Who is Caravaggio?
He was born in a small town called Caravaggio, which he was named after, in Lombardy Italy. His family moved to Milan, but had to move back because of the bubonic plague. He lost many of his family members at a young age due to the plague. Many think the criminal that he became was because of the trauma he faced at such a young age, effecting his personal life and art. When he got older, he got into trouble with the law, including murder.
He was born September 29, 1571 and died July 18, 1610. His remains are buried in Saint Erasmus Cemetery in Ireland.
He became famous for his intense and unsettling realism for religious pieces. He did not glorify the characters in his paintings but showed them as how they would have actually been portrayed. In all of his paintings he seems to portray the scenes in a very dark light but have a striking part of the scene lit up to show the main story.
Learn more about the Life and Works of Caravaggio
Estimated Time: 2 Days
Locations:
The Calling of Saint Matthew (1599-1600)
In this scene, Jesus enters a room where Matthew and his fellow tax collectors are. He points to Matthew and summons him. Matthew looks very perplexed, you see him pointing to himself, as if he is asking Jesus "Me?" Caravaggio illustrates Jesus's divinity by the halo around his head and by the strong light coming from outside. It directly hits Matthew, the main subject of the piece. You see the kind of like Matthew lives, the obsession over money being portrayed by two of the men counting change, not noticing Jesus. The two others seem to be just boys, sitting in the front of the table looking scared. One is leaning on Matthew for comfort, and the other is looking up as if he is talking to Saint Peter.
See Locations & Videos
David with the Head of Goliath (1609-1610)
Caravaggio is well known for being one of the more graphic artists. That is perfectly shown in his painting of David and Goliath. In other depictions, you see only David either before or during the battle. David is not usually seen with his opponent, especially with only his head. We see David mainly portrayed as a tall strong fierce man. Here we see a young scrawny boy with baggy clothes on. He carries the head of Goliath, graphically portrayed, something that was out of the ordinary to do. The way he painted the blood from the neck and on the forehead so realistically was uncommon. It is also said that the head of Goliath is a self portrait of Caravaggio, who was known to be wild.
See Locations & Videos
Crucifixion of Saint Peter (1601)
Caravaggio paints an older Saint Peter having him appear not in any pain. He makes him rather look distracted by something in the distance unbothered by his persecutors. One interpretation of this is that Saint Peter is looking at God in the distance being crucified because of their similar deaths. However, Peter chose not to be crucified right side up to not die the same way as Jesus, considering it to be disrespectful.
See Locations & Videos
The Conversion of Saint Paul (1600-1601)
Saint Paul who first persecuted christians converted while on his way to continue his work. When he was riding, he and other men heard the voice of God abruptly telling them to stop what they were doing and follow him. He was stunned and scared to the point of falling of his horse.
See Locations & Videos