1571
–
1610
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was an Italian Baroque master known for his revolutionary use of dramatic lighting (chiaroscuro) and unflinching realism. His paintings often depict biblical scenes with emotional intensity and raw human figures, as seen in The Calling of Saint Matthew and Judith Beheading Holofernes. Caravaggio broke with idealized Renaissance norms, instead portraying sacred subjects with gritty naturalism. His turbulent life, marked by violence and exile, mirrored the drama of his art. Though controversial in his time, Caravaggio deeply influenced Baroque painting across Europe, and his legacy endures as one of the most important figures in Western art.
