Caravaggio revolutionized Baroque painting with his radical naturalism and dramatic chiaroscuro. Rejecting idealization, he painted models from the streets of Rome in raw, unvarnished detail—capturing human flesh, emotion,... View More

Caravaggio revolutionized Baroque painting with his radical naturalism and dramatic chiaroscuro. Rejecting idealization, he painted models from the streets of Rome in raw, unvarnished detail—capturing human flesh, emotion, and tension with unprecedented realism.

His groundbreaking works, such as The Calling of Saint Matthew and Judith Beheading Holofernes, introduce subjects with theatrical spotlights and deep shadows that amplify psychological drama. Caravaggio’s influence spread rapidly through Europe, inspiring the “Caravaggisti” school and forever altering notions of light, composition, and religious imagery in painting.