David with the Head of Goliath. Caravaggio

The Bible describes the story of David, a young Jewish shepherd, who defeated the Philistine hero Goliath.

The Philistines were people from an ancient region in Palestine, Israel, and parts of Jordan, Egypt, and Syria.

Using a sling, David threw a stone that brought down the giant enemy Goliath.

A sling is a rope with a piece of fabric that a person can use to throw stones.

This painting depicts the moment after David defeated Goliath.

David is depicted tying the hair of Goliath with a rope after having cut his head off.

This act shows the victory of David.

David presents the head of Goliath as a trophy to the people.

The scene depicted in this painting is unusual because it captures the calm moment after throwing the stone.

Typically, paintings of David and Goliath portray the moment David throws the stone and kills Goliath.

But this painting captures the subsequent serene moment.

Both David and Goliath are illuminated against a very dark background.

The light source would be at the top of the painting, emphasizing the shapes of their bodies.

The painting displays a clear contrast between the lights and shadows.

Caravaggio used a limited colour palette, mainly ochre,to create a dramatic effect in the scene.

Caravaggio created this artwork when he was young, and it reflected the tenebrist painting style.

Tenebrism uses contrasting colours to illuminate specific figures in a dark scene.

Caravaggio was a highly influential painter who significantly impacted artists of his time and subsequent eras.

He used ordinary people from the streets as models to achieve realism in his paintings.

Later in his life, Caravaggio reconsidered the David and Goliath sceneand painted his own face to represent Goliath.

For a long time, experts debated whether Caravaggio painted this artwork.

Confirmation that Caravaggio created the painting came after it underwent restoration.

The full name of the painter was Michelangelo Merisi.

He was named Caravaggio after the Italian town of his birth.

Caravaggio had a rebellious character.

He faced legal troubles and even committed murder.