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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.
Obverse
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Depicts a detail from the painting Boy with a Basket of Fruit by Caravaggio. The name of the issuing country above. The mint mark of the Roman mint “R” on the left, the painter's name below. The twelve stars of the European flag are shown on the outer ring. CITTA’ DEL VATICANO |
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Reverse
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A geographical map of Western Europe spans the outer ring and inner core on the right side of the coin. The inscription 2 EURO is superimposed over the map of Europe, with the numeral “2” located in an open field representing the eastern Atlantic Ocean. 2 EURO |
Edge |
The sequence "2 ★" repeated six times alternately upright and inverted 2 ★ 2 ★ 2 ★ 2 ★ 2 ★ 2 ★ |
Characteristics
Type | Commemorative Issue (Non-circulating) |
Material | Bi-Metallic |
Ring | Nickel Brass |
Center | Cupronickel |
Weight | 8.5 g |
Diameter | 25.75 mm |
Thickness | 2.25 mm |
Shape | round |
Alignment | Medal |
Mint |
Italian State Mint and Polygraphic Institute (IPZS)
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