Caravaggio (Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, 1571–1610) was a master Italian painter recognized as a pioneer of the Baroque style. He trained in Milan under a pupil of Titian, absorbing the artistic heritage of Leonardo da Vinci and the Lombard school. In 1592, following a violent altercation that wounded a police officer, he relocated to Rome. His arrival coincided with a period of massive architectural expansion and the Catholic Counter-Reformation, during which the Church commissioned numerous artworks to elevate its social prestige. Renowned for his dramatic realism, revolutionary technique of chiaroscuro, and a tumultuous personal life, Caravaggio left an indelible mark on Western art.