1. Describe the distinctive features of Caravaggio’s paintings and his influence on later artists. Use at
least four specific examples to illustrate your points.
Caravaggio’s paintings were very controversial at the time that he was painting them, mostly
because he painted what he saw, and much of this content included distinctive features that were ill
received by the common audiences of his day. Patrons didn’t like his use of slum-life models, such as the
drowned escort girl as the figure of Mary in his painting Death of the Virgin, nor did they like the every-
day portrayal of saints such as Conversion of the Way to Damascus. In this painting the Biblical figure
Saul is falling from his horse, bathed in the light of the lord, but cutting a less than saintly figure as he
sprawls across what appears to be a stable floor. This was in contrast to the more popular style of the
time with idealized figures and rounded elegance. An additional feature that set Caravaggio apart as a
painter was his then unpopular use of dark paints. This, while slightly demonstrated at the edges of
Conversion on the way to Damascus, is better seen in the Calling of Saint Matthew. The art is set in a hole
