You may have heard of Leonardo da Vinci , Michelangelo , van Gogh , Picasso , or Dali —each artist were revolutionary in their own way. But, have you heard of Caravaggio? I wondered what it meant. I wanted to know what happened in the baroque era. I did my research, and I came across a baroque artist named Caravaggio.
Upon researching, I found out that the Baroque period was the era of the great questioning of the Roman Catholic Church. Caravaggio possessed incredible talent and boldness. He broke away from tradition, and he defied the techniques of his predecessors, such as the great Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael. He refused being politically correct. He showed no fear, even though he tackled controversial issues with the church.
In the dawn of the Baroque era in Rome, early s, artists usually referred to works from Renaissance artists, like Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael. For big commissions e. Artists did thorough studies of the human figure and nature. It was the tradition, a routine. It has always been like that…until the arrival of Caravaggio. Caravaggio eliminates everything. He refused to follow the techniques of the great masters from the previous era. He eliminated all the mad preparations, like drawing and sketching, or thoroughly studying nature and anatomy.
He tossed centuries of artistic tradition. He directly painted from life. He was done with those. He wanted to capture moments from reality. He wanted to capture spontaneity. He wanted something from everyday life. The death of Virgin Mary was never depicted in human history. She just fell asleep and an angel carried her soul into heaven. Caravaggio refused that picture. Instead, he showed something familiar and recognizable, something everyone can relate to.
Caravaggio presents a real funeral. People are weeping and grieving. This painting sparked controversy. Mary is not supposed to die like a normal human being! There was a rumour that he used a dead body of a prostitute pulled from a river as a model for Mary.
