What do you think?
Rate this book
Caravaggio: The Complete Works
The mysterious genius who transformed European art
Caravaggio, or more accurately Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571–1610), was always a name to be reckoned with. Notorious bad boy of Italian painting, the artist was at once celebrated and controversial: violent in temper, precise in technique, a creative master, and a man on the run. Today, he is considered one of the greatest influences in all art history.
This edition offers a neat and comprehensive Caravaggio catalogue raisonné. Each of his paintings is reproduced from recent top-quality photography, allowing for a vivid encounter with the artist’s ingenious repertoire of looks and gestures, as well as numerous detail shots of his boundary-breaking naturalism. Five accompanying chapters trace the complete arc of Caravaggio’s career from his first public commissions in Rome through to his growing celebrity status and trace his tempestuous personal life, in which drama loomed as prominently as in his canvases.
Caravaggio, or more accurately Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571–1610), was always a name to be reckoned with. Notorious bad boy of Italian painting, the artist was at once celebrated and controversial: violent in temper, precise in technique, a creative master, and a man on the run. Today, he is considered one of the greatest influences in all art history.
This edition offers a neat and comprehensive Caravaggio catalogue raisonné. Each of his paintings is reproduced from recent top-quality photography, allowing for a vivid encounter with the artist’s ingenious repertoire of looks and gestures, as well as numerous detail shots of his boundary-breaking naturalism. Five accompanying chapters trace the complete arc of Caravaggio’s career from his first public commissions in Rome through to his growing celebrity status and trace his tempestuous personal life, in which drama loomed as prominently as in his canvases.
512 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
86 people are currently reading
1010 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
February 7, 2023
Caravaggio
1573 - 1610
Caravaggio is renowned for using chiaroscuro, which uses light and dark to achieve a 3-D effect. Caravaggio breaks away from the tradition of symmetrical figures and detailed backgrounds. However, his figures do retain a traditional monumentality. His later work is less plastic.
Caravaggio takes his name from the village where he was born. He receives his first training in Milan, specializing in stilThen, around. Around 1592 he took to Rome, the spiritual capital of the Italian peninsula, switching his subject matter to street life and young boys.
In 1595 Caravaggio's talent caught the eye of Cardinal Francesco Del Monte, who subsequently became his first patron. Caravaggio's three paintings on the life of St Matthew cause a sensation: never before has a saint, let alone an apostle, been shown like this. (calling, inspiration, martyrdom) After this success fou, Caravaggio takes all his subjects from the New Testament.
Caravaggio's life is as turbulent as his personality. He has many run-ins with the law and had arrested several times. In 1606 a bet over a game of tennis led to an argument, at which point Caravaggio drew his sword and killed his opponent. He flees to Naples, intending to go home to Rome - where friends are lobbying for his rehabilitation - via Malta and Sicily. Caravaggio produced several masterpieces on his wanderings, such as The Beheading of St John the Baptist, which creates in Malta. He dies before reaching Rome, probably of pneumonia, in Porto Ercole. Several days after his death, word arrives of papal absolution.
Caravaggio's influence is widespread: outside Italy, he inspires painters as diverse as Georges de La Tour and members of the Utrecht School, e.g., Gerrit van Honthorst – artists who are later to influence Rembrandt.
Source: https://www.artbible.info/art/biograp...
1573 - 1610
Caravaggio is renowned for using chiaroscuro, which uses light and dark to achieve a 3-D effect. Caravaggio breaks away from the tradition of symmetrical figures and detailed backgrounds. However, his figures do retain a traditional monumentality. His later work is less plastic.
Caravaggio takes his name from the village where he was born. He receives his first training in Milan, specializing in stilThen, around. Around 1592 he took to Rome, the spiritual capital of the Italian peninsula, switching his subject matter to street life and young boys.
In 1595 Caravaggio's talent caught the eye of Cardinal Francesco Del Monte, who subsequently became his first patron. Caravaggio's three paintings on the life of St Matthew cause a sensation: never before has a saint, let alone an apostle, been shown like this. (calling, inspiration, martyrdom) After this success fou, Caravaggio takes all his subjects from the New Testament.
Caravaggio's life is as turbulent as his personality. He has many run-ins with the law and had arrested several times. In 1606 a bet over a game of tennis led to an argument, at which point Caravaggio drew his sword and killed his opponent. He flees to Naples, intending to go home to Rome - where friends are lobbying for his rehabilitation - via Malta and Sicily. Caravaggio produced several masterpieces on his wanderings, such as The Beheading of St John the Baptist, which creates in Malta. He dies before reaching Rome, probably of pneumonia, in Porto Ercole. Several days after his death, word arrives of papal absolution.
Caravaggio's influence is widespread: outside Italy, he inspires painters as diverse as Georges de La Tour and members of the Utrecht School, e.g., Gerrit van Honthorst – artists who are later to influence Rembrandt.
Source: https://www.artbible.info/art/biograp...
