Boy Bitten by a Lizard

Caravaggio prints bring the dramatic light, deep shadow and raw realism of Italian Baroque painting into your home. Caravaggio was the revolutionary painter whose bright shafts of light and real, unidealised people transformed European art, influencing Rubens, Rembrandt and Velázquez. Our collection of fine art prints covers his religious scenes, young musicians and Bacchus figures, still lifes and portraits.

About Caravaggio

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was born in Milan in 1571. In 1576 his family moved to the town of Caravaggio to escape the plague, and his father died there the following year. In 1584 he began a four-year apprenticeship with the Milanese painter Simone Peterzano.

Around 1592 he left Milan for Rome after "certain quarrels". He painted half-length figures of young musicians, Bacchus and fortune tellers, and with the support of Cardinal del Monte won the commission to decorate the Contarelli Chapel in San Luigi dei Francesi in 1599, with The Calling and The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew. He became the most famous painter in Rome, though some of his altarpieces, such as Death of the Virgin, were rejected for their bold realism.

He was also violent and quarrelsome. In 1606 he killed Ranuccio Tomassoni in a brawl and, sentenced to death, fled to Naples, then Malta and Sicily, still painting major works and seeking a papal pardon. After being attacked and disfigured in Naples in 1609, he died in July 1610 on his way back to Rome, in uncertain circumstances.

Style and Subjects

Caravaggio painted directly from live models, without preparatory drawings, and showed saints and biblical figures as ordinary people with dirty feet and worn clothes. His defining technique was tenebrism: figures caught in a sharp beam of light against deep darkness, frozen at a moment of high drama.

His followers, the Caravaggisti, spread his style across Europe, and his influence can be seen in Rubens, Ribera, Velázquez and Rembrandt.

Famous Works

• Boy Bitten by a Lizard (c. 1594). A young man recoiling in shock, from his early Roman years.
• The Cardsharps (1596), Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth. Two tricksters cheating a naive young man.
• Medusa (c. 1597), Uffizi Gallery, Florence. The Gorgon's screaming head on a ceremonial shield.
• Judith Beheading Holofernes (c. 1599), Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica, Rome. Judith at the moment of the killing, starkly lit.
• The Calling of Saint Matthew (1600), San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome. Christ points to the tax collector in a shaft of light.
• Supper at Emmaus (1601), National Gallery, London. The disciples recognise the risen Christ at table.
• Amor Vincit Omnia (1601), Gemäldegalerie, Berlin. A laughing Cupid triumphing over the arts and sciences.
• The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist (1608), St John's Co-Cathedral, Valletta. His largest painting, made in Malta.

Decorating with Caravaggio Prints

Caravaggio's dramatic pictures suit rooms that can handle strong contrast: a library, study or dining room with dark walls and warm lighting. Supper at Emmaus is a natural choice for a dining room.

His musicians and still lifes, like Still Life with Fruit or The Lute Player, are gentler choices for a kitchen or sitting room.

FAQ

What is tenebrism?

Tenebrism is the dramatic use of strong light against deep shadow that Caravaggio made central to his painting. His followers were known as Caravaggisti or tenebrists.

What is Caravaggio's most famous painting?

The Calling of Saint Matthew, Supper at Emmaus, Judith Beheading Holofernes and The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist are among his best known.

Why did Caravaggio flee Rome?

In 1606 he killed Ranuccio Tomassoni in a brawl and was sentenced to death, so he fled to Naples, Malta and Sicily.

Where can I see Caravaggio's paintings?

In Rome at San Luigi dei Francesi, the Galleria Borghese and the Capitoline Museums; at the Uffizi in Florence, the National Gallery in London, the Louvre and St John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta, Malta.

Related Artists

• Jusepe de Ribera: painter deeply influenced by his tenebrism
• Orazio Gentileschi: Roman follower of his style
• Artemisia Gentileschi: Caravaggist painter, famous for her own Judith
• Peter Paul Rubens: Flemish master influenced by him
• Rembrandt van Rijn: Dutch master shaped by his use of light