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.Ramon van de Werken: Caravaggio's Incisions

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.Web Gallery of Art: Caravaggio Biography

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.The National Gallery: Caravaggio, Michelangelo Merisi Da

Some of Caravaggio's paintings include: "Fortune-Teller," "Cardsharps," "Medusa," "Entombment" and "Beheading of Saint John the Baptist."