Bacchus is a 1595 painting by Michelangelo Merisi, popularly known as Caravaggio (Witting et al. 27). The painting is held in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy. The painting remained unknown until 1913 when it was discovered in the archives of Uffizi Galleries.
Caravaggio
Caravaggio is considered one of the most influential artists in the History of Art. He was an Italian Baroque master born Michelangelo Merisi in Italy. At the age of 11, he was orphaned after the bubonic plague hit Italy, killing almost everyone in his family (Witting et al. 34). He moved to Rome soon after the plague where his paintings caught the attention of Cardinal Francesco del Monte, a connoisseur of the arts who quickly set him up in a proper house from where he could paint under del Monte's influence. Caravaggio's work became popular because of his unique technique known as tenebrism. Tenebrism comes from the Italian word tenebroso (gloomy, mysterious, dark). It is also referred to as dramatic illusion. It is a style of painting where an artist's uses very pronounced chiaroscuro. It is characterized by violent contrasts of dark and light, and the darkness is a dominating remains a dominating factor in the image.
Caravaggio is considered the father of tenebrism. His paintings were revolutionary, violent and portrayed a nervousness of temperament. He was strongly influenced by Lombard and Venetian painting. Caravaggio's career was short lived after he killed a man and fled Rome. He died shortly afterward at the young age of 39. His paintings remain today some of the greatest paintings in the world.