The Story Behind these Caravaggio Prints

Caravaggio

Caravaggio (1571-1610) was a painter from Milan whose work influenced much of the Baroque era. Well known as the ‘master of light’, he used a technique called chiaroscuro which uses contrasts of light and dark, where darkness is the dominating feature. He was a tumultuous character, famous for his drunken brawls and bizarre behaviour, such as sleeping fully armed or ripping up paintings with the slightest criticism.

In 1584, he began an apprenticeship under the Milanese painter, Simone Peterzano, which lasted for 4 years. He was involved in multiple arguments and left for Rome in 1592, with no place to live and short of money. Giuseppe Cesari took him in and put him to work painting naturalistic flowers and fruit. There are multiple accounts of him being arrested between May and October in 1604 for possession of illegal weapons and insulting the city guards. In May 1606, after a night of games and drinking, he started a fight with Ranuccio Tomassoni which resulted in him murdering Tomassoni. Caravaggio was sentenced to death by beheading and then became a fugitive for the rest of his days. He went on the run throughout Italy and Malta, often protected by his prestigious connections who would hide him and mislead the police by reporting sightings of Caravaggio in various locations.

Caravaggio's artwork became fixated on death and beheading, in which he often painted self-portraits within scenes of violence and torture. The detailed depictions of his inner anguish and fright produced some of the best artwork from his era and landed him many commissions by royal and religious figures. In July of 1610, there were numerous reports of his death, although the exact date is disputed. The belief is that the Tomassoni family had finally hunted him down and had him punished for his crime of murdering Ranuccio. There is such a sense of brooding mystery and danger that continues to be evoked through Caravaggio's prints.