Oil Paint
Oil paint is a slow-drying art medium made with pigment and a drying-oil binder that allows extended working time, smooth blending, and layered application.
Painter
Caravaggio
Caravaggio was an Italian Baroque painter known for dramatically lit biblical scenes, unidealized models, and startling contrasts of light and shadow.
Caravaggio quick facts
Caravaggio gave familiar sacred stories immediate human force through live models, intense illumination, and areas of darkness.
| Born | 1571 · Milan or Caravaggio, Duchy of Milan (now Italy) |
|---|---|
| Died | 1610 · Porto Ercole, Tuscany (now Italy) |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Movements | Baroque (Italian) |
| Paint types | Oil Paint · Traditional Tempera |
| Painting surfaces | Canvas |
| Painting methods | Painting from live models, broad initial brushstrokes, selective incised guidelines, dark prepared grounds, and sharp chiaroscuro |
| Common subjects | Saints, biblical narratives, tavern scenes, musicians, young figures, martyrdom, and moments of recognition |
| Notable works | The Supper at Emmaus · The Denial of Saint Peter · Boy bitten by a Lizard · The Calling of Saint Matthew |
| Binder distinction | National Gallery technical analysis identified egg-tempera white passages alongside walnut-oil paint in The Supper at Emmaus and Boy bitten by a Lizard; oil remained the primary medium. |
Sources: The Met: The Denial of Saint Peter, oil on canvas, National Gallery: The Supper at Emmaus, National Gallery Technical Bulletin: Three Paintings by Caravaggio.
Paint types used
Caravaggio primarily worked in oil. Conservation research identified egg-tempera white passages alongside walnut-oil paint in two works; this should not be generalized to all his paintings.
Traditional Tempera
Traditional tempera is an artist paint made by combining pigment with an emulsion binder. Egg yolk is the best-known traditional binder, but the broader tempera category can include other emulsion recipes, so a museum record that says only “tempera” does not always identify the exact binder.
Surface types used
The Met records The Denial of Saint Peter as oil on canvas; the National Gallery catalogs The Supper at Emmaus as oil on canvas.
Canvas
Canvas is a woven fabric support, commonly cotton or linen, used for painting and sold either raw or prepared with a compatible ground layer.
Painters similar to Caravaggio
Rembrandt used dramatic illumination for psychological effects, while Artemisia Gentileschi adapted Caravaggio's theatrical light to powerful biblical stories.
Rembrandt
Rembrandt was a Dutch Baroque-era painter celebrated for expressive portraits, biblical scenes, textured oil paint, and subtle theatrical lighting.
Artemisia Gentileschi
Artemisia Gentileschi was an Italian Baroque painter known for powerful biblical heroines, dramatic oil paintings, and boldly lit narrative scenes.