The Library of Great Masters

Caravaggio was born Michelangelo Merisi in 1570 or 1571, in Caravaggio in Lombardy. He moved to Rome in 1592, when he was in his 20s, and not right at the beginning of his career. Therefore his earliest influences were Lombard art, a style which has been noted for its realism. The relation between objects and natural and artificial light, which is an important feature of Caravaggio's work, was assimilated from the local tradition. Caravaggio examines the life and work of this innovative artist, including the Supper in Emmaus and the Beheading of the Baptist.