August 15, 2016
Images of Caravaggio: historical and historiographical perspectives
--I. Lombard beginnings 1571-1592
--II. The path to artistic autonomy 1592-1599
--III. The large religious works in Rome 1599-1606
--IV. The late œuvre in Southern Italy: Naples-Malta-Sicily 1606-1610
--Epilogue: reflections and refractions
--Catalogue of Paintings
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgements
Credits
Imprint
--I. Lombard beginnings 1571-1592
--II. The path to artistic autonomy 1592-1599
--III. The large religious works in Rome 1599-1606
--IV. The late œuvre in Southern Italy: Naples-Malta-Sicily 1606-1610
--Epilogue: reflections and refractions
--Catalogue of Paintings
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgements
Credits
Imprint
March 21, 2018
Other reviewers have described Caravaggio's dark side so I won't bother to here. I will simply state what I loved about this book and I did love it.
Let's start with the book itself. It is compact, only 7 by 6 inches long and wide, but a good two inches thick. It is a hard back with an enticing dust cover. The face of Judith (the charming lady who beheaded Holosfernes-but he did deserve it) is shown in detail. It is a solid, heavy book and it feels good to hold it. The pages are all glossy and, even though it is not coffee table size, Taschen has mde sure to give coffee table size detail to each and every painting as well as smaller versions of the complete painting. In short, this book is an absolute treat.
I did not know much about Caravaggio, although I did recognize some of the paintings. I came across him in an encyclopedia I was reading about the history of art. He entrigued me so I got this book plus a biography.
This book, while giving some background, deals more with the analysis of his works, who influenced him and whom he influenced.
A couple interesting facts: Caravaggio elevated the technique of chiaroscuro to an unprecedented level. Chiaroscuro is creating sharp contrasts between light and dark. His work influenced later artists like Rembrandt.
Another thing Caravaggio did was to create realistic paintings, much to the shock of his contemporary public. Traditionally, biblical figures were made to look unearthly, above the common man. Caravaggio painted them in contemporary dress looking like ordinary people.
His paintings are highly dramatic, sometimes sordid, such as the beheading of John, or David holding the head of Goliath, whose eyes look as though they were still fading from life. Other paintings are depictions of the martyrs and also Lazarus being raised.
The most powerful painting for me is his second rendition of Paul on the road to Damascus. Paul is on his back, his arms in the air as he tries to shield himself from the blinding light. He is lying next to his horse whom he has presumably just fallen off. He looks in danger of being trampled underfoot.
Caravaggio's temperament got him into trouble, he got into brawls, killed a man in a duel, was in and out of trouble with the law, escaping severe punishment because of his patrons. Nevertheless, he died young due to a sudden illness.
After his death little was known about him. It seems as if a lot of his life was erased and biographies only came later. But Caravaggio is an artist worth getting to know, his work is absorbing and this book does it justice.
Let's start with the book itself. It is compact, only 7 by 6 inches long and wide, but a good two inches thick. It is a hard back with an enticing dust cover. The face of Judith (the charming lady who beheaded Holosfernes-but he did deserve it) is shown in detail. It is a solid, heavy book and it feels good to hold it. The pages are all glossy and, even though it is not coffee table size, Taschen has mde sure to give coffee table size detail to each and every painting as well as smaller versions of the complete painting. In short, this book is an absolute treat.
I did not know much about Caravaggio, although I did recognize some of the paintings. I came across him in an encyclopedia I was reading about the history of art. He entrigued me so I got this book plus a biography.
This book, while giving some background, deals more with the analysis of his works, who influenced him and whom he influenced.
A couple interesting facts: Caravaggio elevated the technique of chiaroscuro to an unprecedented level. Chiaroscuro is creating sharp contrasts between light and dark. His work influenced later artists like Rembrandt.
Another thing Caravaggio did was to create realistic paintings, much to the shock of his contemporary public. Traditionally, biblical figures were made to look unearthly, above the common man. Caravaggio painted them in contemporary dress looking like ordinary people.
His paintings are highly dramatic, sometimes sordid, such as the beheading of John, or David holding the head of Goliath, whose eyes look as though they were still fading from life. Other paintings are depictions of the martyrs and also Lazarus being raised.
The most powerful painting for me is his second rendition of Paul on the road to Damascus. Paul is on his back, his arms in the air as he tries to shield himself from the blinding light. He is lying next to his horse whom he has presumably just fallen off. He looks in danger of being trampled underfoot.
Caravaggio's temperament got him into trouble, he got into brawls, killed a man in a duel, was in and out of trouble with the law, escaping severe punishment because of his patrons. Nevertheless, he died young due to a sudden illness.
After his death little was known about him. It seems as if a lot of his life was erased and biographies only came later. But Caravaggio is an artist worth getting to know, his work is absorbing and this book does it justice.
March 7, 2024
Caravaggio es mi pintor favorito de la historia. Su forma de pintar me ha dejado absorto en cada cuadro suyo que he podido contemplar en varias partes del mundo( Madrid, Roma, Florencia, Potsdam..). El chiarosocuro, esa técnica casi fotográfica que inventó, jugando con la luz y el tenebrismo hace que sus cuadros sean fotos. Suelo bromear con la idea de que Caravaggio inventó el HD o Blue ray antes incluso de que existiese el cine.
