Caravaggio Continues to Excite the Masses

Caravaggio had a turbulent life, even by the standards of high profile artists and recently his life outside of art has attracted as much attention as his art.
Gladly there is still considerable interest in his paintings and his reputation as a genuine master remains strong. Caravaggio is best known for his mythological paintings, plus also a style which was bold and along slightly different lines to the other notable members of the Italian Renaissance.
Our absolute favourites from Caravaggio included The Fortune Teller, The Incredulity of Saint Thomas, The Inspiration of Saint Matthew, John the Baptist, Judith Beheading Holofernes, Jupiter, Neptune and Pluto and The Lute Player.
The boldest paintings produced by his Italian are renowned for their use of light which would often provide huge contrasts between background elements and whatever or whoever happened to be the key focus of that particular work. This approach typically left an exceptionally powerful finish which was highly memorable.
There has never been a better reason to visit Italy to see the highlights of the Renaissance in all their glory and Caravaggio sits as one of he biggest draws alongside the likes of Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael.
Notable paintings by Caravaggio included Adoration of the Shepherds, Amor Vincit Omnia, Annunciation, Bacchus, Basket of Fruit, The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist, Boy Bitten by a Lizard, Boy Peeling Fruit, Boy with a Basket of Fruit, Burial of St. Lucy and The Calling of Saints Peter and Andrew.
Caravaggio's turbulence outside of his studio included persistent incidents of brawling outside bars which sadly detracted from an otherwise impressive life which gave the world so much in terms of his artistic output. It could be argued that the lifestyle and art of Caravaggio were closely linked in to his personality and that one would not have been the same without the other.