A Cardinal's secretary described one Caravaggio painting, the Madonna dei Palafrenieri, thusly: 'In this painting there are but vulgarity, sacrilege, impiousness and disgust. Such details were not befitting a decorous representation of sacred personages. This artist shows everything, from dirty fingernails, to the dirty bottoms of feet, to the bruises and worm holes on apples and the holes in pierced ears. The thinkers behind the Council of Trent wanted art to be more natural than the Mannerist fantasies that had been in style, but Caravaggio went above and beyond this call. Realism: Caravaggio's intense level of realism was hardly appreciated by his peers. Focusing on religious subjects and portraits his works were grim, somber and unsettling. During this time of intense fear and personal trauma, Caravaggio's paintings reached the ultimate in darkness and despair. From 1606-10, he was constantly on the run, from Naples, to Malta, to Sicily, painting all the way. 1606-1610: In 1606, Caravaggio had to flee Rome with a price on his head after committing a murder. The artist had clearly solved his early compositional problems. This stage in his career saw the artist creating many religious works with larger and more complex arrangements.

The commissions came pouring in after 1600, despite Caravaggio's difficult temper, problems with the law and soaring prices. Matthew constituted Caravaggio's triumphant (and controversial) bursting onto the Roman art scene. These three paintings showing scenes from the life of St. 1600-1606: In 1599, Cardinal del Monte used his influence to secure Caravaggio his first major commission: the decoration of the Contarelli Chapel. Additionally Caravaggio's pictures became darker during this time. The artist's compositions became more complex and contained various characters. His works focused on effeminate young men and religious scenes.

The young artist executed paintings for the Cardinal and took advantage of his connections to garner prime commissions from Rome's wealthiest patrons and collectors. From 1595 onwards, Caravaggio's career was boosted when the influential Cardinal del Monte welcomed him into his court. The main characteristics of paintings from this period include neutral backgrounds, emphasis on still-life subjects and mistakes in proportion. During these first years, he was completely destitute and painted small genre scenes, self-portraits and still-lifes to earn money on the open market. Anne (Dei Palafrenieri)Ĭaravaggio's first known paintings date from his arrival in Rome in 1592. 'The ugliness of his paintings will lead him to hell'.

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