The Entombment of Christ

Caravaggio is admired for several masterpieces, including The Entombment of Christ. This painting was started in 1603 and completed in 1604.

It served as a source of inspiration for many Romantic era painters and has been copied by a number of artists, including Rubens.

Michelangelo Caravaggio was born in 1571 and dedicated his life to painting. He was active in Sicily, Malta, Naples and Rome.

Each of his paintings displays an interesting and memorable combination of emotional and physical elements. The dramatic use of lighting evident in "The Entombment of Christ" is seen in many of his other works.

The combination of elements in a Caravaggio painting is powerful. This helped the artist's work to find a place in his time and he was respected by many other talented artists. Several painters in the Baroque style were influenced by him.

Many of Caravaggio's paintings were done for worship. He intentionally moved to Rome during his twenties in order to help fill the demand for artwork in churches.

There was a boom in construction of palazzos and places of worship, increasing the potential for young artists to build their reputation.

Caravaggio is credited with developing radical Naturalism, representing all of the elements in his paintings truthfully.

This required close observation of the physical details in each subject that he explored.

His paintings are made even more beautiful by his use of chiaroscuro, which adds drama to the three-dimensional figures in his work.

Chiaroscuro emphasises contrasts in a painting by allowing the viewer to enjoy shifts in light and dark tones.

The Entombment of Christ can now be viewed at the Vatican Pinacoteca or the Vatican Museums.

These museums in Vatican City display all the paintings and sculptures collected by various Popes. The most important Renaissance artwork is there and it is the most visited art museum in the world.