Description

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571–1610) was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life. His paintings combine a realistic observation of the human state, both physical and emotional, with a dramatic use of lighting, which had a formative influence on Baroque painting.

Caravaggio employed close physical observation with a dramatic use of chiaroscuro that came to be known as tenebrism. He made the technique a dominant stylistic element, darkening shadows and transfixing subjects in bright shafts of light. Caravaggio vividly expressed crucial moments and scenes, often featuring violent struggles, torture, and death. He worked rapidly, with live models, preferring to forgo drawings and work directly onto the canvas. His influence on the new Baroque style that emerged from Mannerism was profound. It can be seen directly or indirectly in the work of Peter Paul Rubens, Jusepe de Ribera, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, and Rembrandt, and artists in the following generation heavily under his influence were called the "Caravaggisti" (or "Caravagesques"), as well as tenebrists or tenebrosi ("shadowists").

Caravaggio's innovations inspired Baroque painting, but the Baroque incorporated the drama of his chiaroscuro without the psychological realism. The style evolved and fashions changed, and Caravaggio fell out of favor. In the 20th century interest in his work revived, and his importance to the development of Western art was reevaluated.

Artist: Silvia Petrassi

Obverse

Portrait of Caravaggio from a pastel drawing by Ottavio Leoni (Biblioteca Marucelliana, Florence). Around "REPUBBLICA ITALIANA"; in exergue the name of the designer "PETRASSI".

REPUBBLICA ITALIANA
PETRASSI

Reverse

An angel with large swallow wings seen from behind while playing the violin, a detail from "Rest on the flight into Egypt", a painting dating back to 1597 by Caravaggio (Galleria Doria Pamphilj, Rome). On the left, the inscription "CARAVAGGIO" and "R", identifying the Mint of Rome; on the right, the dates "1571•2021", the year of the painter's birth and that of the coin’s issue respectively, and the value "5 EURO".

CARAVAGGIO 1571•2021
R
5
EURO

Edge
Characteristics
Type Commemorative Issue (Non-circulating)
Material Silver
Fineness 0.925
Weight 18 g
Diameter 32 mm
Thickness -
Shape round
Alignment Medal
Mint
Italian State Mint and Polygraphic Institute (IPZS)

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