Discourse on CaravaggioI first encountered this work when I was in high school, where I was dual enrolled at a local community college so that I could earn credits at once in high school and university. I was in my humanities class, Renassaince: The Age of Reason, when my teacher showed us this play and asked us what we saw. The answers were mostly obvious; we see a man who recently beheaded another. However, we all missed the biblical context of the painting; it is a representation of David and Goliath. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on 'Why violent video games should not be banned'?Get the original essayThis piece is called David with the Head of Goliath and was painted by the incredibly influential painter Caravaggio in the early 1600s. He completed this work and sent it to the papal court to try to ask for forgiveness; earlier in the year, Caravaggio had been accused of murder and forced to flee Rome for Malta. In order to truly explore the dynamics and meaning of the painting, I think we need to delve further into Caravaggio's story. He was born under the name "Michelangelo Merisi", but changed his name to that of his hometown, Caravaggio, to avoid confusion with the great sculptor and painter Michelangelo. At the age of 11, the bubonic plague had claimed both of Caravaggio's parents, leaving him an orphan in Milan. Fortunately, the painter Simone Peterzano took him in as an apprentice, where he learned the foundations and intricacies of the art over the next four years. Once Caravaggio reached his angsty adolescence, he left and joined a street gang made up of both swordsmen and painters. . Their motto was “no hope, no fear”. Caravaggio was a man of many vices; he was no stranger to drinking and gambling, and often sought to start fights in the streets, even seriously injuring a police officer and being forced to flee. He got by with other starving artists by accepting low-end commissions for simple exhibitions, such as portraits or still lifes. Once some of his works took hold, the Catholic cardinal took him in and asked him to create artwork regarding biblical passages. Here many of his most famous works, such as Death of a Virgin and The Taking of Christ, were created. For some time he prospered and earned a decent living; his place within the palace had protected him from any legal problems. Caravaggio was famous for his realistic art painting; he preferred to observe and base his works on nature rather than painting an ideal. As such, he often used as models those he found in the streets of Rome; However, people living on the streets of Rome were often homeless, prostitutes, beggars, and sick people. For this reason, many of his works were controversial, as he essentially depicted holy figures as mere mortals. His works bear witness to his state of disorder and twisting; the details are graphic and raw, leaving out no flaw or gory detail. His works both disturb and intrigue audiences because of the shock factor; no other artist would have the courage to do what he did, for fear of public outcry. However, Caravaggio's life was marked by problems. Blessed with a short temper and access to alcohol, Caravaggio again sought to start a fight, but this time it ended with the other's murder. Now, it is a crime which could not be forgiven by the Cardinal; as such, Caravaggio was forced to flee to Malta and go into hiding. There.