Michelangelo Merisi di Caravaggio – widely known as Caravaggio – was born in Milan circa 1571. Having been orphaned at the age of eleven, he became apprenticed to the painter Simone Peterzano before moving to Rome in his twenties to work on decorating many of the new churches and palazzi that were being built there. Caravaggio found considerable fame in the year 1600, when he finished decorating the Contarelli Chapel within the church of San Luigi dei Francesi. This commission consisted of two works, The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew and The Calling of Saint Matthew, which dazzled the nation with Caravaggio’s effective use of tenebrism, an extreme form of chiaroscuro, which involves using bold contrasts between light and darkness to provide intensity. This, combined with his dedication to realism, created the strong emotional impact we associate with Caravaggio’s artwork today.
BY
DAVID MCCONNELL
CULTURA E SOCIETÀ
On 29 May 1606, the notoriously tempestuous Caravaggio killed a man and this, although some still believe it to have been unintentional, led to his exile from Rome. He found continued success in Naples but, possibly in an attempt to receive a pardon, travelled to Malta and Sicily before eventually returning there. However, whilst he was in Malta, an attempt was made on his life – perhaps by a knight he was convicted of attacking – which left his face badly disfigured.
In the summer of 1610 it seemed as though a pardon was imminent, so he set sail for Rome. Sadly he never made it, and it is believed that he died in Porto Ercole around July 18th. The cause of his death remains a mystery; some people believe he died of a fever, whilst others believe that his death was a result of lead poisoning or of a second attempt on his life.
Caravaggio found considerable fame in the year 1600, when he finished decorating the Contarelli Chapel within the church of San Luigi dei Francesi