Caravaggio - Basic Art Series Art Book

This book collects over 50 works by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571–1610) and provides an overview of his influence on Baroque painting.

Caravaggio developed a visual world characterized by strong light contrasts and radical naturalism. By reproducing biblical and mythological motifs with everyday details – dirty feet, the weight of flesh and the vulnerability of the body – he challenged established conventions in religious painting. His work moves close to human drama, often with a physical presence that replaces idealized forms. At the same time, he led a life characterized by conflicts, debts and violent confrontations. Caravaggio lived on the run at times, but received major church commissions. The book shows how life and work coincide in a figurative language where presence and threat exist in parallel.

The edition is compiled by Gilles Néret and written by Gilles Lambert. As part of TASCHEN's monographs on artists, the book positions Caravaggio as a central figure in art history, whose influence is felt in painters such as Rembrandt, Courbet, and Manet.