(1571–1610) was the revolutionary firebrand of the Italian Baroque period. Known for his volatile temper as much as his artistic genius, he shattered the idealized conventions of the Renaissance to create a gritty, visceral naturalism that brought the divine down to the level of the street. Early Life and Rise to Fame
Born in Milan, Caravaggio lost his family to the plague by age eleven. He apprenticed under Simone Peterzano before moving to Rome in 1592. His early career was marked by poverty until he was discovered by , who provided him with shelter and prestigious commissions. michelangelo merisi da caravaggio