“After Ames, I’m traveling to Chicago to give a lecture on Caravaggio at the Art Institute of Chicago,” Spike says.

He says he is excited to be bringing his knowledge to Ames and would be surprised if this is his only visit.

“Knowing Carl’s enthusiasm, this won’t be the last time I’m here,” Spike says.