Chasing Caravaggio: Who is Caravaggio?

Every Friday we take a break from our regular blogging schedule to allow the authors an opportunity to feature a certain topic they are passionate about. In the past you’ve read about art, studying abroad, experiencing culture through food, and the great burger adventure. Through this and other future posts we hope you’ll enjoy reading, we hope to share with you our personalities, passions, and interests on a more personal level.

As part of our continuing desire to bring beauty into focus, From Texas to Beyond will periodically feature brilliant pieces of art that have influenced our lives. We are excited to showcase these universal works of beauty with you.

Before I jump into the three Caravaggio paintings that Rebekah and I viewed in the Louvre’s extensive collection, I want to provide some context to the artist. You may find yourself asking, “Who exactly is Caravaggio?”

Caravaggio’s life and works have filled countless books; I will attempt to oversimplify for the sake of time. If you as the viewer know a little about him, you will better appreciate his influential works.

Let’s look briefly at Caravaggio’s life. A second follow-up article will discuss Caravaggio’s impact on the world of art (Coming Soon!).

Childhood:  Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was born in 1571 in a rural area outside of Milan in northern Italy. The “da Caravaggio” in his name above means “from Caravaggio”. When the artist moved to Rome in 1592, he adopted the name of his home town.

Chalk portrait of Caravaggio by Ottavio Leoni – Courtesy of Wikipedia

Not much is known about the artist’s early life. His father and grandfather died when he was very young, so he was raised by the women in his family. Caravaggio was not of noble birth; however, he acted as if he were, always defending his all-important name and honor. Somehow from birth he had a powerful connection with the influential Colonna family. Throughout his life, when Caravaggio caused trouble, his connections with the Colonna family kept him out of prison.

Early Career: At the beginning of his career, Caravaggio apprenticed under artist Simone Peterzano in Milan. No works are known from this period. It is uncertain how much the apprentice learned from the master, if anything. Simply put, he became so much better than his master that it is unlikely that Caravaggio’s skills were gained from Peterzano. However, all around Caravaggio were works by great Renaissance masters, which he often sampled.

Apparently fleeing trouble, Caravaggio left Milan quickly and moved to the lively yet turbulent city of Rome. He accepted a few lowly jobs, mostly painting still-life elements in larger works for Rome’s established master painters. This work did not satisfy Caravaggio’s dreams of acclaim.

Boy Peeling a Fruit – Courtesy of Wikipedia

In his free time, Caravaggio began working on several small paintings of single figures. He completed Boy Peeling a Fruit, his earliest known work, in 1592 or 1593. His early paintings, including Boy Bitten by a Lizard (see Chasing Caravaggio #2), received some attention.

Rise to Fame: Caravaggio landed his big break with the pair of paintings The Cardsharps (see Chasing Caravaggio #1) and The Fortune Teller. Both were purchased by the art enthusiast Cardinal Francesco Maria del Monte. So impressed with the artist’s work, del Monte offered Caravaggio a room in his palace where he continued to produce works for del Monte and the Cardinal’s cultured circle of friends. Cardinal del Monte became Caravaggio’s second powerful and influential connection.

Caravaggio’s new friends helped land him very important religious commissions. Some of these paintings, such as The Calling of Saint Matthew and Madonna di Loreto (Madonna of the Pilgrims) still hang where Caravaggio placed them within Rome’s churches.

Caravaggio continued creating masterpieces, both for churches and for personal meditation, such as The Supper at Emmaus (see Chasing Caravaggio #3).

The Supper at Emmaus in the National Gallery, London

Artist and Thug: While creating sacred works of art, Caravaggio was no saint. Throughout his stay in Rome, he flung insults (often in poetic form), brawled and dueled. Multiple times Caravaggio was arrested for carrying a sword. His customary black garments helped him blend into the seedy underbelly of Rome’s rough quarters after dark. Caravaggio was a lover (most likely sleeping with both women and men), a fighter and possibly even a pimp. However, his powerful friends kept the artist out of jail and in his studio, working on his next masterpiece.

Flight from Rome: Caravaggio’s string of good fortune was broken during a duel with his arch nemesis, Ranuccio Tomassoni. During the fight, Caravaggio severed his rival’s femoral artery near the groin, causing Tomassoni to bleed to death. It is believed the artist was not trying to kill the man, but simply castrate him…Caravaggio was now a murderer! He quickly took flight once again, leaving Rome for Naples, controlled by his powerful Colonna friends. After painting some wonderful works for the city of Naples, he continued to flee, this time to Malta. Again, his powerful connections provided a way out of danger to the potential safety of this independent island.

Caravaggio, Knight of Malta: Motivated by a life-long desire to become a knight and increase his social standing, Caravaggio painted great works for the island’s ruler, the Grand Master of the Order of Malta. Deviating from his religious theme, the artist presented a portrait to the Grand Master as a gift, Portrait of Alof de Wignacourt and his Page. Caravaggio’s impressive skills earned him a highly-coveted knighthood in the Order. Caravaggio had become a Knight of Malta! At least for a few days. After a brawl with a senior knight, Caravaggio was thrown in prison. Mysteriously, Caravaggio escaped the prison and the island, and was on the run again in Sicily. Somehow, Caravaggio’s allies had once again bailed him out!

The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist – Courtesy of Wikipedia

Instead of celebrating Caravaggio’s artistic genius during the unveiling of The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist, possibly the artist’s best work, the Knights of Malta instead held a ceremony to strip Caravaggio of his knighthood.

Caravaggio’s Death: Now on the run from both Roman officials and the Knights of Malta, Caravaggio’s enemies were closing in. Just when all seemed to be lost, Caravaggio’s powerful friends in Rome secured a Papal pardon. Caravaggio could return to Rome! There was one condition: bring artwork to Rome as “gifts”. Caravaggio secured passage on a ship, and was heading to Rome when he again got into a fight with an official, who tossed him in prison overnight.

The rest of Caravaggio’s life is a bit unclear. Separated from the ship, and more importantly from his paintings, Caravaggio apparently chased after the ship along the coast to the small village of Porto Ercole. A few days later, on July 28, 1610 Caravaggio was reported dead in Rome. Accounts from the time claimed he died of fever. Modern historians have various ideas from malaria to lead poisoning (large amounts of lead were present in the paints of the time). Caravaggio was only 36 years old; his gifted artistic career cut short by death.

Summing up the life of his dear friend, Marzio Milesi used few words to paint the picture of Caravaggio’s life in his epitaph:

“Michelangelo Merisi, son of Fermo di Caravaggio – in painting not equal to a painter, but to Nature itself – died in Port’ Ercole – betaking himself hither from Naples – returning to Rome – 15th calend of August – In the year of our Lord 1610 – He lived thirty-six years nine months and twenty days – Marzio Milesi, Jurisconsult – Dedicated this to a friend of extraordinary genius.”

Caravaggio’s life was a wild ride. While Caravaggio’s story reads like a soap opera, if I stare into his paintings, all the crazy details of his life melt away.

I am left surrounded by the only drama Caravaggio cared about…the drama portrayed in each of his brilliant works, powerfully conveying just the right emotions for the scene. His painted dramas are indeed timeless!

Resources: For more information on Caravaggio, below is a list of books I have found most helpful in my search to learn more about the artist, and art in general:

The Story of Art by E.H. Gombrich

Caravaggio: A Life Sacred and Profane by Andrew Graham-Dixon

Discovering Caravaggio: The Art Lover’s Guide to Understanding Symbols in His Paintings by Stefano Zuffi

The Lost Painting by Jonathan Harr

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