Su vida no fue para nada ejemplar. Caravaggio fue un crápula que se aprovechó de su genial talento y cuyas acciones le pasaron factura al final, teniendo una amarga muerte huyendo de aquí para allá.
Pero antes de esto dejó todo un período en el arte: el naturalismo y el tenebrismo y fué pieza clave del barroco a nivel mundial. Influenciados por él surgieron a la par un sinfín de grandisimos pintores que hoy en día están siendo redescubiertos: José de Ribera, Guido Renzi, Artemisia Gentileschi, Gerrit van Honthorst que fueron nombrados como los caravaggistas. Y otros como Reembrandt o Velazquez tuvieron una clara influencia de su arte en sus inicios.
Quizás por esa aura oscura y su vida siempre polémica no ha sido reconocido al lado de otros genios del arte como Miguel Angel o Rafael. Pero sin lugar a dudas ha tenido la misma influencia que ellos y para mí nadie ha pintado mejor. Hasta el Vaticano, que estaba en contra de la manera en que representaba a los santos o su forma de utilizar prostitutas o vagabundos como modelo para los personajes de la biblia o incluyendo elementos sangrientos; tuvo que claudicar y hoy todavía tiene uno de sus cuadros( la deposición de Cristo) en un lugar importante de sus museos.
Este fenomenal libro de Taschen le hace justicia y es una maravilla como todos los de su colección de Biblioteca Universalis.
Su vida no fue para nada ejemplar. Caravaggio fue un crápula que se aprovechó de su genial talento y cuyas acciones le pasaron factura al final, teniendo una amarga muerte huyendo de aquí para allá.
Pero antes de esto dejó todo un período en el arte: el naturalismo y el tenebrismo y fué pieza clave del barroco a nivel mundial. Influenciados por él surgieron a la par un sinfín de grandisimos pintores que hoy en día están siendo redescubiertos: José de Ribera, Guido Renzi, Artemisia Gentileschi, Gerrit van Honthorst que fueron nombrados como los caravaggistas. Y otros como Reembrandt o Velazquez tuvieron una clara influencia de su arte en sus inicios.
Quizás por esa aura oscura y su vida siempre polémica no ha sido reconocido al lado de otros genios del arte como Miguel Angel o Rafael. Pero sin lugar a dudas ha tenido la misma influencia que ellos y para mí nadie ha pintado mejor. Hasta el Vaticano, que estaba en contra de la manera en que representaba a los santos o su forma de utilizar prostitutas o vagabundos como modelo para los personajes de la biblia o incluyendo elementos sangrientos; tuvo que claudicar y hoy todavía tiene uno de sus cuadros( la deposición de Cristo) en un lugar importante de sus museos.
Este fenomenal libro de Taschen le hace justicia y es una maravilla como todos los de su colección de Biblioteca Universalis.
September 4, 2025
When I was on a tour at the Vatican many years ago I saw a Caravaggio. The tour guide walked us right past it to show us something else. It stopped me in my tracks. He's been my favorite renaissance painter ever since.
This book gave some history on his life (details are sparse) and a commentary on each of his works. I really like being able to know who commissioned the piece and where it was intended to reside. I've always wanted a book like this and I'm happy I bought it to add to my library. It will enhance future Caravaggio sightings for me.
This book gave some history on his life (details are sparse) and a commentary on each of his works. I really like being able to know who commissioned the piece and where it was intended to reside. I've always wanted a book like this and I'm happy I bought it to add to my library. It will enhance future Caravaggio sightings for me.
September 25, 2020
I absolutely love the works of Caravaggio.
In walking through museums, looking at paintings, his works arrest me....ARREST...ME!
This is probably one of the best art books I have ever seen. The book itself is a work of art, because of the binding and the type of paper used; and when you start to look through the plates, the quality of the illustrations is immediately apparent. This book contains the entire catalogue of the known works of Caravaggio and the text is a biography of the artist and the paintings. The illustrations are so good that I immediately realized that seeing the paintings in situ was not really seeing them. The detail illustrations are top notch!!
A few examples will suffice for those familiar with his works. The detail from the Martyrdom of St Ursula (1610) shows the brush strokes on the forehead of the figure behind Ursula, thought to be the artist himself. In the detail from the Boy Bitten by a Lizard (1593/94), the frown lines in the brow lead me to believe that the image was captured just before the boy yelled. The painting of Bacchus (1596/97) shows a young god with almost feminine facial structure, and the detail shows dirt under his fingernails, and a carafe with bubbles along the side, as if the wine had just been poured. The artist's self-portrait as Bacchus (1593/94) detail illustrates the brush strokes at the top of the cheek, just below the eye. A detail from The Cardsharps (1593/94) shows fingers through split gloves. Then there's the Head of Medusa (1597/98), The Taking of Christ (1602), and my favorite painting, Doubting Thomas (1601/02). Another stunning piece is a chalk drawing on blue paper of the artist himself (1621-25).
I bought this book new for $41 and it was a bargain!! The same publisher has also published the complete works of Bosch, da Vinci, Rembrandt and Vermeer. I can't recommend this highly enough!!
