Caravaggio
Italian painter whose tenebrism shaped Baroque art.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (also Michele Angelo Merigi or Amerighi da Caravaggio; 29 September 1571 – 18 July 1610), known mononymously as Caravaggio, was an Italian painter active in Rome for a significant portion of his artistic life. His paintings have been characterized by art critics as combining a realistic observation of the human state, both physical and emotional, with a dramatic use of lighting, which had a formative influence on Baroque painting. Caravaggio employed close physical observation with a dramatic use of chiaroscuro that came to be known as tenebrism, making the technique a dominant stylistic element.
- born
- 29 September 1571, Milan
- died
- 18 July 1610, uncertain circumstances while traveling from Naples to Rome
- field
- Painting
- nationality
- Italian
- known_for
- Tenebrism, dramatic chiaroscuro, realistic observation of human state, influence on Baroque painting
Lore & Background
Caravaggio began his apprenticeship in Milan in 1584 under Simone Peterzano, described as a pupil of Titian. He moved to Rome in his twenties, where he developed a considerable name as an artist and as a violent, touchy, and provocative man. He killed Ranuccio Tomassoni in a brawl, leading to a death sentence for murder and forcing him to flee to Naples. There he again established himself as one of the most prominent Italian painters of his generation. He travelled to Malta and on to Sicily in 1607 and pursued a papal pardon for his sentence. In 1609, he returned to Naples, where he was involved in a violent clash; his face was disfigured, and rumors of his death circulated. He died in 1610 under uncertain circumstances while on his way from Naples to Rome; reports stated that he died of a fever, possibly due to wounds, with suggestions of murder or lead poisoning.
Reader's Guide
Caravaggio's innovations inspired Baroque painting, which often incorporated the drama of his chiaroscuro with a lesser degree of psychological disturbance. His effect on the new Baroque style that emerged from Mannerism was profound. His influence can be seen directly or indirectly in the work of Peter Paul Rubens, Jusepe de Ribera, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Velázquez, and Rembrandt, as well as many lesser-known artists. Artists most deeply influenced by him were called the 'Caravaggisti' (or 'Caravagesques'), as well as tenebrists or tenebrosi ('shadowists'). As style evolved and fashions changed, Caravaggio fell out of favor. In the 20th century, interest in his work was revived, and his importance to the development of Western art was reassessed. The 20th-century art historian André Berne-Joffroy stated: 'What begins in the work of Caravaggio is, quite simply, modern painting.'
Did You Know?
- Caravaggio worked rapidly with live models, preferring to forgo drawings and work directly on the canvas.
- He killed Ranuccio Tomassoni in a brawl, which led to a death sentence for murder and forced him to flee to Naples.
- His earliest known painting is the small Boy Peeling a Fruit.
- The 20th-century art historian André Berne-Joffroy stated that modern painting begins with Caravaggio's work.
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