Caravaggio, byname of Michelangelo Merisi  (b. Sept. 29?, 1571, Milan or Caravaggio [Italy]—d. July 18, 1610, Port’Ercole, Tuscany), Italian painter whose revolutionary technique of tenebrism, or dramatic, selective illumination of form out of deep shadow, became a hallmark of Baroque painting. Scorning the traditional idealized interpretation of religious subjects, he took his models from the streets and painted them realistically. His three paintings of St. Matthew (c. 1597–1602) caused a sensation and were followed by such masterpieces as The Supper at Emmaus (1596 ...

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