By Caravaggio (1571-1610) Circa. 1608 Baroque Art.
Remembered today as a father of Baroque art, during his lifetime, Caravaggio was better known for his life of vice and violence. The man was a drunk, well known for getting into brawls and was arrested on several occasions. Luckily, whenever he got into trouble, Caravaggio's patrons were able to bail him out. In 1606 however, Caravaggio murdered a young man and was forced to leave Rome in fear of death. During this time, he continued to paint, drink and brawl which landed him in a foreign prison in 1608. In prison, an attempt was made on his life, leaving Caravaggio with a terrible facial scar. In 1610, Caravaggio returned to Rome in hopes of receiving a pardon. He was here that he died. No one knows how, but according to accounts, it is believed that he had died from a fever. In his paintings, Caravaggio's violent life in shown in full. The great majority of his painting are religious, and show the darkest scenes of the bible such as St. Peter being crucified upside-down and of Judith graphically beheading Holofernes. Yet there is also a sadness to his work where Caravaggio is almost pleading for his own forgiveness. In “Salome with the head of John the Baptist†Caravaggio drew his own decapitated head on a platter as a sign of his own sins.
Comments
Please login to comment.
Login or Register${ comment.author }} at
${ comment.author }} at