Caravaggio's "The Taking of Christ" (1602) / Courtesy of Acts Management

Despite a short life marred by brawls, arrests and even murder, Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, better known simply as Caravaggio (1571-1610), forever revolutionized the art of painting.

His masterful use of intense chiaroscuro, paired with highly dramatic compositions, cast his figures in piercing beams of light against shadowy backdrops. He also chose to paint his subjects, whether sacred or earthly, with raw humanity, complete with flaws and imperfections, instead of as idealized forms favored by his predecessors.

In a career that lasted less than two decades before his premature death, the Italian artist managed to inspire a generation of painters across 17th-century Europe and ignited a transformative wave that shaped the Baroque art movement.

"The Master of Light Caravaggio and His Descendants," on view at the Seoul Arts Center's Hangaram Art Museum, brings together 57 masterpieces — 10 attributed to the controversial genius himself and the rest by Caravaggisti, his stylistic followers, and other Baroque-era contemporaries. Among Caravaggio's 10 paintings, the largest number ever displayed in Asia, three hail from the collection of Italy's prominent Uffizi Gallery.

Simone Peterzano's "Presentation of Jesus in the Temple" (1588) / Courtesy of Acts Management

Born in Milan in 1571, Caravaggio began his artistic journey at the age of 13 when he joined the workshop of Simone Peterzano, a former pupil of Titian. It was during this apprenticeship that he replicated Peterzano's numerous commissions for Milanese churches — works that would later serve as a wellspring of inspiration for his iconographic models.

In Peterzano's altarpiece "Presentation of Jesus in the Temple" (1588), Venetian coloring and skillful highlights illuminate the subjects, accentuating their contours and lending a lively quality to the composition. Such a stylistic approach influenced young Caravaggio, shaping his eventual shift toward visceral naturalism and a dramatic, lifelike representation of his subjects.

In 1592, the painter moved to Rome, facing several years of struggle as he worked to make ends meet.

During this time, he specialized in still lifes of fruits and flowers, then considered a lowly genre. Yet, in his hands, these elements came alive with extraordinary precision, their textures and imperfections dramatized by his signature theatrical lighting.

Occasionally, Caravaggio paired his still lifes with half-length figures, as seen in "Boy Bitten by a Lizard" (1595).

Caravaggio's "Boy Bitten by a Lizard" (1595) / Courtesy of Acts Management

The painting, which vividly captures the moment a sensual young man recoils in pain after a salamander's surprise attack, may be familiar to audiences who attended last year's "Eyes on Us: Masterpieces from the National Gallery, London" exhibition at the National Museum of Korea.

Caravaggio was known to revisit his compositions for some works, producing several versions with slight variations. "Boy Bitten by a Lizard" exists in three known iterations: the one displayed here and two others housed in the collections of London's National Gallery and the Fondazione Roberto Longhi in Florence.

Their differences are mostly subtle — variations in the boy's hairstyle and the redness of his cheeks and lips. But in the version featured in "The Master of Light," the youth's lower right eyelid glistens with tears of pain, an emotive detail absent from the other two, according to the show's curator Ho Jeong-eun.

Caravaggio's "Saint Sebastian" (1606), left, and "Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy" (1606) / Courtesy of Acts Management

The turning point in the artist's career came in 1595 when the influential cardinal Francesco Maria del Monte recognized his gift and became his patron. Through Del Monte's extensive network, he began securing commissions from Roman aristocrats and churches.

The raw physicality of Caravaggio's subjects in emotionally charged settings, amplified by his bold chiaroscuro lighting, soon made him a household name. The hallmarks of his style are witnessed in masterpieces such as "The Incredulity of Saint Thomas" (1601-02), "The Taking of Christ" (1602), "Saint Sebastian" (1606) and "The Tooth Puller" (1608-10).

He painted spontaneously, foregoing preparatory sketches and working directly on the canvas. And to the shock of his critics, he used real-life models — often beggars, prostitutes, laborers and even himself — to portray holy biblical figures, a choice that brought an unprecedented sense of realism and humanity to his pieces.

Caravaggio's "The Tooth Puller" (1608-10) / Courtesy of Acts Management

His stardom, however, was continuously tainted by his notoriously volatile temper. His frequent arrests included bizarre and violent incidents: hurling a plate of artichokes at a waiter, smearing excrement over the door of his landlady, attacking a rival with swords and pelting stones at the police.

In 1606, his aggression reached breaking point when he killed a man in a swordfight. Forced to flee Rome, the artist spent the next four years wandering through Naples, Malta and Sicily. Despite his fugitive status, he continued to receive commissions and produce works of remarkable quality.

In 1610, ill and desperate for a papal pardon, he set out to return to Rome. But he died under mysterious circumstances en route, at just 38 years old.

Caravaggio's "David with the Head of Goliath" (1606) / Courtesy of Acts Management

One of the final paintings gracing the gallery is "David with the Head of Goliath" (1606), a gripping depiction of the climactic biblical moment when the young shepherd triumphs over the Philistine giant.

What makes it striking is its autobiographical undertone; Goliath's severed head bears an uncanny resemblance to Caravaggio's own, while David mirrors his younger visage.

"The young Caravaggio holding the head of his older self — it can be read as an introspective self-portrait imbued with remorse," curator Ho noted. "By embedding himself in the image, he seems to acknowledge his own sins."

Installation view of the exhibition, "The Master of Light Caravaggio and His Descendants," at the Seoul Arts Center's Hangaram Art Museum / Korea Times photo by Park Han-sol

While getting a chance to marvel at the works of the Baroque master is a highlight of the exhibition, an equally enriching experience lies in observing how artists across Europe — such as Theodoor Rombouts, Pedro Nunez del Valle, Mattia Preti and Luca Giordano — drew inspiration from his style.

"The Master of Light Caravaggio and His Descendants" runs through March 27 at the Hangaram Art Museum.