Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1610), an Italian painter of the 16th century, profoundly shaped the course of modern painting. He is best known for his mastery of “Chiaroscuro,” a dramatic lighting technique employing strong contrasts between light and shadow.

Born on September 29, 1571, Caravaggio was the son of Fermo Merisi and Lucia Aratori. His father served as an administrator, architect, and decorator for the Marchese of Caravaggio. While the family enjoyed financial security, they relocated to Lucia Aratori’s residence in 1576 to avoid a plague. Sadly, Fermo succumbed to the disease in 1577. Despite this loss, the family maintained connections with influential families. Caravaggio’s mother had ties, through marriage, to the powerful Sforza and Colonna families, who later proved instrumental in his life.

Following his mother’s death in 1584, Caravaggio became an apprentice to Simone Peterzano, a well-regarded painter in Milan. After completing his apprenticeship, he traveled to Venice and Milan, studying the works and styles of other artists. Tradition suggests that he was particularly inspired by the art of Giorgione and Leonardo Da Vinci.

Caravaggio possessed a volatile temperament. In 1592, following an assault on a policeman and involvement in multiple duels, he fled Milan for Rome. Arriving penniless, he found employment with Giuseppe Cesari, a prominent local artist who recognized his talent. Caravaggio undertook preparatory work for Cesari and may have contributed to or created works such as Young Sick Bacchus, A Boy with a Basket of Fruit, and Boy Peeling a Fruit (believed to be his earliest known piece). However, illness led to his dismissal, forcing Caravaggio to seek new opportunities.

Despite the challenges of the time, Caravaggio honed his skills, developing a distinctive artistic style characterized by its departure from convention. Eschewing traditional practices, he favored painting scenes from everyday life, using ordinary individuals as models, and employing dramatic lighting to create captivating compositions. This innovative approach, with its novel themes and style, generated significant interest among Rome’s wealthy elite. Paintings like “The Fortune Teller,” “The Cardsharps,” and “A Boy Bitten by a Lizard,” filled with subtle symbolism, quickly gained popularity within affluent art circles.

This renown led to the patronage of Cardinal Francesco Maria Del Monte, a prominent figure in Rome’s art scene. Adapting to his patron’s religious inclinations, Caravaggio began creating intimate religious works, including acclaimed pieces such as “A Sacrifice of Isaac,” “Rest on the Flight to Egypt,” and “Saint Francis of Assisi in Ecstasy.”

These paintings showcased Caravaggio’s commitment to realism, depicting authentic individuals with their natural imperfections engaged in ordinary activities. Further distinguishing himself from his contemporaries, he opted to paint directly onto the canvas with oils, establishing his signature technique. By the late 16th century, Caravaggio’s realism had gained widespread acclaim, leading to a commission to paint the ceiling of the Contarelli Chapel. His two paintings for the chapel, “Martyrdom of Saint Matthew” and “Calling of Saint Matthew,” were celebrated for their unique style and composition.

Building on this success, Caravaggio secured numerous commissions for religious-themed works. However, some of his creations faced criticism for their perceived lack of literary complexity. Notably, works like “The Inspiration of Saint Michael,” “The Death of the Virgin,” and “The Conversion of Saint Paul” were initially rejected due to their unflinching realism, requiring Caravaggio to revise them to align with religious expectations.

During his travels through Venice, Milan, and Rome, Caravaggio successfully established crucial friendships with rising artistic talents such as Prospero Orsi, the Sicilian artist Mario Minnitti, and architect Onorio Longhi. While Orsi and Minnitti aided Caravaggio’s career by securing commissions and expanding his network, Longhi exposed him to Rome’s violent underbelly, a world of street fights that ultimately contributed to his downfall. Caravaggio’s personal life was marred by frequent altercations, arrests, and legal entanglements.

In 1606, he unintentionally killed a young man, forcing him to seek refuge in Naples. Despite attempts to use his art to gain clemency, he was imprisoned in Malta. Although eventually pardoned, it was too late to save him. Caravaggio died in 1610 from a fever, though some researchers suggest his death may have been an assassination in revenge for the murder, a mystery that persists to this day.