Creator story
Surprising fact
Caravaggio killed a man in a brawl, fled Rome with a death sentence on his head, and died at 38 on a lonely beach — still hoping for a papal pardon.
Source: Wikipedia / WikimediaBaroque
Caravaggio
Caravaggio (1571–1610) revolutionised European art with violent realism and extreme chiaroscuro — pitch-black shadow pierced by raking light. He painted saints as ordinary, dirty-footed people, scandalising and electrifying Rome.
His tenebrism spread across Europe within a decade, shaping Rubens, Rembrandt, Velázquez and a whole generation of Caravaggisti.
- Pioneered tenebrism — dramatic spotlighting against deep darkness — that defined Baroque painting.
- Used street people as models for saints and the Virgin, breaking with idealised tradition.
- Lived as a violent fugitive; police records and a death sentence survive alongside his masterpieces.
Key works
Three entry points into the world of Caravaggio
These works make it easiest to see how the artist changed form, content, and the very way art could exist in culture.
1609
The Calling of Saint Matthew
The Calling of Saint Matthew is an oil painting by the Italian Baroque master Caravaggio that depicts the moment Jesus Christ calls on the tax collector Matthew to follow him. It was completed in 1599–1600 for the Contarelli Chapel in the church of the French congregation, San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome, where it remains.
1600
The Conversion of Saint Paul
The Conversion of Saint Paul condenses the core ideas of baroque into a memorable painted image.
1602
The Entombment of Christ
The Entombment of Christ reads as one of the anchor works of baroque, where Caravaggio's visual voice becomes unmistakable.