then dedicated himself to only religious paintings. By the end of the 1590s he was made famous by his first public commissions, in the Contrelli and the Cerasi Chapels. They were among the first Roman Chapel wall paintings done in oil. Caravaggio completed these paintings rapidly, but they were troublesome. He did two versions and then completed the final version. It was eventually finished by July 4, 1600. Only then was Caravaggio paid. Caravaggio had never painted such a large painting before. The complete decoration of the chapel was not completed until1602(Friedlaender 119-121) After his first year in Rome he was by no means poor. One head brought him more money than full-length paintings by other artists. He made four times the normal allowance. In September 1605 Caravaggio was described as having hardly any possessions. He wore very nice clothes, but he wore them to tatters, and used old canvas as a tablecloth. He had enough money to live a nice life so this type of living must have been by choice instead of a result of poverty(Dict. Of Art 711) Caravaggio did many paintings and worked diligently right up until his death. While in PortErcole he became very ill, from a fever, and was perhaps comforted by San Sebastiano, whos job was to care for the sick and for travelers. In this small town, once more close to Rome, in 1910, Caravaggio died(Langdon 389). It was only a few months before his 39th birthday(Moir30). Bagliones account says:In desperation he started out along the beach under the fierce heat of the July sun, trying to catch sight of the vessel that had his belongings. Finally, he came to a place where he was put to bed with a fever; and so, without the aid of God or man, in a few days he died, as miserably as he had lived(qtd, in Langdon 389).This quote shows the despair that Caravaggio must have felt upon finding out that his paintings were gone. The news of Caravaggios death spread fast. Ma...
