The Mysterious Caravaggio: Secrets Hidden in the Master's Paintings

Contemporaries called him a madman, a murderer, and an anti-Christ. Later generations saw in the artist a prophet and a true revolutionary. So who was the mysterious Caravaggio really? Art historian Costantino d’Orazio sheds light on the shadows and dark corners of the artist’s work. His paintings—whether illustrations of sacred texts or pagan scenes—are episodes from real life. Look at Caravaggio’s masterpieces in a new way: discover codes hidden in his pictures. Why didn’t Caravaggio gather an army of followers? What did contemporary critics turn against him for? How were the artist’s paintings created—his mania still refusing to fade after so many centuries? Drawing on letters, documents, witnesses’ accounts, and—of course—the analysis of the great painter’s canvases, the author will reveal the secrets of his life and work and provide keys to understanding his art.