Art Guide · Painters
Caravaggio
1571–1610
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571–1610) was the Italian painter whose harsh light bursting from darkness launched Baroque painting. He is known as much for his turbulent life as for his dramatic, realistic works.
Last updated: · Iconica Society editors
Life
Born in Milan, he came to Rome in the early 1590s and soon won fame with church commissions. He was often caught up in brawls; after killing a man in 1606 he fled Rome and lived in Naples, Malta and Sicily. He died in 1610, aged 38, on his way back to Rome hoping for a pardon.
Style and key works
Caravaggio painted sacred scenes with models taken from the street, without idealisation and with harsh, theatrical lighting, a technique known as tenebrism. The Calling of Saint Matthew (1599–1600) is among his most famous works. The Basket of Fruit (c. 1599), in the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana in Milan, is considered one of the first independent still lifes in Italian art.
Key works
Shop Caravaggio posters →Frequently asked questions
What is tenebrism?
A painting technique in which figures emerge from an almost completely dark ground, lit by a strong light; Caravaggio is its most famous master.