Page "Caravaggio" Paragraph 2

Caravaggio's novelty was a radical naturalism that combined close physical observation with a dramatic, even theatrical, use of chiaroscuro.

This came to be known as Tenebrism, the shift from light to dark with little intermediate value.

He burst upon the Rome art scene in 1600 with the success of his first public commissions, the Martyrdom of Saint Matthew and Calling of Saint Matthew.

Thereafter he never lacked commissions or patrons, yet he handled his success poorly.

He was jailed on several occasions, vandalized his own apartment, and ultimately had a death warrant issued for him by the Pope.