Biography: Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (28 September 1571 - 18 July 1610) was an Italian artist working in Rome, Naples,

Malta and Sicily between 1593 and 1610. Caravaggio was considered to be mysterious, fascinating, rebellious and dangerous. His short and turbulent life matched the drama of his works. His paintings were always dramatic, almost theatrical lighting, yet controversial, popular, and hugely influential on succeeding generations of painters all over Europe. At the age of 21 he moved to Rome, known for its artistic culture to study its classical buildings and famous works of art. He specialized in still life of fruits and flowers, and later, half-length figures which he sold on the street. In 1595, Francesco del Monte a cardinal recognized his talent and took Caravaggio into his household. It is at this point where he got publicly noticed for his innovatory and originality. Caravaggio was a fast worker, but liked to play as hard as he worked. His technique was as spontaneous as his temper. ; he painted straight onto the canvas with minimal preparation and sometimes he abandoned a disappointing composition and painted new work over the top. He used ordinary working people with irregular, rough and character faces as models for his saints and showed them in recognizably contemporary surroundings, which horrified his critics. Many of his paintings seem to be an extension of real space, deliberately making the viewers feel as if they are taking part in the scene. In 1606 an argument with young man escalated into a swordfight. Caravaggio stabbed his rival, and though he probably hadn't intended to kill him, the man died of his wound. He didnt face justice, but escaped from Rome. Caravaggio went to Naples, and then to the island of Malta, an independent sovereignty and home of the Knights of Malta. If Caravaggio could become a Knight of Malta, he would be in a better position to seek a papal pardon for the murder. In return for a painting of the Beheading of St John the Baptist, he was granted membership. His reward included two slaves and a gold chain. All was going to plan, until his temper got him into trouble again where he got into a fight with another knight and found himself in prison. He escaped, but was expelled from the order. Caravaggio travelled around Sicily and then returned to Naples where he was involved in another bar fight, which left him badly disfigured. In the meantime, however, important friends in Rome had successfully petitioned the Pope for a pardon so that Caravaggio could return. He loaded his belongings onto a ship but for an unknown reason, was then arrested and had to buy his way out of jail. By the time he was released, the ship and all his possessions had sailed without him. As he made his way along the coast he fell ill, perhaps with malaria, and a few days later, he died. "Approaching to his bed, she took

Caravaggio

hold of the hair of his head, and said, Strengthen me, O Lord God of Israel, this day! And she smote twice upon his neck with all her might, and she took away his head from him." (Judith, 13:7-8).
Form: This painting is called Judith and the beheading of Holofernes. She seeks out Holofernes in his tent, makes him drunk, and then beheads

him. In the painting, Judith comes in with her maid, surprisingly and menacingly - from the right, against the direction of reading the picture. Holoferns is lying naked on a white sheet. Ironically, his bed is framed with a magnificent red curtain, whose colour emphasises the act of murder as well as the heroine's triumph. His upturned eyes suggest that he is not alive anymore, however signs of life still persist in the screaming mouth, the contracting body and the hand that still grips at the bed. Process: Caravaggio has managed capture the most dreaded moment in a man's life: the passage from life to death. Caravaggio's approach was to choose the moment of greatest dramatic impact; the moment of the decapitation itself. The figures are set out in a shallow stage, theatrically lit from the side, isolated against the inky, black background. Judith and her maid Abra stand to the right, partially over Holofernes, who is vulnerable on his back. X-rays have revealed that Caravaggio adjusted the placement of Holofernes' head as he proceeded, separating it slightly from the torso and moving it slightly to the right. The original bare breasts of Judith, which suggest that she has just left the bed, were later covered by the semi-transparent blouse. The details of the decapitation are so realistic that they are correct to the tiniest details of anatomy and physiology. This lead to the hypothesis that the painting was inspired by two highly publicized contemporary Roman executions; that of Giordano Bruno and above all of Beatrice Cenci in 1599. The faces of the three characters demonstrate his mastery of emotion, Judith in particular showing in her face a mix of determination and repulsion. Content: A whole book in the Bible is devoted to Judith, because as a woman she embodies the power of the people of Israel to defeat the enemy, though superior in numbers, by means of cunning and courage. The first instance in which Caravaggio would chose such a highly dramatic subject, the Judith is an expression of a contest in which Virtue overcomes Evil. In contrast to the elegant and distant beauty of Judith, the rage of the scene is shown in the inhuman scream and the body spasm of the giant Holofernes.

Chiaroscuro: Caravaggios paintings are almost always recognizable for the dramatic contrast
between an intensely dark and sombre background and an interest in playing with the effects of light, known as Chiaroscuro. This is an Italian term, which literally means 'light-dark'. In paintings the description refers to clear tonal contrasts, which are often used to suggest the volume and modelling of the subjects. Chiaroscuro truly came to life in the paintings of Caravaggio during the late 16th century where he began to use deep, dark backgrounds for many of his paintings, and seemed to almost turn a spotlight on his figures. Because of Caravaggio, Chiaroscuro became very popular, and today the word is most often used to mean high contrast. Sometimes the source of the intense illumination in a painting was actually in the painting. You can see examples in religious works, where an angel or other holy figure actually illuminates the entire scene. Other times the light source is simply a candle, or a fire. All of these situations offered artists a chance to explore silhouettes and other extremes, and made the emphasis on light and shadow more important than the scene itself. Strong directional light will lift out details and features, and give a true three-dimensional appearance.