Caravaggio's death solved at last – painting killed him

[canetoad]

He killed a man, brawled constantly, rowed with patrons and fled justice while revolutionising painting with his chiaroscuro style. Now, as if to underline how dramatic Caravaggio's short life was, researchers say he may have quite literally died for his art.

Scientists seeking to shed light on the mysterious death of the Italian artist in 1610 said they are "85% sure" they have found his bones thanks to carbon dating and DNA checks on remains excavated in Tuscany.

Caravaggio's suspected bones come complete with levels of lead high enough to have driven the painter mad and helped finish him off.

"The lead likely came from his paints – he was known to be extremely messy with them," said Silvano Vinceti, the researcher who announced the findings today .

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2010/jun/16/caravaggio-italy-remains-ravenna-art

[CTyankee]

1. I did an independent study on him for my Master's degree.

Toward the end of his life he was on the run from the authorities in Rome who had declared him a "bandito." He didn't paint that much at that time and he doesn't have a huge repertory. But who knows?

I had no idea the paints were that toxic. It's interesting...what happened to the other painters who were equally prodigious at the time...such as the Carracci brothers and other Baroque era painters...

More research needs to be done. I have wondered at the short life of seveal painters of the Renaissance, such as Raphael. Perhaps now we have a better explanation for them too, unless the chemical nature of paint changed from the Renaissance to the Baroque era...

[FirstLight]

2. I had heard a long time ago that Van gogh

used to drink the turpentine he used to thin his paints... narly!

[The empressof all]

4. There is some question about Vermeer as well

Many of these artist used their spit to help control the brushes or used their teeth to pull hairs out of brushes to "fine" tune them. At least that's what I learned years ago...

I thought this hazard was pretty much accepted common knowledge these days and didn't realize it was only suspect. Interesting ....thanks.

[Hissyspit]

8. Paint and other art materials are always risky to work with.

The are still dangerous, although less so depending and we have have more knowledge of their dangers and toxicities and how to deal with them. I don't doubt at all that this is very possibly what killed Caravaggio, but I have greater doubts that they have his remains.

[KittyWampus]

19. Metallurgy was/is also toxic.

[Captain Hilts]

3. I hate to sound like an idiot, but anyone here remember the version of TheCallingofSt. Matthew with

the Beatles in it?

[CTyankee]

11. No, never heard of it. Do you have a pic of it?

I did my independent study in early 2003...

What a great work. I finally saw it in a little church in Rome...interesting. People were in their pews just contemplating or praying as if they didn't have these 3 wonderful paintings right near them in a tiny "chapel" (we'd call it a walk in closet).

[Captain Hilts]

12. I've been looking for it on google images. The Bealtes were the four

faces at the table, if I recall correctly.

I remember seeing the poster.

[surrealAmerican]

5. You just can't lick those brushes ...

... when you're using lead white.

[xchrom]

6. Such a brilliant painter - one of my favs. Nt

[CTyankee]

14. The NY Times recently said Caravaggio had surpassed Michelangelo in popularity

here in this country! I find that a little strange, but I guess it could be true. Caravaggio had a life that was the stuff of drama and movies and pop literature. I have read several books on him alone and they were all pretty interesting. Most of his works are in Rome and I saw them in 2006. Stirring stuff. He is an incredible painter...worthwhile to look into if you are interested in the art of the Baroque era...

[roguevalley]

15. his colors were awesome. mom's fav painter. we used to sit and

stare at the paintings in the National Gallery in London that were his. Mom especially liked the kneeling monk. Gorgeous color.

[CTyankee]

17. Kneeling monk? Did you mean his "St. Francis in Ecstasy"?

In it, St. Francis is fainting into the arms of an angel.

There is a very moving work of his that has two kneeling peasants at a door that the Madonna and Child stand in front of entitled "The Madonna of Loreto."

[roguevalley]

20. that's awesome. the one we saw was a monk in brown robe

praying and you could only see him from the back. I will go through my pictures and try and find it.

[Donnachaidh]

7. Didn't they find excessive lead in Beethoven's bones, too?

IIRC they thought high lead levels lead to his hearing loss, and later health problems.

[canetoad]

9. I think your right

but I recall it being a lock of hair that was preserved.

[joeybee12]

10. I tend to doubt this...what little is known is that he was a loose cannon pretty

much all his life...not like he went wild only later in life...

[CTyankee]

13. This is true. He had many enemies. The Knights of Malta were definitely after him.

And, because of his volatile nature, who knows who else were?

His genius was defintely marred by his character deficits. He could not control his anger and had a violent bent to him. He had some good political connections in northern Italy from whence he came (Milan area) but he kept getting into trouble again and again.

A screw was loose somewhere...

[Bonobo]

16. It wasn't overdosing on LSD!? nt

[treestar]

18. Who knew painting was so dangerous?

Learn something new every day. That explains a lot.