Michelangelo Caravaggio

Italian Baroque artist. Caravaggio’s novelty was a radical naturalism which combined close physical observation with a dramatic, even theatrical, approach to chiaroscuro- the use of light and shadow. Caravaggio brought this technique to its highest development, darkening the shadows and transfixing the subject in a blinding shaft of light, bringing a new level of emotional and psychological intensity to the painting. Many of his early works are erotic, while his religious paintings are characterized by extreme realism and remarkable spirituality.