Ottavio Leoni
Caravaggio
PainterKnown for:
The Calling of Saint Matthew (1600); extreme chiaroscuro
Education:
Apprenticed to Simone Peterzano in Milan (1584-1588)
Caravaggio - born Michelangelo Merisi in Milan - arrived in Rome around 1592 and transformed European painting by depicting sacred subjects as physical, low-life realities, using extreme chiaroscuro (the contrast between light and shadow) and models drawn from the street rather than idealized figures. He was accused of murder in 1606 and fled Rome, spending his remaining years on the run in Naples, Malta, and Sicily. His manner was the most imitated in European painting for a century after his death.
Caravaggio's Gear List(2)
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Worked exclusively in oil on canvas, using pigments ground in linseed or walnut oil on a dark reddish-brown ground (mestica)
Product description
Oil paint — pigment suspended in a drying oil, typically linseed — has been the dominant painting medium since the fifteenth century. It dries slowly, allowing extended blending, and produces a rich, luminous surface. Available from dozens of manufacturers at student through professional grades.
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Last updated March 20, 2026
