from
Kia Vahland
Caravaggio, the raw free spirit who paints dirty men on altarpieces and female models who prostitute themselves full-time. Who had the Old Testament Judith chopped off the head of the tyrant Holofernes in such a way that his blood splattered towards the viewer (today in the Museo Barbarini in Rome). Caravaggio, who does not always have his temper under control himself, who hits a waiter with a plate of artichokes in the face out of anger, likes to wave his sword in dark alleys and finally kills him. The sought-after artist and wanted criminal; a driven man who, while on the run through southern Italy, triggers a long-lasting fashion: Caravaggismo, the painting of often coarse but popular motifs in earth colors with strong chiaroscuro effects.