Lecture Notes - Caravaggio

In todays lecture we spoke about Michelangelo Marisi also known as Caravaggio. 

Portrait of Caravaggio by Ottavio Leoni

When he first started painting in Rome, Caravaggio wasn't very popular and didn't have any money of family. He then started to make quality realist paintings to sells quickly for cheap prices. With this he made his money for living. Caravagio is now a well known and high praised artist. 

His early works were mostly still life's and portraits. He would have his subject stand in sometimes awkward or difficult positions for long periods of time. I believe this shows how demanding and dictating he was as a man. 

Caravaggio is a realist painter and he paints with strong drama and emotion. He shows this through facial expressions, light and dark, and he used his painting to tell stories or messages. Many of the subjects on his painting were spiritual or biblical. His paintings show a very real approach, by using a lot of detail and texture. 

Judith beheading Holofernes 1602

The Taking of Christ, 1602

In 1600 Caravaggio titled himself "the most famous painter in Rome". His lifestyle became very mischievous.He would drink and gamble a lot and carry violent weapons which would get him in trouble with the authorities. He also had many lovers of both sexes. 

Caravaggio really connects to earthly delights and expressionism strongly. He expresses feelings, messages into his paintings. This builds onto the theme of expressionism he expressed many of his hardships and cinematic themes and messages and strong drama. He relates to earthly delights theme by bringing in spirituality and religion and aspects of earth and nature.

 

Boy Bitten by a Lizard, 1595