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 450th Anniversary of the Birth of Caravaggio "The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew" Scott 1776 (2021) Michelangelo Merisi was born in 1571 in Milan. Vatican City issued the mini-sheet shown above to commemorate the 450th anniversary of his birth. Known simply as Caravaggio, he was a painter in the early Baroque style who worked primarily in Rome. He died on July 18, 1610, at the age of 38 in Porto Ecole, Italy. Caravaggio led a restless and turbulent life. Described as a violent, touchy and provocative man, Caravaggio's personal characteristics are clearly exhibited in his works, which combine a realistic observation of the human state with a dramatic use of lighting. Many of his paintings show the subjects seemingly appearing out of a dark background, a technique known as chiaroscuro or tenebrism, where strong contrasts between light and dark affect the composition as a whole. Caravaggio rarely worked from drawings or drafts, preferring to work with live models and directly painting his works in their final form. His works influenced later artists, including Rubens, Bernini and Rembrandt. Caravaggio's personal history of violence and agitation is well documented. He was involved in numerous duels and brawls over the years, and he fled Rome in 1606 as the result of an impending death sentence for the murder of a Roman gangster, Ranuccio Tommasoni. During the final four years of his life he moved between Naples, Malta, and Sicily. The circumstances of Caravaggio's death are shrouded in mystery and controversy. He reportedly died of a fever in Porto Ercole. However, a number of theoretical causes of his death have been presented: lead poisoning (from the paints used at the time), syphilis, malaria and brucellosis. It has also been theorized that he was murdered in revenge by the Tomassoni family. Despite living a turbulent and erratic life, Caravaggio leaves behind a wealth of stunning works of art that continues to influence artists to this day. In addition to the souvenir sheet shown above, one of Caravaggio's other works appeared on a Vatican City stamp in 2010, depicting his painting "The Deposition":  Fourth Centenary of the Death of Caravaggio "The Deposition" Scott 1438 (2010) REFERENCES: |
