Biography of Caravaggio

A violent life

29 September 1571
18 July 1610
Michelangelo Merisi, known as Caravaggio (name taken from country lombardo who gave him birth) was born on 29 September 1571 by an architect in the service of the Marquis of Caravaggio, Francesco Sforza. The painter belonged to a family wealthy enough and esteemed. His vocation must have manifested itself very early, because already in 1584 he enters as a pupil in the Studio of the painter Simone Peterzano, a pupil of Titian Bergamo.
It is a period in which employs some protectors, including the Sforza and the Colonna, or such as the Cardinal Del Monte, who is staying in his palace and commissioned him still lifes. In 1592 the restless painter decided to move to Rome, where he is welcomed among the servants of Pandolfo Pucci, a local lady. Still not autonomous is forced to work for artists rather unknown at time as Antiveduto Grammatica, Lorenzo Siciliano or Giuseppe Cesari, known as Cavalier d'arpino, painter of flowers, still lifes or religious topics. In recent years "was attacked by a serious disease that, finding it without money, he needed to go to Spedal of consolation" (B): is the period in which he painted famous portraits in the mirror and "sick Bacchus" (kept in the Galleria Borghese).
The turning point in Caravaggio's career is marked by the purchase of "cheaters" by cardinal Francesco Maria del Monte: after this incident, he moved to Palazzo Madama, Cardinal's residence, where he remained until 1600. The admiration of the cardinal is also shared by an important neighbor, the Marquis Vincenzo Giustiniani, residing in the family Palace just a few steps from Palazzo Madama. In addition to Garcia are among the clients of Caravaggio prominent families such as the Barberini, Borghese, the coast, the highest and the Mattei. But the episodes of the artist's life during these early Roman years remain obscure and disturbing. In 1597 he was asked to paint some paintings for the Contarelli Chapel in San Luigi dei Francesi ("calling of Saint Matthew", "the martyrdom of Saint Matthew", "St. Matthew and the Angel") that make it famous and disputed. Of the latter work will be required to provide a new version, since it was found to be grossly disrespectful.
Since then and until 1606, Caravaggio's history is studded with grim and violent events that overlap. One side carries out numerous works of considerable importance that emphasize the fruitfulness and creative power: just as an example, between 1600 and 1601 he paints the "crucifixion of St. Peter" and "the conversion of Saint Paul"; In 1604 the "Madonna dei pellegrini or Loreto", in 1605 the "death of the Virgin", rejected by men of Santa Maria della Scala and purchased from the Duke of Mantua, on the advice of the young Rubens.
In the same years marked by this creative explosion, starting in 1603, succeed one another without interruption complaints to police, fights, processes: in 1605 Caravaggio took refuge in Genoa, having injured a Chancellor in court. In may 1606, a duel ends tragically with the killing of his opponent (but he's still wounded), murder that forces him to flee, first to southern Italy and Palestrina. Then begins a life as a fugitive, alternating successes and misfortunes. In 1607 he went to Naples, where he painted for churches and convents masterpieces like "the flagellation of Christ" and the "seven acts of mercy". But his wanderings do not stop and indeed carry it, we're in 1608, to Malta. The portrait of Grand Master Alof de Wignacourt won him other orders, particularly the great "notturno" of "beheading of Saint John the Baptist", preserved in the Cathedral of Valletta. Caravaggio is welcomed into the order of Knights, but news from Rome, about the reasons for his exile, provoke an investigation and then yet another escape.
In the autumn he went to Sicily. where as you move from one city to another leaves many examples of his genius: "burial of Saint Lucy," executed in Syracuse for the Church; the "raising of Lazarus" and "adoration of the shepherds" now on display at the Museum of Messina and a "Nativity", preserved in the Oratory of San Lorenzo in Palermo (from recent studies it seems that the latter was created in Rome in 1600). Returning to Naples in October 1609, is assaulted and seriously injured. At the same time his protectors Romans shall endeavour to get a pardon. Recovering embarks in July 1610 for the Papal States. Arrested by mistake at the border of Porto Ercole and released two days later, he wanders along the beaches to the vain search of the boat that had carried him there. Struck by fever, Michelangelo Merisi goes off on 18 July 1610 at an Inn, in solitude, a few days before it was announced the approval of the application. To frame better the personality of Caravaggio, we list in conclusion a summary profile of John Parker: "romance has done nothing but [based on biographies of the period. N.d.r.] create a myth that in the 20th century, as happens in many other cases, it has been heavily scaled.
Even today the general public know Caravaggio in version just faithful generated in those years. The result is thus a "damned" artist, Bohemian, without any consideration of the context. Caravaggio is a violent but doesn't remember that during those years they live events similar figures as the Cavalier d'arpino, Torquato Tasso, Giambattista Marino, Ignatius of Loyola and many others; the alleged homosexual tendencies of Merisi does not consider marginal factor in his personality as an artist (some are even via interpretive youth for many of his paintings), such as more reliable than Leonardo or Michelangelo Buonarroti. However, it is atheism and ignorance in religious matters the most far from true: the artist is simply associated with pauperism of Federico Borromeo with all that this implies; Caravaggio never deals with a religious theme without having in mind of written sources or iconographic, denoting him as a culture of sacred texts besides the media ".
Article contributed by the team of collaborators.