Caravaggio – Murderer and Master Painter

Baroque – Late 16th and Early 17th Century

Baroque: Barroco – an imperfect pearl, or Varruca – a wart

Most of Caravaggio’s contemporaries were still creating works of art in the composed Mannerist style. Which was quickly going out of vogue.

Baroque arose as a style mainly in response to the Reformation, which threatened the current power of Catholicism.

It was meant to be raw and hyper-emotional, in order to heighten the religious experience of the Catholic church. This was all in an effort to attract the public back to the Catholic faith.

Madonna of the Long Neck,Parmigianino, 1535

Caravaggio – Early Life and Career

Moved to Rome from Lombardy in 1592, because it was an artistic hot-spot. The first few years of his career were a struggle, as he sold still-lifes of fruit bowls and flowers on the street.

He began his solo career after leaving the workshop of Cavaliere Giuseppe Cesari d’Arpino.

In 1595, his work gained him recognition and comissionary work from, soon to be Cardinal, Francesco del Monte.

Due to del Monte’s many connections, Caravaggio had gained himself a promising career. His work was raw, emotional, and dramatic; he became a sensation seemingly overnight.

The Cardsharps, 1594

A Unique Style – The Influence of Street Life

Known to hang out with seedy individuals, Caravaggio’s work reflected themes of poverty and the harsher realities of the human condition.

To the horror of many contemporaries, he employed common street folk as models for sacred subjects such as saints, angels, and even Christ. One of his most controversial works, Death of the Virgin, modeled the Virgin Mary off of a dead prostitute.

His work on sacred subjects often emphasized their more human side, and showed psychological and emotional intensity. This flare for the dramatic made his work a perfect fit for the Baroque era.

Conversion of St. Paul, 1601

Use of Chiascurro – dramatic lighting. Evidence of his life experience with

theater can be seen through his work. The figures are often pushed up right against the picture frame, lit up as if on a stage. This in combination with the great scale of these works adds to their dominating and larger than life presence.

Lighting is consistent with the natural lighting of where it was displayed originally, adding to the sense of realism.

Influence of Theater

Calling of St. Matthew, 1600.

A Unique Style – Cont’d

The Calling of St. Matthew, and The Matyrdom of St. Matthew. These commissions for the Contarelli Chapel were ultimately Caravaggio’s big break.

His sacred scenes often included Biblical figures dressed in contemporary clothing.

He often used chiascurro to add a sense of direction and focus for the viewer’s eye. He draws the eye to Christ’s outstretched hand, and then the sharp diagonal leads to the shocked expressions of the faces around the tax-collecting table. His figures often seemed to “emerge out of darkness”.

His painting process included little preparation work, which was uncommon during this time period.

Late Career and Death

In 1606, a sword fight duel went wrong for Caravaggio, leaving the other man mortally wounded.

Wanted for murder, he fled to Malta. Gaining membership as a Knight of Malta (a religious military order) could gain him a papal pardon.

He gained membership in exchange for The Beheading of John the Baptist, but he quickly lost membership status after getting into a fight with a fellow knight.

Late Career and Death – Cont’d

His friends in Rome petitioned for his pardon, and succeeded, but as he was about to board the ship returning to Rome, he was taken into custody for a reason unknown.

He was released from prison just a little too late, the ship had already sailed away with all of his luggage. Making his way along the coast, he quickly fell ill and passed away only a few days later in 1610, presumably from malaria.