In walking through museums, looking at paintings, his works arrest me....ARREST...ME!
This is probably one of the best art books I have ever seen. The book itself is a work of art, because of the binding and the type of paper used; and when you start to look through the plates, the quality of the illustrations is immediately apparent. This book contains the entire catalogue of the known works of Caravaggio and the text is a biography of the artist and the paintings. The illustrations are so good that I immediately realized that seeing the paintings in situ was not really seeing them. The detail illustrations are top notch!!
A few examples will suffice for those familiar with his works. The detail from the Martyrdom of St Ursula (1610) shows the brush strokes on the forehead of the figure behind Ursula, thought to be the artist himself. In the detail from the Boy Bitten by a Lizard (1593/94), the frown lines in the brow lead me to believe that the image was captured just before the boy yelled. The painting of Bacchus (1596/97) shows a young god with almost feminine facial structure, and the detail shows dirt under his fingernails, and a carafe with bubbles along the side, as if the wine had just been poured. The artist's self-portrait as Bacchus (1593/94) detail illustrates the brush strokes at the top of the cheek, just below the eye. A detail from The Cardsharps (1593/94) shows fingers through split gloves. Then there's the Head of Medusa (1597/98), The Taking of Christ (1602), and my favorite painting, Doubting Thomas (1601/02). Another stunning piece is a chalk drawing on blue paper of the artist himself (1621-25).
I bought this book new for $41 and it was a bargain!! The same publisher has also published the complete works of Bosch, da Vinci, Rembrandt and Vermeer. I can't recommend this highly enough!!
January 9, 2020
One of the most awesome coffee table books - huge and heavy but worth the space, weight, and price for its reproductions and analysis - I probably saw about half the original paintings (many of them last spring in Rome, but also in Florence, Madrid, New York across the years) but only recently when reading both the Romanian language novel The Black Butterfly by R Paraschivescu (which alternates between a rambling monologue from Caravaggio and third-person Rome action of various characters that will lead to the tragic fight that made the painter a fugitive for his last 4 turbulent years of his fairly short but eventful life) and the biography of the painter by A Graham-Dixon that I became fascinated with the painter and remembered that I had this book for a while now.
Definitely recommended as a superb coffee table book, both informative but also great looking
Definitely recommended as a superb coffee table book, both informative but also great looking
April 1, 2018
As expected, this book is not very illuminating about Caravaggio the man, but concentrates on his revolutionary art works and the profound impact his paintings immediately had.
August 18, 2023
caravaggios gemälde sind von einmaliger faszination, detailschärfe und naturalistischer darstellung bei gleichzeitiger metaphorischer durchdringung und dem berühmten chiaroscuro, das eine theatralische überhöhung und immersion erzeugt. der begleitende text ordnet leben und werk des künstlers gut ein, wenn er auch nach zahlreichen bildbeschreibungen etwas repetitiv gerät, weil immer wieder dieselben qualitäten betont werden. der etwa 200seitige katalog im anschluss gibt einen guten überblick über das gesammte werk, und für 20 euro ist dieses buch ein höchst umfangreiches und qualitativ hochwertiges kompendium.
December 29, 2024
I can see why critics talk of Caravaggio’s naturalism. But I find him a bit too stark and histrionic.
September 14, 2016
Light on the commentary and heavy on the images= fantastic. The details are so big that you can get a sense for Caravaggio's technique and how he achieved such stunning effects, see where he used his finger to smear the paint and where the brushwork is looser. Also the later pictures like the beheading of st. John, the burial of st. Lucy and the Raising of Lazarus have to be seen larger to have anything like their true effect in person. Very useful. On a trip a few years ago, I managed to see many of these pictures and the aftermath they created in the history of art. Consider: Caravaggio's realism very nearly ended the art of painting in 1600, a crisis much greater than that which modernism created at the end of the 19th century. Velasquez, Rubens, Rembrandt and others all responded to the challenge in different ways, through modifications and innovations of style. It is a heroic story that unfolds within so-called academic painting.
December 4, 2023
4.5 stars rounded down.
i love love love all taschen art books, and this was amazing as usual, i just wish there was more explanation of the paintings rather than just descriptions and the collectors info.
i love love love all taschen art books, and this was amazing as usual, i just wish there was more explanation of the paintings rather than just descriptions and the collectors info.
December 24, 2021
"Caravaggio: L'opera completa", Sebastian Schütze, 2007.
Libro(ne) essenziale, meraviglia per gli occhi e cibo per lo spirito.
La vita e le opera del più straordinario e moderno tra i Pittori.
Tavole presentate con qualità da stampa fotografica.
Analisi minuziose di ogni dipinto.
Fatevi un regalo, anche se non foste appassionati d'arte.
Esistono due versioni di questo libro: una, più economica e tascabile; l'altra, questa che vedete, enorme. Recuperate questa.
Ne vale la pena. Fidatevi.
"Fu davvero, in molti sensi, il primo artista moderno; il primo artista capace di procedere non per evoluzioni ma per rivoluzioni."
(Roger Fry, 1905).
Libro(ne) essenziale, meraviglia per gli occhi e cibo per lo spirito.
