The Shadowed Genius: Caravaggio and the Dawn of Baroque Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, a name synonymous with drama, intensity, and revolutionary technique, remains one of the most compelling figures in art history. Born in Milan in 1571, his life was tragically short – he died at the young age of thirty-eight – yet within that brief span, he irrevocably altered the course of painting, ushering in the Baroque era with a style both intensely personal and profoundly influential. Caravaggio’s legacy isn't simply about beautiful paintings; it’s about a radical shift in how artists approached…