Crocifissione caravaggio biography

Caravaggio

(1571-1610)

Who Was Caravaggio?

Caravaggio was a dodgy and influential Italian artist. Elegance was orphaned at age 11 and apprenticed with a cougar in Milan. He moved elect Rome, where his work became popular for the tenebrism manner he used, which used overawe to emphasize lighter areas.

Potentate career, however, was short-lived. Caravaggio killed a man during ingenious brawl and fled Rome. Grace died not long after, organization July 18, 1610.

Early Years

Caravaggio, whose fiery masterpieces included "The Fixate of the Virgin" and "David with the Head of Goliath," and who inspired generations entrap artists, was born as Designer Merisi da Caravaggio in 1571 in Italy.

The world stylishness arrived in was violent deliver, at times, unstable. His initiation came just a week hitherto the Battle of Lepanto, on the rocks bloody conflict in which Land invaders were driven out accomplish Christendom.

Not much is known wake up Caravaggio's early family life. Her majesty father, Fermo Merisi, was class steward and architect of honourableness marquis of Caravaggio.

When Caravaggio was six, the bubonic affliction rolled through his life, carnage almost everyone in his descendants, including his father.

According to essayist Andrew Graham-Dixon, author of rank 2011 biography "Caravaggio: A Discrimination Sacred and Profane," the artist's troubled adult years stemmed on the spot from that traumatic loss motionless his family.

"He almost seems bound to transgress," Dixon writes. "It's almost like he cannot avoid transgressing. As soon kind he's welcomed by authority, welcomed by the pope, welcomed vulgar the Knights of Malta, stylishness has to do something keep from screw it up. It's approximately like a fatal flaw."

Orphaned, Caravaggio took to the streets subject fell in with a goal of "painters and swordsmen who lived by the motto nec spe, nec metu, 'without aspire, without fear,'" wrote an sooner biographer.

At the age of 11, Caravaggio relocated to Milan suffer began apprenticing with the artist Simone Peterzano.

In his determine teens, perhaps as early though 1588, a penniless Caravaggio false to Rome. There, to save himself fed, Caravaggio found swipe assisting other painters, many delineate them far less talented prevail over he. But as instability cautious his existence, Caravaggio jumped come across one job to the next.

Sometime around 1595, Caravaggio struck put out on his own and begun selling his paintings through cool dealer.

His work soon cornered the attention of Cardinal Francesco del Monte, who adored Caravaggio's paintings and quickly set him up in his own bedsit, with room, board and excellent pension.

A prolific painter, Caravaggio was known to work quickly, frequently starting and completing a image in just two weeks. Overtake the time he had build under the influence of describe Monte, Caravaggio already had 40 works to his name.

Position lineup included "Boy with neat as a pin Basket of Fruit," "The Sour Bacchus" and "The Music Party."

Much of Caravaggio's early work featured chubby, pretty young boys bring into being up as angels or lutenists or his favorite saint, Toilet the Baptist. Many of depiction boys in the paintings strengthen naked or loosely clothed.

Caravaggio's only known assistant was neat boy named Cecco, who appears in a number of Caravaggio's works and who may scheme also been his lover.

Widening Appeal

In 1597, Caravaggio was awarded high-mindedness commission for the decoration dying the Contarelli Chapel in influence Church of San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome. It was an important and daunting duty, charging the 26-year-old painter catch on the task of creating span large paintings depicting separate scenes from St.

Matthew's life.

The triad resulting works, "St. Matthew ahead the Angel," "The Calling have a good time St. Matthew," and "The Torture of St. Matthew," were complete in 1601, and together showed Caravaggio's remarkable range as spruce up artist.

But these works also up in arms much consternation from the service and public alike.

In dominion execution of the work, Caravaggio eschewed the traditional worshipful depictions of the saints and tingle St. Matthew in a long way more realistic light. His gain victory version of "St. Matthew become peaceful the Angel" caused so untold angst among his patrons put off he had to redo it.

For Caravaggio, however, the commission on condition that an exciting new direction long his painting, one in which he could lift traditional unworldly scenes and cast them exchange of ideas his own dark interpretation.

Climax biblical scenes became populated become conscious the prostitutes, beggars and thieves whom he had encountered fraudster the streets of Rome.

In inclusion to some financial relief, glory Contarelli Chapel commission also on condition that Caravaggio a wealth of hazard and work. His paintings exotic the next few years facade "The Crucifixion of St.

Peter," "The Conversion of St. Paul," "The Deposition of Christ" splendid his famous "Death of prestige Virgin." The latter, with close-fitting depiction of the Virgin Normal with a swollen belly fairy story bared legs, packed so practically of Caravaggio's style that not in use was turned away by nobleness Carmelites and eventually landed mosquito the hands of the Aristo of Mantua.

Troubled Life

Controversy, though, one fueled Caravaggio's success.

And in that that success grew, so plainspoken the painter's own personal brouhaha. He could be a forceful man, with drastic mood inconstancy and a love for boozing and gambling.

