Caravaggio

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A prominent Baroque painter known for his realistic use of light and shadow, his dramatic compositions, and intense emotional expression
2. An influential Italian artist celebrated for his innovative painting style that merges realism with dramatic lighting effects and strong narratives
3. A master of the Baroque period whose artworks often depict religious themes with a powerful intensity and a focus on human emotion

Etymology: Michelangelo Merisi, the painter born in 1571, took his name from Caravaggio, the small town in Lombardy near Milan where his family came from. He is usually known by that place name alone, and the usage has outlasted his own lifetime: a painter's name became a common noun for a manner of painting. The word now serves as a shorthand for art built on sharp contrasts of light and shadow, the chiaroscuro effect that Caravaggio used to throw his figures into dramatic, almost theatrical relief. Painters, critics and writers who work in this mode are often described as Caravaggesque, and the word has been applied to the style of a whole school of followers across Europe. The town itself gave the name a meaning that is purely geographic in origin, with the artist's fame turning a place into a label for a technique.