Caravaggio

What makes Michelangelo Caravaggio’s work so amazing is his use of lighting. He has a way to make the light seem more noticeable than the actual objects/people.  He has a realistic style, which he is able to accomplish beautifully. He is able to capture the emotions of his subjects by using the dramatic use of lighting. For example, his painting Judith Beheading Holofernes was done in such an excellent way. It’s as if you’re in the room with Judith as she attempts to cut his head off. You feel the silence in the picture and get the sense of her courageous act to save her people. Caravaggio’s way of painting is to paint the image as the eye sees the object, he includes all the flaws as well making the painting look more realistic. The look on Judith’s face as she attempts to kill Holofernes is expressed as a scared young woman, yet she doesn’t hold back. And the scene is so brutal and real it almost feels like the blood is squirting out from the picture. Caravaggio does an amazing job at using this light as a way to express the emotions without using unnecessary objects to distract the viewer. He makes use of the little light to get his point across.