La vita e le opera del più straordinario e moderno tra i Pittori.
Tavole presentate con qualità da stampa fotografica.
Analisi minuziose di ogni dipinto.
Fatevi un regalo, anche se non foste appassionati d'arte.
Esistono due versioni di questo libro: una, più economica e tascabile; l'altra, questa che vedete, enorme. Recuperate questa.
Ne vale la pena. Fidatevi.
"Fu davvero, in molti sensi, il primo artista moderno; il primo artista capace di procedere non per evoluzioni ma per rivoluzioni."
(Roger Fry, 1905).
February 2, 2022
Perfect for both historians and Italian painting fans. It provides full information about technique and paintings with a complete catalogue and high quality paintings.
October 9, 2024
Really (really) good quality prints. Wonderful close-ups of certain details too. Just fabulous; it brings me joy every time I open it.
March 22, 2020
Do I have a quasi-fetishistic thing for books published by Taschen? Yes. But even with that bias, listen up, because this book is *stellar.* I don't even have to time to talk about the gorgeous full page detail views of Caravaggio masterpieces, because I hadn't known much about the artist's biography before now.
So you've got this hotshot genius from the provinces who makes a name for himself with secular, homoerotic paintings of beautiful boys. He gets to travel to the Rome–the center of art, the center of Christendom, hell, the center of the world as he probably sees it–and takes the city by storm. He is producing paintings like nobody's ever seen, but his vision is so radical that when he gets hired to do large scale religious installations, he takes things in a quasi-blasphemous direction and gets in trouble with the authorities. He also gets into trouble with the secular authorities because he lives a life of debauchery and hedonism and has a just barely high enough station that he's allowed to carry a sword. Then, at the height of his fame, he kills a man and has to flee from Rome. For years he toils in the provinces again, always striving to clear his name. He paints portraits of some influential men who seek a pardon on his behalf. Then a hitman, probably sent by the family of the man he killed, disfigures his face with a blade. After that, Caravaggio's work becomes less saturated and more spiritual. His religious works are less blasphemous, and more focused on pain, suffering, the ecstasy of a martyr. After four years of exile, Caravaggio receives his pardon. In his first known self-portrait, he had painted himself as Bacchus. After this pardon, he gives us his final self portrait: a David and Goliath, except he doesn't paint himself as the bright, victorious youth, but as the severed head of Goliath. Caravaggio starts his travels back toward Rome. After years of striving, he can finally return to the Eternal City. He's still a youngish man, he can win back what he's lost. Then he is accidentally arrested, and although he gets out of jail soon enough, he catches something in there. Tragically, anticlimactically, he dies of a fever before he can return to Rome, not even 40.
And also did I mention that we have no contemporary biographies of him, no surviving letters or diaries, no first hand accounts from people who knew him personally. The man is a blank. That biographical sketch above *is virtually all that we have.* Oh but imagine if a talented storyteller stepped into that void. Imagine what kind of a story they could tell: about art, about hedonism, about destructive genius and pride that goeth before the fall. (And also if we're trying to market this thing to a 21st century audience, comeon, you know Caravaggio was having as much as sex as a Game of Thrones character, with guys and girls both.) Can Hilary Mantel please make this for me? Can Luchino Visconti please make this for me? ANYBODY. I just really need a historical fiction treatment of Caravaggio: novel or biopic, I'm not picky.
So you've got this hotshot genius from the provinces who makes a name for himself with secular, homoerotic paintings of beautiful boys. He gets to travel to the Rome–the center of art, the center of Christendom, hell, the center of the world as he probably sees it–and takes the city by storm. He is producing paintings like nobody's ever seen, but his vision is so radical that when he gets hired to do large scale religious installations, he takes things in a quasi-blasphemous direction and gets in trouble with the authorities. He also gets into trouble with the secular authorities because he lives a life of debauchery and hedonism and has a just barely high enough station that he's allowed to carry a sword. Then, at the height of his fame, he kills a man and has to flee from Rome. For years he toils in the provinces again, always striving to clear his name. He paints portraits of some influential men who seek a pardon on his behalf. Then a hitman, probably sent by the family of the man he killed, disfigures his face with a blade. After that, Caravaggio's work becomes less saturated and more spiritual. His religious works are less blasphemous, and more focused on pain, suffering, the ecstasy of a martyr. After four years of exile, Caravaggio receives his pardon. In his first known self-portrait, he had painted himself as Bacchus. After this pardon, he gives us his final self portrait: a David and Goliath, except he doesn't paint himself as the bright, victorious youth, but as the severed head of Goliath. Caravaggio starts his travels back toward Rome. After years of striving, he can finally return to the Eternal City. He's still a youngish man, he can win back what he's lost. Then he is accidentally arrested, and although he gets out of jail soon enough, he catches something in there. Tragically, anticlimactically, he dies of a fever before he can return to Rome, not even 40.
