CARAVAGGIO

Michelangelo Merisi or Amerighi da Caravaggio was an Italian artist active in Rome, Naples, Malta, and Sicily between 1592 (1595?) and 1610. His paintings, which combine a realistic observation of the human state, both physical and emotional, with a dramatic use of lighting, had a formative influence on the Baroque school of painting.

Caravaggio's novelty was a radical naturalism that combined close physical observation with a dramatic, even theatrical, use of chiaroscuro. This came to be known as Tenebrismo, the shift from light to dark with little intermediate value. He burst upon the Rome art scene in 1600 with the success of his first public commissions, the Martyrdom of Saint Matthew and Calling of Saint Matthew. Thereafter he never lacked commissions or patrons, yet he handled his success poorly. He was jailed on several occasions, vandalized his own apartment, and ultimately had a death warrant issued for him by the Pope.

1. Caravaggio was

a)    was an artist who used a realistic observation of human state   b) had a strong influence on the Renaissance school of painting   c) only worked in Rome   d) was only a writer

2. Caravaggio’s Tenebrismo was

a)    A particular use of chiaroscuro   b) a particular state of his soul   c) a particular disease about his eyes     d) a theatrical use of vivid colours

3. After his arrival in Rome

a)    He became very rich    b) he was imprisoned    c) he became Pope   d) he became a monk