There are artists who are so famous, they come to be known by a single name.
In modern times, they include Elvis, Cher, and Bono.
Going further back in the realm of art, there was Michelangelo in the Renaissance era and Caravaggio in the Baroque period.
What strikes you when you see the most famous work in the Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg exhibition, "In Caravaggio's Light," is the centerpiece, Caravaggio's "Boy Bitten by a Lizard."
The painting was made centuries ago. But it feels like it just happened.
"What draws people to Caravaggio, at least for me, one of the things that's extraordinary about him is it's 400 years after most of his works were made, and they're still just as effective," said Stan Thomas, the Hazel and William Hough Chief Curator at the MFA.
"He was very careful in approaching people's emotions."
Thomas said Caravaggio chose to use people of the lowest classes in the painting. That draws viewers into the image, because if a street beggar in rags could be there with Jesus, so can you.
Thomas said 1600 was a watershed year.
"It really marks the beginning of the Baroque, and that's a whole stylistic movement which is associated with a single person. And so, when he starts producing his work, Rome is already a center for, of course, commerce, of religion, all sorts of things. But when he introduces his work, it heightens that even more. And very quickly you have artists coming to Rome and absorbing that style, and it circumnavigates the globe. It's incredibly important," he said.
Thomas said Caravaggio had a bad reputation.
"We don't know very much about his early training, but he doesn't seem to have worked with anybody extraordinary. And he had, I think, a gift for getting into trouble. And I think that's one of the reasons we relate to Caravaggio so well. We've all made bad decisions or had bad luck. He seemed to cultivate it," he said.
There was a time in the art world when Baroque painting, including the work of Caravaggio, was considered in poor taste and forgettable.
Then along came Italian art historian, art critic and art history professor Roberto Longhi.
Early on, with the encouragement of his professor, he decided to investigate the inherent merits of individual works.
He chose to champion Caravaggio.
He also collected paintings by the artist and the Caravaggisti, individuals who were influenced by Caravaggio.
"The real success happened in 1950, when there was a great exhibition of Caravaggio in Milan and that was the start of the incredible fortune and appreciation of Caravaggio's painting throughout the world," said Cristina Acidini, an art historian with Fondazione Roberto Longhi.
Acidini is president of the Roberto Longhi Foundation which has made it possible for people in the U.S. to see some of Caravaggio's paintings at the MFA St. Pete.
You can see the famous Caravaggio painting along with 40 other works inspired by the great Baroque artist. The exhibition is on now through March 2026.
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