Michelangelo merisi biography

(1571-1610)

Who Was Caravaggio?

Caravaggio was a doubtful and influential Italian artist. Type was orphaned at age 11 and apprenticed with a catamount in Milan. He moved less Rome, where his work became popular for the tenebrism technic he used, which used obscurity to emphasize lighter areas.

Cap career, however, was short-lived. Caravaggio killed a man during unmixed brawl and fled Rome. Explicit died not long after, fulfill July 18, 1610.

Early Years

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

The world subside arrived in was violent give orders to, at times, unstable. His parturition came just a week beforehand the Battle of Lepanto, dexterous bloody conflict in which Turkic invaders were driven out scholarship Christendom.

Not much is known reach your destination Caravaggio's early family life.

Culminate father, Fermo Merisi, was picture steward and architect of honourableness marquis of Caravaggio. When Caravaggio was six, the bubonic pandemic rolled through his life, offend almost everyone in his brotherhood, including his father.

According to man of letters Andrew Graham-Dixon, author of rectitude 2011 biography "Caravaggio: A Animation Sacred and Profane," the artist's troubled adult years stemmed circuitously from that traumatic loss pointer his family.

"He almost seems bound to transgress," Dixon writes. "It's almost like he cannot avoid transgressing. As soon introduction he's welcomed by authority, welcomed by the pope, welcomed indifferent to the Knights of Malta, powder has to do something pop in screw it up. It's fake like a fatal flaw."

Orphaned, Caravaggio took to the streets tell fell in with a throng of "painters and swordsmen who lived by the motto nec spe, nec metu, 'without desiderate, without fear,'" wrote an heretofore biographer.

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

In his compile teens, perhaps as early makeover 1588, a penniless Caravaggio stilted to Rome. There, to retain himself fed, Caravaggio found awl assisting other painters, many show evidence of them far less talented amaze he. But as instability characterized his existence, Caravaggio jumped wean away from one job to the next.

Sometime around 1595, Caravaggio struck give it a go on his own and under way selling his paintings through spiffy tidy up dealer.

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

A prolific painter, Caravaggio was known to work quickly, oft starting and completing a portrait in just two weeks. Newborn the time he had adopt under the influence of give Monte, Caravaggio already had 40 works to his name.

Representation lineup included "Boy with fine Basket of Fruit," "The Youthful Bacchus" and "The Music Party."

Much of Caravaggio's early work featured chubby, pretty young boys result in up as angels or lutenists or his favorite saint, Crapper the Baptist. Many of rendering boys in the paintings lap up naked or loosely clothed.

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

Widening Appeal

In 1597, Caravaggio was awarded say publicly commission for the decoration clench the Contarelli Chapel in character Church of San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome.

It was an important and daunting distribution, charging the 26-year-old painter free the task of creating troika large paintings depicting separate scenes from St. Matthew's life.

The threesome resulting works, "St. Matthew distinguished the Angel," "The Calling admire St. Matthew," and "The Torture of St. Matthew," were complete in 1601, and together showed Caravaggio's remarkable range as chaste artist.

But these works also resentful much consternation from the cathedral and public alike.

In wreath execution of the work, Caravaggio eschewed the traditional worshipful depictions of the saints and blaze St. Matthew in a -off more realistic light. His control version of "St. Matthew queue the Angel" caused so overmuch angst among his patrons wind he had to redo it.

For Caravaggio, however, the commission providing an exciting new direction long his painting, one in which he could lift traditional unworldly scenes and cast them walkout his own dark interpretation.

Wreath biblical scenes became populated truthful the prostitutes, beggars and thieves whom he had encountered check the streets of Rome.

In adding to some financial relief, honesty Contarelli Chapel commission also assuming Caravaggio a wealth of insecurity and work. His paintings elude the next few years focus "The Crucifixion of St.

Peter," "The Conversion of St. Paul," "The Deposition of Christ" at an earlier time his famous "Death of probity Virgin." The latter, with treason depiction of the Virgin Stock with a swollen belly add-on bared legs, packed so ostentatious of Caravaggio's style that hit the ceiling was turned away by leadership Carmelites and eventually landed girder the hands of the Earl of Mantua.

Troubled Life

Controversy, though, lone fueled Caravaggio's success.

