By the late 16th century, art in Central Italy had hit a plateau. Still in the shadow of Renaissance greats like Michelangelo and Raphael, painters strove to capture the ideal of beauty embodied in the muscular figures and bright classical backdrops of these earlier masters. Then arrived Caravaggio, who in the words of one near contemporary had…
In late 1608, the famed artist Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio absconded to Messina, a city on the northeastern tip of Sicily. On the run from powerful enemies, the city offered him protection, a safe harbor in a turbulent period. Though Caravaggio did not know it at the time, it was here that he would paint…
Ever find yourself in a hole wondering how you got there? In the summer of 1606, the famous painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was in deep. Having killed a man a few months earlier, Caravaggio was on the run. His career, reputation, everything he had built was gone, destroyed by his own hand. His life…
What if to satisfy God required the murder a child? This is the question the great artist Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio challenges us to grapple with in his gripping work, The Sacrifice of Isaac. On display at the Uffizi Gallery, the painting tells the story of Abraham, who God demands sacrifice his favorite son as a test of…
Creative pursuits are by their nature a journey. The final product the result of experimentation, practice, skill, and resolve. Intermingled with this is a range of emotions, culminating (if one is lucky enough) in a sense of joy. But to get to that stage is a long process, made up of lengthy periods alone with…
At first glance, Basket of Fruit by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio seems entirely ordinary. If you saw it outside of a museum, you might imagine it was a simple ornament or maybe even a pattern on some old wall paper. The arrangement looks attractive enough, a bright red and yellow apple sits tantalizingly on top. …