And also did I mention that we have no contemporary biographies of him, no surviving letters or diaries, no first hand accounts from people who knew him personally. The man is a blank. That biographical sketch above *is virtually all that we have.* Oh but imagine if a talented storyteller stepped into that void. Imagine what kind of a story they could tell: about art, about hedonism, about destructive genius and pride that goeth before the fall. (And also if we're trying to market this thing to a 21st century audience, comeon, you know Caravaggio was having as much as sex as a Game of Thrones character, with guys and girls both.) Can Hilary Mantel please make this for me? Can Luchino Visconti please make this for me? ANYBODY. I just really need a historical fiction treatment of Caravaggio: novel or biopic, I'm not picky.
October 27, 2021
I’ve seen the Caravaggio and Bernini exhibition in Vienna in 2019. I was mesmerized, the way Caravaggio manages to trap each facial expression on canvas...same thing with Bernini, his sculptures look like humans turned into stone.
Very beautiful collection of Caravaggio’s works. The prints are high quality and it’s written very structured.
Recommending this to everyone who’s at least a bit interested in Italian renaissance art.
Very beautiful collection of Caravaggio’s works. The prints are high quality and it’s written very structured.
Recommending this to everyone who’s at least a bit interested in Italian renaissance art.
October 19, 2023
Incredible collection of artwork; extraordinarily dry writing.
May 7, 2017
I lusted after this book and received it for Xmas; how lucky am I? i have one question: why is Still Life With Fruit on a Stone Ledge not included? Not even in the attributions section? I know some scholars discount it, but as there is a catalogue of attributed paintings, I am perplexed!
Peter Robb in M cites provenance as the 1671 inventory of Barberini's collection. It was included in the 2003-4 Darkness and Light: Caravaggio & His World exhibition at the Art Gallery of NSW and National Gallery of Victoria.
The papers from a symposium held Nov 9&10 at the College of William & Mary by the Muscarelle Museum of Art contain various articles claiming it as a Caravaggio.
John Spike has comprehensively assessed it.
So, if anyone can enlighten me....
Despite this, I am in love with this volume. Be in no doubt - it is heavy and large & needs a decent size coffee table! It is not destined to sit on my bookshelves alongside my two favourite exhibition catalogs- the aforesaidmentioned Darkness & Light & the British National Gallery's 2005 Caravaggio: the final years.
The claim is made on the dustjacket that " Our notion of Caravaggio's oeuvre has been profoundly transformed in recent decades by major exhibitions, restoration campaigns, new attributions and archival discoveries. this comprehensive catalogue of works ofers a detailed overview of Caravaggio's entire oeuvre on the basis of the latest scholarly findings."
Are there more recent scholarly findings other than the papers & comments I have cited which would definitely exclude this work from even inclusion as an attribution?
Peter Robb in M cites provenance as the 1671 inventory of Barberini's collection. It was included in the 2003-4 Darkness and Light: Caravaggio & His World exhibition at the Art Gallery of NSW and National Gallery of Victoria.
The papers from a symposium held Nov 9&10 at the College of William & Mary by the Muscarelle Museum of Art contain various articles claiming it as a Caravaggio.
John Spike has comprehensively assessed it.
So, if anyone can enlighten me....
Despite this, I am in love with this volume. Be in no doubt - it is heavy and large & needs a decent size coffee table! It is not destined to sit on my bookshelves alongside my two favourite exhibition catalogs- the aforesaidmentioned Darkness & Light & the British National Gallery's 2005 Caravaggio: the final years.
The claim is made on the dustjacket that " Our notion of Caravaggio's oeuvre has been profoundly transformed in recent decades by major exhibitions, restoration campaigns, new attributions and archival discoveries. this comprehensive catalogue of works ofers a detailed overview of Caravaggio's entire oeuvre on the basis of the latest scholarly findings."
Are there more recent scholarly findings other than the papers & comments I have cited which would definitely exclude this work from even inclusion as an attribution?
March 15, 2020
Because there are not enough hours in the day to satisfy the average person's craving for art, it is unfortunately necessary to limit our focus sometimes, paying attention to this particular artist and forgoing everyone else while we're thus engaged. The result of this is, all too often, an appreciation of specific moments and people who have come to our attention while the rest of art and culture fades somewhat into the background until it's someone else's turn to step into the spotlight.
That's the case with Michelangelo da Caravaggio, at least it has been for me. I knew of his more significant works because of time spent in Art History courses once upon a long time ago, but it is only with my immersion in this terrific book that I have really come to appreciate the genius of this astonishingly gifted painter. Almost exactly contemporaneous with Shakespeare (born 8 years after him and died 6 years before him), Caravaggio's contribution to art is evident just by looking at the nature of painting before him and then comparing it to what happened afterward. Just the use of chiaroscuro (interplay of light and shadow for dramatic effect) marks a revolutionary change in the drama of the scene and there is no way it didn't affect the work of absolutely everyone who followed him, most obviously Rubens and Rembrandt.
While I would have liked a little more on the actual biographical details of the man, this concentration on the art itself is outstanding, entertaining, and enlightening.
