JANKA VD MERWE

      Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, or more commonly known as simply Caravaggio was born in Milan in 1571, his father was Fermo Merisi who worked as a household administrator and an architect. His mother was Lucia Aratori. The whole family fled to Caravaggio when the plague was in Milan in 1584. His dad had died a year after in 1577, and his mom had died in 1584. Some time in 1584 Caravaggio had also gotten an apprenticeship for 4 years by Lombard painter Simone Peterzano. Federico Zuccaro accused Caravaggio for imitating the works of Giorgione and Titian which is reasonable because Caravaggio had been surrounded by these artists.

      Caravaggio then later fled to Rome, naked, extremely needy and broke after 'certain quarrels' and wounding of a police officer. A few months later he was doing hack-work for Guiseppe Cesari (Pope Clement VIII's favourite painter), painting flowers and fruit. His known works from this time was "Boy Peeling a Fruit", "Boy with a Basket of Fruit" and "The Young Sick Bacchus". The latter was apparently a self-portrait while he was suffering a serious illness which is suspected to be the reason why he ended his employment with Cesari.

When Caravaggio left Cesari in 1594, he did it with the intention of making his own way now. He struggled but he met and gained some crucial friendships with the painter Prospero Orsi, architect Onorio Longhi and 16 year old artist Mario Minniti. Orsi introduced him to influential collectors, Longhi introduced him to street brawls, and Minniti became an often featured model in Caravaggio's work. For example, "The Fortune Teller" shows Mario and a deceiving gypsy.

      His 'homoerotic' themes where a question of debate amongst many scholars and biographers. Robert Hughes (an Australian art critic) described Caravaggio's boys as "overripe, peachy bits of rough trade, with yearning mouths and hair like black ice cream.".

Caravaggio soon started to develop his realism style and show spirituality in his works. He painted everyones flaws, and did not paint an imaginary ideal of them. This allowed for his virtuosic (remarkable skill) talents. He also preferred still lifes and oil paint instead of traditional and length preparations. One of the characteristic paintings by Caravaggio at this time which gives a good demonstration his virtuoso talent was his work, Supper at Emmaus from c.1600-1601.

      According to one early biographer, the Flemish writer Karel van Mander, Caravaggio used to work intensively for a fortnight and then “swagger about for a month or two with a sword at his side … from one tennis-court to the next, ever ready to engage in a fight or an argument, with the result that it is most difficult to get along with him”. And, in the early years of the 17th Century, he was brought to trial on at least 11 occasions. The charges included swearing at a constable, penning satirical verses about a rival painter, and chucking a plate of artichokes in a waiter’s face.

      And then, in 1606, he was forced to flee Rome, after killing a man during a brawl sparked by a dispute over a game of tennis. He spent the rest of his life on the run, before he collapsed and died, in the summer of 1610, while travelling back to Rome to seek a pardon from the pope.

      As for his technique, Caravaggio had dismissed learning about the techniques of drawing. He valued the importance of looking at nature and capturing his models (which were mostly collected from the street) with all their flaws as well. For example, if they had a scratch on their face or dirty nails he would paint it. One time he had said that painting inanimate objects required as much skill as painting figures, which was really revolutionary for that time but it describes perfectly his attitude towards his technique.

      His use of light was his second biggest innovation and what biographers talk about the most. He used the light to add drama and capture the form. He would use light from above and wouldn't paint during daylight.

      His technique became quite popular, but by the mid 17th century, people had reverted back to their old ways. It was a phase that happened abruptly and ended abruptly.

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      In 1599, Caravaggio decorated the Contarelli chapel in the church of San Luigi Dei Francesi, which was made up by two famous pieces; the Martyrdom of Saint Matthew and Calling of Saint Matthew. Tenebrism describes the dark, mysterious and dramatic theme seen in Caravaggio's work. Also, his ‘acutely observed realism’ brought a new level of emotional intensity. He was praised for his great skill, and how well of an imitator of nature he was.

      Then the next stage in his work were commissions for religious works of; violent struggles, grotesque decapitations, torture and death. Most of them added to his fame but there were still some that had been rejected or requested to be re-painted, etc. His realism was also thought of as unacceptably vulgar. For example, the Conversion of Saint Paul was rejected, and then Caravaggio made another version called the Conversion on the Way to Damascus which was accepted.

      Another example of his work being rejected was when he made ‘The Grooms’ Madonna’/‘Madonna Dei palafrenieri’ for a small alter in Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome, which was only showcased for two days and then taken off when the cardinals secretary wrote “In this painting there are but vulgarity, sacrilege, impiousness and disgust...One would say it is a work made by a painter that can paint well, but of a dark spirit, and who has been for a lot of time far from God, from His adoration, and from any good thought…”. The Death of the Virgin; was rejected because the model was a well-known prostitute as the model for the Virgin, but it was also recorded because of Mary’s bare legs.