Caravaggio
Caravaggio was a highly influential Baroque painter known especially for the use of stark light and dark contrasts (tenebrism, a form of chiaroscuro) in his paintings. He was one of the first artists to paint directly on canvas without preparatory drawing, relying on incisions, live models and possibly the camera obscura.1
Fast Facts
- Full name: Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio
- Place of birth: Milan, Italy
- Born: September 28, 1571
- Died: July 18, 1610 from a fever2
- Received training from Simone Peterzano3
- Was known for his arrogant demeanor and penchant for brawling3
- Killed a man in a brawl and was forced to leave Rome
Early Life
Caravaggio's father, uncle and grandfather died in 1577 when Caravaggio was just six years old. He started studying painting at the age of thirteen and traveled to Papal Rome to seek work and fame several years later.3
Career and Crime
He quickly established himself as a popular genre and religious painter, accepting private and public commissions but his arrogant, confrontational attitude prevented him from completely capitalizing on his success. He fled Rome after killing a man in a brawl, eventually stopping to live and work in Naples, Malta and Sicily. He died of a fever en route back to Rome, bereft of all possessions.2
Paintings
Some of Caravaggio's paintings include: "Fortune-Teller," "Cardsharps," "Medusa," "Entombment" and "Beheading of Saint John the Baptist."
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