Caravaggio (1571-1610)

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio is an Italian artist known for his impeccable technique, the intensity of his realism and his incredible use of chiaroscuro. Caravaggio broke with the style of Mannerism, which was so prevalent in the art world at the time and his work greatly influenced what would become the Baroque period. Caravaggio deplored all rules in art and life, but the sentiment turned his life into anarchy first and then tragedy, culminating in his death at the age of 38.

Caravaggio was born in Milan to an architect-decorator father who was employed in the estate of the Marchese of Caravaggio. In 1584 he apprenticed for four years to Simone Peterzano, a Lombard painter who himself was a pupil of Titian. Caravaggio stayed in the Milan area after completing his apprenticeship, but fled to Rome in mid-1592 after he wounded a police officer in a quarrel. Caravaggio soon began working for Guiseppe Cesari painting flowers and fruit in his workshop. During this time he painted Boy with a Basket of Fruit, which was most likely the first time that a still life had been painted in European art since Antiquity. He left Cesari in the beginning of 1594 to make his own way, painting his first multi-person compositions in The Fortune Teller and The Cardsharps. His painting displayed such an incredible realism; the physical particularity he invested into his paintings was astounding. The art world began to take notice of his great talent and Cardinal Francesco Maria Del Monte became his patron, introducing Caravaggio into his wealthy, art-loving circle. Caravaggio painted various chamber pieces for this group, many of which were imbued with a homoerotic undertone.

It was in 1599 that Caravaggio became one of the best known painters in Rome when he won the prestigious commission of the Contarelli Chapel at San Luigi dei Francesi. It was here where he unveiled his first public commissions, Martyrdom of Saint Matthew and Calling of Saint Matthew, which became an instant sensation. Thereafter he had a continuous stream of both commissions and patrons. Caravaggio did not handle his success well and was known for his quarrelsome nature and readiness to brawl. During this period he went on to secure many prestigious commissions and with each new painting his fame increased. Despite this success, Caravaggio did have to redo or rework several of his paintings because some viewed his realism as vulgar even though most appreciated his dramatic intensity.

While playing a game of royal tennis, Caravaggio once again let his passions get the best of him and ended up killing one Tommasoni during a brawl. Caravaggio was outlawed and fled to Naples while he awaited a pardon from the pope. His paintings at this time have a dark and urgent undertone that reflected his desperate state of mind. After just a few months in Naples, he left to go to Milan, presumably hoping that by securing the patronage of Alof de Wignacourt, who was Grand Master of the Knights of Malta, he would be able to secure a pardon. de Wignacourt was terribly impressed with having Caravaggio and inducted him as a knight, which great pleased Caravaggio. This time of peace in Caravaggio`s life didn`t last long as he was arrested yet again for another brawl where he seriously injured a fellow knight and was expelled from the Order.
Before this expulsion he escaped to Sicily where he met up with Mario Minniti, an old friend, and did a tour of cities from Syracuse to Palermo. Caravaggio continued to find prestigious commissions along the way, and during this time his style evolved and was characterized by solitary figures surrounded by huge, barren backgrounds. Remarkably, he always kept painting while on the run, often in less than ideal conditions. Caravaggio spent nine months in Sicily before returning to Naples, where he evaded an attempt on his life but ended up severely disfigured. As a plea for leniency he painted Salome with the Head of John the Baptist with his own head on the platter and sent it to de Wignacourt. In 1610, he headed north on a boat to receive his pardon which he was sure to come thanks to his powerful friends in Rome. Much confusion surrounds what happened next, but on July 28th it was reported that Caravaggio was dead, supposedly of a fever. To add to the speculation, his body was never found.

Caravaggio received a high level of fame and notoriety during his life, but was soon forgotten after his death. He established no school to spread his technique nor explained his philosophical approach. Caravaggio did much to inspire the Baroque period, but Baroque only adopted the drama of chiaroscuro without taking with it the emotional realism at which he excelled. Chiaroscuro, the art of shadow and light, was practiced long before Caravaggio painted but it was he who embraced the technique and made it definitive, deepening shadows and enhancing his subjects in shafts of brilliant light. He preferred to paint live models, working very quickly directly on the canvas, which is why there are so few surviving Caravaggio drawings in existence today. His early biographies were written very critically and helped to demolish his reputation and it wasn't until the early 20th century that his influence in the development of western art was rediscovered. Caravaggio's commitment and passion to his art is apparent in his superb paintings, but that same passion gave him a tumultuous life and ultimately led to his premature death.