Caravaggios

Caravaggios is a term used in art history to refer to works by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, or to paintings produced in a related Caravaggesque style that followed his innovations. Caravaggio (1571–1610) was a pivotal Italian Baroque painter whose work helped redefine naturalism and dramatic expression in religious and mythological subjects.

His paintings are characterized by strong contrasts of light and shadow (chiaroscuro and tenebrism), realistic depiction of human figures, direct engagement with viewers, and scenes from everyday life presented in a moment of intense emotion. He often used ordinary people as models and painted on inexpensive supports to heighten immediacy and immediacy.

Among the most famous Caravaggios are The Calling of Saint Matthew, The Supper at Emmaus, David with the Head of Goliath, and Judith Beheading Holofernes. Many of his works were created in Rome and other Italian cities, and his career took him to Naples, Malta, and Sicily before his death in Porto Ercole in 1610. His dramatic style circulated widely, influencing a generation of painters and giving rise to the Caravaggesque movement, which included artists such as Orazio Gentileschi, Artemisia Gentileschi, Valentin de Boulogne, Georges de La Tour, and José de Ribera.

Today, the term Caravaggios is most often encountered in discussions of Baroque painting and the broader influence of Caravaggio on European art, rather than as a formal title for a specific collection.