Caravaggio and the Creation of Modernity

The great baroque artist Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio revolutionized painting by creating a new form of realistic art. His work depicted life directly, without sketches, resulting in a powerful psychological expression in his subjects. Caravaggio’s unconventional paintings have sparked debates among critics and viewers for centuries, while influencing subsequent artists like Velázquez and Rembrandt. In this fresh exploration of Caravaggio’s life and art, now available in paperback, Troy Thomas examines the artist’s significant contribution to modernity and focuses on the often-overlooked tensions, contradictions and ambiguities in Caravaggio’s work.