That's the case with Michelangelo da Caravaggio, at least it has been for me. I knew of his more significant works because of time spent in Art History courses once upon a long time ago, but it is only with my immersion in this terrific book that I have really come to appreciate the genius of this astonishingly gifted painter. Almost exactly contemporaneous with Shakespeare (born 8 years after him and died 6 years before him), Caravaggio's contribution to art is evident just by looking at the nature of painting before him and then comparing it to what happened afterward. Just the use of chiaroscuro (interplay of light and shadow for dramatic effect) marks a revolutionary change in the drama of the scene and there is no way it didn't affect the work of absolutely everyone who followed him, most obviously Rubens and Rembrandt.
While I would have liked a little more on the actual biographical details of the man, this concentration on the art itself is outstanding, entertaining, and enlightening.
December 6, 2020
I picked this book up after stumbling across this YouTube video: Caravaggio: Master Of Light
If you're looking for high-quality content, Nerdwriter, the author of the video linked above, consistently delivers on this front. The production value is high, his insights are robust and expansive, and, perhaps most notably, his videos are almost always compact and digestible.
I'm definitely not a scholar of art nor am I really even all that knowledgeable of it. I would, however, consider myself, like most of us, an admirer of beauty. I'd seen Carravagio's works before but had never examined his oeuvre—this book gave me the opportunity to glimpse it, and it proved more remarkable than I could have imagined. The element of light in art has always had a seemingly powerful (more so than its counterparts) impact on me, so my deep appreciation of Carravagio's tenebrism comes as little surprise in that respect. I particularly loved the painting "Judith and Holofernes," which you see partially on the cover. It's so remarkable to me that such a violent act can be depicted with such elegance. I had honestly forgotten about the story of Judith and Holofernes, and even before I refreshed my memory on it, it swept me away. I also really enjoyed the painting "The Calling of St Matthew"—the subject of the video posted above by Nerdwriter. If you have 7 minutes to spare, I'd highly recommend giving it a shot.
If you're looking for high-quality content, Nerdwriter, the author of the video linked above, consistently delivers on this front. The production value is high, his insights are robust and expansive, and, perhaps most notably, his videos are almost always compact and digestible.
I'm definitely not a scholar of art nor am I really even all that knowledgeable of it. I would, however, consider myself, like most of us, an admirer of beauty. I'd seen Carravagio's works before but had never examined his oeuvre—this book gave me the opportunity to glimpse it, and it proved more remarkable than I could have imagined. The element of light in art has always had a seemingly powerful (more so than its counterparts) impact on me, so my deep appreciation of Carravagio's tenebrism comes as little surprise in that respect. I particularly loved the painting "Judith and Holofernes," which you see partially on the cover. It's so remarkable to me that such a violent act can be depicted with such elegance. I had honestly forgotten about the story of Judith and Holofernes, and even before I refreshed my memory on it, it swept me away. I also really enjoyed the painting "The Calling of St Matthew"—the subject of the video posted above by Nerdwriter. If you have 7 minutes to spare, I'd highly recommend giving it a shot.
October 24, 2025
The quality of this book, with its excellently rendered pictures and sturdy structure, is worth 4.5 stars. The text is worth 3.5, so 4 stars it is. I felt the text left a lot unsaid, based on other Caravaggio books I've read and searches I did while reading through this book. Regarding those searches, I was trying to find renditions of the paintings shown in the book that weren't bifurcated by a book spine, and in so doing, I always seemed to uncover interesting tidbits about the work or Caravaggio that were not mentioned in the book.
Some of the extra-large renditions of paintings presented in this book, the ones that cleverly took up three pages and had to be unfolded and maneuvered this way and that to be appreciated, took me back to my late pre-teen days of hiding in the bushes or garage with an older cousin who somehow got his hands on a top-shelf magazine.
Archaeology magazine. Yeah. That's what I meant.
Some of the extra-large renditions of paintings presented in this book, the ones that cleverly took up three pages and had to be unfolded and maneuvered this way and that to be appreciated, took me back to my late pre-teen days of hiding in the bushes or garage with an older cousin who somehow got his hands on a top-shelf magazine.
Archaeology magazine. Yeah. That's what I meant.
September 21, 2022
An outstanding biography of one of the Old Masters through his artwork. The detail is dense, and the author dissects the sources available to him to present the factual and makes tempered assumptions where necessary. He identified when he is making inferences and supports them (or cites the preceding biographer who innovated the theory).
He pictures are, naturally, wonderful, and the organization to include the narrative followed by his gallery is useful. A minor complaint, particularly in the first two chapters there is an enormous gulf between paintings being discussed and their location in the book. A strange inconvenience, but not one to diminish my recommendation.
I look forward to others from this collection published by Taschen.
He pictures are, naturally, wonderful, and the organization to include the narrative followed by his gallery is useful. A minor complaint, particularly in the first two chapters there is an enormous gulf between paintings being discussed and their location in the book. A strange inconvenience, but not one to diminish my recommendation.
I look forward to others from this collection published by Taschen.
