Caravaggio: The revolutionary artist who changed the course of painting

Even centuries after his untimely death at age 39, Caravaggio remained an enigma. Fascinated by this elusive artist, historians exhumed fragments of bone in the hopes they might shed light on his remains and life. While debate continues over whether the bones belonged to Caravaggio, what is clear is how little we still know about the man behind some of the most iconic paintings in history.

While Caravaggio found commercial success in his own time, his unconventional style was also met with criticism from his contemporaries. Depicting biblical stories and mythology with unprecedented realism, he broke from the idealized aesthetic favored during the High Renaissance. One early biographer, Giovanni Pietro Bellori, dismissed Caravaggio's talents, claiming he wasn’t innovative and had little knowledge of painting techniques. 

Yet Caravaggio's oil paintings, with their dramatic illumination and intimate portrayal of real human emotion, have only grown in prominence over the centuries. Once his naturalistic approach was decried, it is now seen as revolutionary. Even four centuries later, Caravaggio continues to intrigue through his memorable artwork and the many mysteries that still shroud his brief but influential life and career.

Contrary to early critics, Caravaggio was highly innovative in his style. He pioneered the use of tenebrism, utilizing dramatic lighting effects to cloak figures in shadow with a singular source illuminating key details. Caravaggio also broke conventions by depicting biblical figures with unprecedented realism, portraying them as everyday people with imperfections like dirty fingernails and wrinkles.

However, Caravaggio's unconventional approach and turbulent personal life contributed to a decline in his popularity for centuries. It was only in a 1951 exhibition in Milan that renewed widespread appreciation for his works among the public and academia.

While helping establish the Baroque style during the Counter-Reformation, Caravaggio also garnered a reputation as a volatile personality. Court records verify him engaging in brawls on the street, insulting rivals, and ultimately killing a man in a duel - causing him to spend much of his adult life evading authorities. He disrupted both his professional and personal lives, cutting holes in ceilings for light and harassing neighbors, leading to eviction.

Caravaggio's singular artistic vision broke conventions, but he also lived singularly outside the bounds of societal norms. It is this combination of his revolutionary techniques and turbulent existence that continues to fascinate modern audiences and scholars alike.

Caravaggio was born Michelangelo Merisi in 1571, taking his name from the town where his family had a country home. Born on the feast day of St. Michael, he was one of at least five children to Fermo Merisi, a stonemason, and Lucia, whose family had ties to the local nobility.

Caravaggio spent his early years, the least documented of his life, split between Milan and the countryside town from which he would later take his name. When the bubonic plague struck Milan in 1576, his family fled to their country estate for greater safety.

However, tragedy soon followed. Records show the plague cost Caravaggio the lives of his father Fermo, paternal grandfather, and grandmother in October 1577. His uncle had also recently passed. Left without several male protectors at a young age, Caravaggio was forced to confront hardship and instability from an early period. While details are scarce about his upbringing, these early family losses may have contributed to the turbulent nature he later exhibited in his personal life and career.