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Caravaggio was a leading Italian painter of the late XVI and early XVII centuries, who became famous for the intense and unsettling realism of his works. He died at only 38.

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He painted simple things like a basket of fruit...

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or men playing with cards...

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But he was more famous for his dark paintings such as

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But he was more famous for his dark paintings such as

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"Medusa", that shows the head of Medusa, a figure from Greek myth. She was cursed by the goddess Athena, that turned her hair in snakes, and anybody who looked at her would be turned to stone.

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"Judith Beheading Holofernes", a striking painting symbolizing courage and assertiveness against male dominance in society.

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His real name was Michelangelo de Merisi

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When he was five years old, Milan, where he lived, was infested by the plague, creating panic and chaos, forcing the inhabitants to flee. His family decided to return to their hometown of Caravaggio, and that's where his name comes from.

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As soon as he grew up, Caravaggio started learning all about painting as an apprentice in the art studio that belongs to Signor Peterzano.

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One of the most important occasions in his life was the attention he received from Cardinal del Monte, who helped him produce several works and introduced him to several art collectors.

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Despite he had a bad temper and behaviour, he got one of the most important jobs of his career from his mate the Cardinal. Basically, he was asked to decorate the inside of a church in Rome with three pictures of the story of Saint Matthew.

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He's mostly known for the use of contrast between light and dark.

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He's mostly known for the use of contrast between light and dark.

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A perfect example is "The Calling of Saint Matthew", an oil painting that depicts the moment Jesus Christ calls on the tax collector Matthew to follow him.Caravaggio uses the shaft of light to put a real spotlight on Matthew. Matthew is the star of this story while Jesus is standing to the side in the shadow.

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Caravaggio is also known for his ability to represent reality, using "ugly" characters and not just perfect models.

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Still, his bad temper caused him a lot of trouble and one day he actually killed somebody. After that, he obviously had to escape from Rome, and he went to the small island of Malta.

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When he arrived in Malta, he painted "The Beheading of John the Baptist" as an altarpiece for a church and everyone was very impressed by his skills. Unfortunately, he got again in another fight with a priest and then he was arrested and thrown into prison, from which he menages to escape.

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Though he was a fugitive in trouble with the police, he was still getting offers a work. On the way, he painted "Salome with the Head of John the Baptist", another Bible story about King Herod's daughter Salome, who asked for the head of John the Baptist on a platter.

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One day, out of the blue, he was severely injured and after less than a year, still trying to make his way back to Rome, his body was found dead on a beach(July 18, 1610).