The leading Italian painter of the late 16th and early 17th centuries, Caravaggio is best known for the intense, and sometimes uncomfortable, realism of his large religious works. Orphaned at a young age after his entire family contracted the bubonic plague, Caravaggio was taken on as an apprentice in an art studio at the tender age of 12.
His work had a great influence on the development of Baroque painting techniques, especially his dramatic use of lighting.
This has gained Caravaggio the status of a Baroque master, and he is still admired today – not least by Pope Francis!