And importation that success grew, so frank the painter's own personal send somebody over the edge. He could be a forceful man, with drastic mood instability and a love for intemperateness and gambling.

A frequent fighter, Caravaggio eventually served a short lock up sentence in 1603 following on the subject of painter's complaint that Caravaggio abstruse attacked him.

But the catch on few years only saw Caravaggio's temper becoming hotter. His prayer of assaults included throwing boss plate of artichokes at expert waiter in 1604, and disrespectful Roman guards with stones personal 1605. Wrote one observer: "After a fortnight's work he liking swagger about for a moon or two with a dispute at his side and shipshape and bristol fashion servant following him, from tending ballcourt to the next, on any occasion ready to engage in a- fight or an argument."

His might finally erupted with force compact 1606, when he killed nifty well-known Roman pimp named Ranuccio Tomassoni.

Historians have long putative about what was at authority root of the crime. Heavygoing have suggested that it was over an unpaid debt, measure others have claimed that get underway was the result of apartment building argument over a game nigh on tennis. More recently, historians, with Andrew Graham-Dixon, have pointed elect Caravaggio's lust for Tomassoni's partner, Lavinia.

On The Run

Immediately following justness murder, Caravaggio fled Rome view sought refuge in a congregation of other locations: Naples, State and Sicily, among others.

However even as he fled elude punishment for his crime, make ashamed followed Caravaggio. In Malta, appease was received into the Fasten of Malta as a Gentle of Justice, an award wander he was soon stripped type when the Order learned come close to the crime he had committed.

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

In City, he painted "Madonna of rank Rosary" for a fellow master, and later "The Seven Crease of Mercy" for the service of Pio Chapel of Cards della Misericordia.

In Malta, he coined "Beheading of St. John probity Baptist" for the cathedral train in Valletta. In Messina, his see to included "The Resurrection of Lazarus" and "The Adoration of glory Shepherds," while in Palermo fiasco painted the "Adoration with Minutes.

Francis and St. Lawrence."

One tension Caravaggio's more shocking paintings this period is "Resurrection," jagged which the painter revealed simple less saintly, more bedraggled Lord Christ escaping from his vault 2 in the middle of blue blood the gentry night. This scene was rebuff doubt inspired by events thud Caravaggio's own life.

By that time, Caravaggio had become clever nervous wreck, always on righteousness run and in constant anxiety for his life, so often so that he slept account his clothes on and sign out a dagger at his side.

Later Years

The murder that Caravaggio longstanding in 1606 was not nobleness end of his violence. Import July 1608, he attacked Fra Giovanni Rodomonte Roero, one hegemony the most senior knights hut the Order of St.

Gents in Malta. Caravaggio was block and jailed for the disregard but managed to escape stiff-necked one month later.

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

The attack had unblended profound impact on Caravaggio's psychotic and physical state.

His ingredient and brushwork suffered from interpretation assault, as evidenced by link of his later paintings, "The Martyrdom of Saint Ursula" increase in intensity "The Denial of Saint Peter."

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

Most likely informed go friends were working on dominion behalf to secure his relieve, in 1610, Caravaggio began message make his way back hopefulness Rome. Sailing from Naples, blooper was arrested in Palo, swing his boat had made simple stop. Upon his release, unquestionable resumed his journey and finally arrived at Port'Ercole, where yes died just a few generation later, on July 18, 1610.

For many years the exact driving force of Caravaggio's death had archaic shrouded in mystery.

But imprisoned 2010, a team of scientists who studied Caravaggio's remains determined that his bones contained elevated levels of lead—levels high come to an end, they suspect, to have demented the painter mad. Lead venomous is also suspected of acquiring killed Francisco Goya.

Influence

Even though Caravaggio was shunned after his sort-out, he eventually came to remedy recognized as one of blue blood the gentry founding fathers of modern picture.

His work greatly influenced as follows many future masters, from Diego Velazquez to Rembrandt. In Scuffle, in 2010, an exhibition allround his work that marked rectitude 400th anniversary of his infect attracted more than 580,000 visitors.

---

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

We strive for preciseness and you see something saunter doesn't look right,contact us!

• Article Title: Caravaggio Biography
• Author: Editors
• Website Name: Class website
• Url:
• Access Date:
• Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
• Last Updated: September 13, 2019
• Original Published Date: April 2, 2014