May 29, 2025
impresionante, verdaderamente Caravaggio fue el maestro del claroscuro y, a mi criterio, el más grande exponente del barroco, recomiendo la obra de empastado duro, vale completamente la pena el pago, ya que la calidad del papel, aunado al color que maneja la impresión y las tonalidades, hacen que puedas apreciar claramente la obra de Caravaggio. Ya que es muy fiel a la auténtica, lo cual me atrevo a sugerir con conocimiento de causa; puesto que he tenido la oportunidad de apreciar de frente algunas de las pinturas de Caravaggio, la manera de la redacción está bastante sencilla, pero en ningún momento le resta lo buena que es, ya que juega un muy buen equilibrio a la vista que la biografía la combinan con distintas obras del artista, recomendado sin lugar a dudas
November 10, 2025
من اللحظة الأولى، يأخذك هذا الكتاب في رحلة داخل عوالم كارافاجيو المظلمة والمضيئة في آنٍ واحد. كل لوحة تحمل حياة كاملة .. توتر، عنف، خشوع، وضوء يكشف أكثر مما يُخفي. الصور المطبوعة بجودة عالية تجعل التأمل في التفاصيل أشبه بزيارة متحف خاص. أكثر ما أعجبني هو التوازن بين التحليل الفني والسرد التاريخي، فالكاتب لا يكتفي بوصف الألوان والظلال، بل يغوص في صراعات كارافاجيو النفسية، ويجعلنا نرى كيف انعكست اضطراباته على فنه.
لكن رغم الجمال، شعرت أحيانًا أن النص يميل إلى الأكاديمية المفرطة، مما يثقل القراءة في بعض الصفحات. ومع ذلك، يظل الكتاب كنزًا لكل من يعشق الفن الباروكي أو يبحث عن فهم أعمق لعلاقة الضوء بالروح. في النهاية، خرجت من الكتاب وأنا أرى النور بطريقة مختلفة… كما لو أن كارافاجيو غيّر نظرتي للعتمة إلى الأبد.
لكن رغم الجمال، شعرت أحيانًا أن النص يميل إلى الأكاديمية المفرطة، مما يثقل القراءة في بعض الصفحات. ومع ذلك، يظل الكتاب كنزًا لكل من يعشق الفن الباروكي أو يبحث عن فهم أعمق لعلاقة الضوء بالروح. في النهاية، خرجت من الكتاب وأنا أرى النور بطريقة مختلفة… كما لو أن كارافاجيو غيّر نظرتي للعتمة إلى الأبد.
May 28, 2021
Als erstes: Können wir bitte einen Moment die schöne Aufmachung dieses Buches appreciaten?
Caravaggio war einfach genial in seinem Malstil und vor allem seiner Bild-Komposition und dieses Buch gibt den Werken nicht nur ein ästhetisches zu Hause, sondern bettet sie gut in den historischen Kontext ein. Der Autor geht sogar noch ein Stück weiter und bezieht sich auch auf Werke, die nur eingeschränkt Caravaggio zugeordnet sind oder definitiv als Kopien bekannt sind und es macht großen Spaß, die Bilder miteinander zu vergleichen und nach der Handschrift des Malers ausschau zu halten.
Caravaggio war einfach genial in seinem Malstil und vor allem seiner Bild-Komposition und dieses Buch gibt den Werken nicht nur ein ästhetisches zu Hause, sondern bettet sie gut in den historischen Kontext ein. Der Autor geht sogar noch ein Stück weiter und bezieht sich auch auf Werke, die nur eingeschränkt Caravaggio zugeordnet sind oder definitiv als Kopien bekannt sind und es macht großen Spaß, die Bilder miteinander zu vergleichen und nach der Handschrift des Malers ausschau zu halten.
April 18, 2019
Mungkin, hal yang paling membuatku bingung, pertamanya mengetahui Caravaggio dan Velazquez, adalah, aku selalu tertukar akan keduanya. Awalnya aku sangat ingin memiliki Velazquez tapi harganya terlampau mahal untukku. Dan akhirnya, aku memilih Caravaggio yang misterius dan agak gelap. Saat buku ini datang dan aku membukanya. Aku tak menyangka isinya begitu memukau. Bisa dibilang Caravaggio edisi ini adalah satu penemuan yang lain.
March 6, 2021
Excellent book! There is a plethora of paintings from Caravaggio and OTHERS. The font is small (as are the pages) so the book doesn't lack for text. It identifies the page number in the reading for the corresponding painting. The back of the book has a catalog of all the paintings listing their location (as of the book's publication) and other details. That encompasses almost 200 pages but provides great information.
May 27, 2024
This fantastic book focuses on each painting Caravaggio executed. It is exceedingly thorough, thoughtful, detailed, and accurate. I highly recommend it to any art lover - and it is a must own for those particularly interested in the Baroque period. However, if you are mainly interested in the extremely unusual personal life of Caravaggio, then I strongly advise reading the best biography on him which was Caravaggio: A Life Sacred and Profane by the Oxford educated Andrew Graham-Dixon.
December 21, 2022
Groot boek met haarscherp gereproduceerde schilderijen. Het werk van Caravaggio is in mijn ogen uitgesproken gay, niet zozeer vanwege de grote hoeveelheid ontblote of half ontblote mannen die hij heeft afgebeeld, maar vooral door de blik van de schilder op zijn onderwerp (vaak levende modellen). Caravaggio's seksualiteit vormt voor mij de kern van zijn genialiteit.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews