Born Michelangelo Merisi in Caravaggio Italy in 1573, the artist would later take the name of his home town. Caravaggio's early years were marked with poverty and illness and he was orphaned at age 11. Always interested in art, Caravaggio did numerous "odd jobs" in the artistic field until he met and was befriended by Cardinal del Monte, a church official and patron of the arts. Cardinal del Monte would help Carravaggio acquire his first commission and in 1598 he would travel to Rome to paint the "Calling" and "Martyrdom" of St. Matthew.

Caravaggio's early works were usually small paintings concentrating more on the still life then on the figures in the scene. His latter works show more spaciousness and a single shaft of light, which would come to be known as "cellar light", thrown in from above or from the left. Light was the most important aspect in Caravaggio's paintings. By using the contrast between light and shadow, Caravaggio was able to achieve a more realistic, fully rounded, three- dimensional figure. The weightiness and solidity of his figures show a link between Caravaggio and the art of the High Renaissance, which did indeed influence the artist.

The use of "cellar light" in Caravaggio's paintings add a sense of drama which was one of the central characteristics of the Baroque art movement. The Baroque movement, its earliest manifestations occurring toward the end of the 16th century in Italy, is often associated with a sense of grandeur, drama, movement and tension. Historically the Baroque movement has always been associated with the Counter- Reformation, its characteristics being well suited to the atmosphere of the re-invigorated Church.

Caravaggio abandoned the rules that had guided a century of artists before him. He was criticized for his Venetian method of working in oils directly from the natural model on to the canvas, without the careful preparations traditional in central Italy. His numerous religious paintings shocked the public because of his choice of models. Caravaggio often chose people from the working class of Rome. He was not above using a well known prostitute or member of a street gang as model for a biblical figure in one of his works. Also criticized was his method of portraying figures, whether biblical or mythological, in contemporary dress instead of that of the ancient world.

Caravaggio always had a dangerous streak to him and he carried quite a long police record. After killing a man in a duel in Naples and was forced to leave the city. A rift with officials in Malta caused him to run again, and when he was apprehended they beat him so severely that he was horribly disfigured. Caravaggio finally received a pardon allowing him to return to Rome, but he was mistakenly jailed once again in Port' Ercole (southern Italy) where he died of a fever a few days later at the age of 37.