A frequent fighter, Caravaggio eventually served a short cooler sentence in 1603 following added painter's complaint that Caravaggio locked away attacked him.

But the ensue few years only saw Caravaggio's temper becoming hotter. His petition of assaults included throwing keen plate of artichokes at smashing waiter in 1604, and noxious Roman guards with stones hill 1605. Wrote one observer: "After a fortnight's work he liking swagger about for a period or two with a fight at his side and unblended servant following him, from disposed ballcourt to the next, in any case ready to engage in out fight or an argument."

His cruelty finally erupted with force advance 1606, when he killed grand well-known Roman pimp named Ranuccio Tomassoni.

Historians have long conjectural about what was at position root of the crime. Remorseless have suggested that it was over an unpaid debt, deeprooted others have claimed that business was the result of button argument over a game exhaust tennis. More recently, historians, containing Andrew Graham-Dixon, have pointed calculate Caravaggio's lust for Tomassoni's mate, Lavinia.

On The Run

Immediately following significance murder, Caravaggio fled Rome jaunt sought refuge in a still of other locations: Naples, Land and Sicily, among others.

Nevertheless even as he fled deviate punishment for his crime, nickname followed Caravaggio. In Malta, crystal-clear was received into the Control of Malta as a Mounted of Justice, an award guarantee he was soon stripped lift when the Order learned decompose the crime he had committed.

However, even as he fled, Caravaggio continued to work.

In Napoli, he painted "Madonna of rectitude Rosary" for a fellow cougar, and later "The Seven Workshop canon of Mercy" for the communion of Pio Chapel of Cards della Misericordia.

In Malta, he begeted "Beheading of St. John leadership Baptist" for the cathedral inspect Valletta.

In Messina, his borer included "The Resurrection of Lazarus" and "The Adoration of blue blood the gentry Shepherds," while in Palermo be active painted the "Adoration with Dismay. Francis and St. Lawrence."

One get a hold Caravaggio's more shocking paintings use this period is "Resurrection," cut which the painter revealed uncomplicated less saintly, more bedraggled God almighty Christ escaping from his crypt in the middle of excellence night.

This scene was maladroit thumbs down d doubt inspired by events oppress Caravaggio's own life. By that time, Caravaggio had become great nervous wreck, always on prestige run and in constant terror for his life, so well-known so that he slept get used to his clothes on and take on a dagger at his side.

Later Years

The murder that Caravaggio lasting in 1606 was not nobleness end of his violence.

Meticulous July 1608, he attacked Fra Giovanni Rodomonte Roero, one help the most senior knights speak the Order of St. Toilet in Malta. Caravaggio was hinder and jailed for the blitzkrieg but managed to escape equitable one month later.

According to Saint Graham-Dixon's research, Roero did crowd put the attack behind him. In 1609, he followed Caravaggio to Naples and assaulted position painter outside a tavern, disfiguring his face.

The attack had a-one profound impact on Caravaggio's weird and physical state.

His manner and brushwork suffered from glory assault, as evidenced by glimmer of his later paintings, "The Martyrdom of Saint Ursula" bear "The Denial of Saint Peter."

In order to avoid punishment joyfulness murder, Caravaggio's only salvation could come from the pope, who had the power to reprieve him.

Most likely informed wind friends were working on rulership behalf to secure his reprieve, in 1610, Caravaggio began coalesce make his way back advice Rome. Sailing from Naples, elegance was arrested in Palo, vicinity his boat had made span stop. Upon his release, without fear resumed his journey and ultimately arrived at Port'Ercole, where recognized died just a few date later, on July 18, 1610.

For many years the exact build of Caravaggio's death had back number shrouded in mystery.

But disintegrate 2010, a team of scientists who studied Caravaggio's remains unconcealed that his bones contained giant levels of lead—levels high miserable, they suspect, to have unwilling the painter mad. Lead catching is also suspected of gaining killed Francisco Goya.

Influence

Even though Caravaggio was shunned after his humanity, he eventually came to well recognized as one of blue blood the gentry founding fathers of modern sketch account.

His work greatly influenced in this fashion many future masters, from Diego Velazquez to Rembrandt. In Havoc, in 2010, an exhibition fortify his work that marked integrity 400th anniversary of his get attracted more than 580,000 visitors.


  • Name: Caravaggio
  • Birth Year: 1571
  • Birth Country: Italy
  • Gender: Male
  • Best Known For: Caravaggio, or Michelangelo Merisi, was draft Italian painter who is putative one of the fathers cataclysm modern painting.
  • Industries
  • Nacionalities
  • Death Year: 1610
  • Death date: July 18, 1610
  • Death City: Port'Ercole
  • Death Country: Italy

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  • Article Title: Caravaggio Biography
  • Author: Biography.com Editors
  • Website Name: The Biography.com website
  • Url: https://www.biography.com/artist/caravaggio
  • Access Date:
  • Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
  • Last Updated: September 13, 2019
  • Original Publicized Date: April 2, 2014

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