Caravaggio Gallery
Death of the Virgin 1605-1606
Canvas H 3.69 m; W 2.45 m

Painted for the church of Santa Maria della Scala at Rome, the picture was turned down, for the very reasons that made Caravaggio into the art,st who brought new life to religious painting : the introduction of the humblest everyday details into a divine setting. Shocked by this unorthodox realistic portrayal of the Virgin, the clergy were oblivious to the powerful effect of the human message behind this corpse of a young woman with swollen feet. Across the gloom of a barren space, magnified by a large red drape, a stroke of light gives depth to the figures. This expressive use of "chiaroscuro" was Caravaggio's invention.

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Supper at Emmaus
David with the Head of Goliath
Madonna of the Rosary
Death of the Virgin
Musicians
Sacrifice of Isaac

Biography


Bulletin Board


Renowned Art
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Caravaggio (1571-1610)
Caravaggio is also known as Michelangelo Merisi and as the second Michelangelo. Caravaggio painted mostly devotional art, he focused on figures and events from the New Testament and took seriously the mundane yet monumental quality of Christianity. He used Roman street people as the model for the Apostles and Mary. He used larger than life proportions, highly theatrical lighting and crowded his significant figures into shallow spaces.
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