Orphaned as a child, Caravaggio grew up to be one of world’s most famous artists. We explore the Italian master’s most famous works and his tempestuous life.

Caravaggio was born in 1571 in Milan, which was then part of the Spanish Empire.

Born Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, he was the son of Fermo Merixio, architect-decorator and household administrator to the Marchese of Caravaggio, a town about 25 miles outside Milan. In 1576, the family fled to the town to escape the plague. The disease ultimately claimed the lives of both his grandfather and father on the same day in 1577, however.

Caravaggio’s family were allies of the powerful Sforzas and Colonna families. In 1584, his mother died just as Caravaggio commenced his apprenticeship under the stewardship of Simone Peterzano, who himself was a pupil of Titian, one of the most prominent painters of the Italian Renaissance.

The artist left Milan for Rome in 1592 after wounding a police officer.

He arrived “naked and needy” after “certain quarrels,” without money or provisions. He was subsequently employed by the Pope’s favorite artist, Giuseppe Cesari, to “paint flowers and fruit” in his workshop.

In Rome, with new palazzi and churches springing up across the city, Caravaggio found himself in demand. He became famous for his tenebrism. Also known as dramatic illumination, this style of painting’s violent contrasts between light and dark dominate the finished image.

Known works from his time in Rome include Boy with a Basket of Fruit, Boy Peeling Fruit, and Young Sick Bacchus, reputedly a self-portrait completed by the artist as he convalesced from a serious illness. Caravaggio left Cesari’s employ after a heated argument and went on to forge several friendships that became extremely important later in his life.

His penchant for grisly subjects stemmed from an execution he witnessed in Rome.

In 1599, Pope Clement VIII ordered the execution of Beatrice Cenci, along with her family. The beautiful young noblewoman was found guilty of plotting the murder of her father, a man who mistreated his children both physically and sexually, but was exonerated from any wrongdoing because of his noble status. Beatrice Cenci convinced her family and their servants to help her get rid of him once and for all, and almost got away with it.

Despite vociferous protests form the people of Rome, she was beheaded in a very public ceremony. A young Caravaggio was in the crowd that day, watching Cenci’s poise as she faced her executioner. The scene is said to have inspired Caravaggio’s painting Judith Beheading Holofernes.

Caravaggio is now considered a master painter.

In addition to Judith Beheading Holofernes, Caravaggio’s most famous works include David With the Head of Goliath, The Calling of St Matthew, The Beheading of St John the Baptist, Deposizione, The Taking of Christ, Medusa, and Death of the Virgin, a painting that courted controversy after it was revealed that he used a drowned prostitute as his muse. With his dramatic use of light and shading, Caravaggio played a major role in the development of Baroque painting, and artists like Rembrandt, Peter Paul Rubens, and Gian Lorenzo Bernini all were influenced by him.

Caravaggio also managed to stand out from a plethora of sublimely talented contemporaries. During his time in Rome, he shared a comparatively small hunting ground between Piazza di Spagna and Piazza del Popolo with more than 2,000 other artists, all vying for work. The competition for jobs often deteriorated into feuds and fighting. He and his band of friends and fellow artists lived by the moto nec spe, nec metu, meaning “without hope, without fear.”

Despite becoming a successful artist, Caravaggio was frequently involved in brawls.

The painter became infamous for his tempestuous outbursts, tearing up paintings in response to even the mildest criticism. After learning from the masters and branching out on his own, he found success when he came to the attention of Francesco Cardinal Maria del Monte, an ambassador for the all-powerful Medicis.

Del Monte gave Caravaggio his patronage, putting a roof over his head and encouraging him to paint as often as possible. He also introduced the artist to his affluent inner circle. It was during this period that Caravaggio produced two of his most famous works, Medusa and Bacchus.

The artist’s behavior became increasingly erratic during his final years.

Caravaggio took to sleeping armed and dressed in full armor, so concerned was he that his enemies were chasing him. The troubled Italian master was once described by Mario Minniti, a good friend, as “extremely crazy.”

Caravaggio was tried for numerous crimes in his lifetime, including writing satirical verses about a fellow painter, swearing at a police officer, and throwing a plate of artichokes at a waiter. In 1606, he was forced to abandon Rome, after an argument over a tennis match turned into a duel, and Caravaggio killed a man.

Caravaggio died from an infected sword wound at just 38 years old.

Rumors abounded that the artist’s untimely death might have been caused by syphilis, sunstroke, or even malaria. However, after dental pulp was extracted by French and Italian scientists in 2018, the team discovered that Caravaggio actually died from sepsis triggered by a staph infection.

For a man who led such a turbulent life, the details of Caravaggio’s last days are surprisingly sparse. His legacy and his contributions to the canon of Western art, however, have never been in doubt.