Caravaggio Research Paper

Caravaggio’s demonstration of the power of art was using art as leverage to become a nonnoble in a chivalric order and to gain freedom for his crimes.

Due to the events in his life, I see his paintings as if they are telling a tragic story. However, I am able to understand them a lot more. I learned more about Caravaggio and his motives; therefore

The Italian master was born in 1477 in Pieve di Cadore, Italy and died August 27, 1576, in Venice, Italy. According to the Encyclopedia of World Biography (EWB) he was either born in 1477 or in 1488 (both dates are given). Reportedly Titian (Tiziano Vecellio was his full name) began studying painting at the age of 9; he and his brother initially were learning in the workshop of mosaic artist Sebastiano Zuccati, but soon Titian had the opportunity study painting with Giovanni Ballini (EWB). Soon thereafter Titian collaborated with Ballini's brother Giorgione; the two worked on frescoes for the German Merchants' Exchange. It is said that the work of Titian and Giorgione was so similar that it was hard to tell them apart.

Perhaps, at his very death bed, Michelangelo Merisi thought back on his life, and chuckled. Eventually to become known as Michelangelo Caravaggio, after the town he resided in as a child, Caravaggio became regarded as one of the best Italian artist in human history, and most mysteriously regarded. He conquered technical training, studying art and having an apprenticeship for quite sometime, before his career really took off (Biography of Caravaggio). Looking at his wide array of artistic works allows the viewer insight into Caravaggio’s personality and state of being, as his stylistic intentions are often reflected through his brush strokes. Some of his work seemingly recognizes his errors and asks for apologies, others portray his understanding

Titian is a Italian Painter who born on 1488 in Pieve di Cadore. During Titian’s life he was called Da Cabore, and he was called this because it’s taken from the place where he was born. Titian was the oldest of four children his parents Gregorio and Lucia Vecellio. When Titian was younger he spent most of his time in the town of Pieve di Cadore. “When Titian was nine he went to Venice with his brother, Francesco, to live there with an uncle and to become a helper for Sebastiano Zuccato” (Harold). When Titian was a teen he worked with Sebastiano Zuccato his uncle, Giovanni Bellini and Giorgione before he became a solo artist. When Titan was older he painted portraits and other paintings for Pope Paul III, King Philip II of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.

Giuseppe Castiglione was born in Italy in the year 1688 where he remained living and learned to paint. Given his location it comes as no surprise that his work was highly influenced by the Italian Renaissance. He was also a Jesuit and as he continued his work in Italy, was trained in painting religious subjects. Eventually, he was asked to go to China where he continued painting religious subjects but also caught the attention of the court and began painting for the emperor. Castiglione was not the first, nor the only, missionary working for the court at this time. However, his work was greatly appreciated and he worked for the court for a significant length of time, working for the span of three separate reigns.

Some artists that followed Caravaggio kept his style their whole career, but others switched styles. The style was so strong some artists did not even see one of his paintings but still tried to copy his style.

What little is known of Caravaggio’s life is exposed as the artist having a deeply troubled personality,

He encouraged Velázquez to study abroad in Italy, for Rubens had gained great knowledge of painting there and believed it would open Velázquez’s mind as well. So, in 1629, and again in 1649, artist was allowed to visit Italy for a few years, where he gained not only experience, but also exposure to the realm of painting outside his own world in Madrid. His time in Italy gave Velázquez a fresh start, and enabled him to bring his craft to a new level of expertise. In fact, he, the Spaniard, was chosen above all other painters in Rome at the time to paint the pope himself, a portrait which Velázquez entitled Innocent X. After these two trips to Italy, Velázquez remained in Madrid for the remainder of his life.

His personal life was very private we only know a little about him. Here are some things about him and his family. He was born in Florence Italy rounds 1386(exact date is unknown). He died on December

Born in 1478 in Castlefranco Veneto, Italy, very little is known about his life. His parents are not known, and we don’t know how he lived his life. He did..basically nothing for the first 20 years of his life until it was discovered that he could paint pretty decently. He became the apprentice to Giovanni Bellini. Later he founded the Venetian school of Italian Renaissance painting along with Titian. This school was known for expressing emotions through the color and mood of a piece. It was a sharp contrast to the traditional linear style of painting that dominated the field of art at this time period. He is most famously known for being one of the first to paint people in landscapes.

Caravaggio was an Italian painter born in Milan around 1571. He is considered one of the fathers of the modern painting. His father was called Fermo Merisi, who was an architect decorator and a household administrator. His mother was called Lucia Aratori and she came from one of the Propertified families in the region. In 1576, the family relocated to Caravaggio to escape the plague that devastated Milan. His father died in 1577 and the mother died in 1584 (Frank, 2013, p. 292). Caravaggio remained an orphan at 11 years of age and he was apprenticed in Milan. When he later went to Rome, his work became accepted due to the technique of tenebrism he used which involved the use of shadow for

Objects tend to be placed against, and sometimes beyond, the picture plane, allowing for virtuoso displays of foreshortening” (“Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio”). During his initial years in Rome, Caravaggio expanded upon many techniques. He specifically created detailed backgrounds while retaining focus on small objects within the painting, thus creating illusions of depth and volume. This technique led to his command of foreshortening, which became a technique Renaissance artists used to makes limbs appear shorter or objects fade into a background. Having worked tirelessly for years in Rome barely escaping poverty, Caravaggio became known for his revolutionary artistic style and volatile temper. Despite his trouble with the law, his personal connections won him the commission of two paintings for the Contarelli Chapel. The pieces blended elements from his past religious work and utilized both light from the sun as well as an overhead light from an artificial source (“Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio”). Unlike most artists, Caravaggio used two sources of light to enhance his painting. Sun light flowing from a window brighten some of the painting while an unseen lamp illuminates the other side of the scene. The paintings for the Chapel made Caravaggio’s name known to the world and he demonstrated that innovative use of light could differentiate certain aspects of his art from the surrounding gloom. Throughout the rest of his life as an artist,

Giovanni Pico della Mirandola decided to flee to France despite his apologia for the 13 theses where he was arrested. After his release he went back to settle in Florence. He settled in a villa prepared for him by Lorenzo near

From, 1584 - 1592 he lived in Milan, learning how to paint, being shown both style and technique from the artist Simone Peterzano ( 1540 - 1596 ) . At the age of 21, a young and talented Caravaggio moved to Rome in order to further pursue his career as an artist, and indeed, this is when Cardinal Francesco Maria Del Monte first noticed his work. Cardinal Francesco first noticed Caravaggio after observing one of his paintings, The Cardsharps ( 1594 ), the Cardinal, upon seeing such talent, had Caravaggio go work for Cardinal Matthew Contarelli, in the Contarelli Chapel. The two paintings Caravaggio made were, The Calling of Saint Matthew (1599- 1600) and, The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew (1599 -