Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was the enfant terrible of the Baroque era, known as much for his violent temper as for his revolutionary painting style. He pioneered 'tenebrism,' a heightened form of chiaroscuro where darkness becomes a dominating feature of the image. By using a single, harsh light source, Caravaggio made his religious scenes feel gritty and intensely human, often using common laborers and street people as models for saints and the Virgin Mary. This 'spiritual realism' was controversial, as many felt his paintings were too vulgar for churches. Caravaggio’s life was a series of brawls and legal troubles, culminating in a murder charge that forced him to spend his final years in exile. Despite his short and turbulent life, his influence was so massive that artists across Europe—from Rubens to Rembrandt—became known as 'Caravaggisti.'