Michelangelo Mersi was born at Caravaggio in Lombardy on September 28, 1573. His childhood was lived in a quite atmosphere in the small town located between Brescia and Milan. Caravaggio became orphaned at a very young age, and coincidentally was sent to Milan to study painting. This is where his career started. During the Eighteen years between his arrival in Rome and his death, Caravaggio enjoyed the pleasures of being a young artist. He enjoyed the triumph of a success, the travel of lands unknown, and unfortunately disgrace, exile, and a solitary death. Caravaggio, being exceptionally intelligent, had the ability to create an ample environment for success. He was able, through some trial and tribulations, to feel comfort with protection from patrons, and from generous pay. Unfortunately Caravaggio was alienated from the world. His personality conflicted with most of the times morals, values and laws. Being sexually ambiguous and badly behaved he became disliked and dis-respected. With that aside, Caravaggio painted some of the most moving pictures. Through the use of his revolutionary techniques of lighting, Caravaggio became a recognized painter of the Baroque period. Discarding the traditional rendering of religious subject matter, Caravaggio brought to his paintings a sense of reality. In his paintings he simplifies the classical religious themes and breaks them down into something that could have taken place anywhere, at any time within the common society. This became an issue with his viewers. His viewpoint portrayed in his art became somewhat controversial. Many did not believe that a religious subject should be brought down to reflect common society. This style of representing nature and events that happen in nature was a fundamental skill learned during his apprenticeship with Peterzano, a Milanese painter. This is where Caravaggio's formal artistic education began. During Caravaggio's time in Milan he ...
