Common Sense Media Review
By Andrea Beach
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Vivid bio of genius painter has mature content, violence.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
CARAVAGGIO: PAINTER ON THE RUN fictionalizes the life of one of Italy's greatest painters, from the time he came to Rome in 1592 until his death in 1610. After leaving an unfulfilling apprenticeship with a staid, traditional artist, Caravaggio and his friend Mario put their paintings up for sale in an obscure art-dealer's shop. A powerful cardinal discovers Caravaggio's work and becomes his patron. Despite achieving great fame by sticking to his guns and painting the way he wants to, Caravaggio becomes increasingly frustrated because he still hasn't received a commission to paint in St. Peter's church, which is still under construction. His frequent late nights drinking and getting in fights land him in jail many times, until he's forced to flee Rome when a confrontation goes too far. After hiding out in Naples for a while, and earning a knighthood on Malta, Caravaggio is at last able to return to Rome and pick up where he left off. Unfortunately, he never makes it back to the city he loves so much, but his masterpieces continue to move art lovers around the world to this day.
Is It Any Good?
Veteran author Marissa Moss' thorough research brings the master painter vividly to life, along with the sights, sounds, and even smells of Rome at the end of the 16th century. Although his arrogance and obsession with fame make him difficult to like, there's no denying the innovative genius of Caravaggio: Painter on the Run. Mature tweens and up who can put the violence and attitudes about sex in historical context will really enjoy the richly detailed people, places, and events surrounding the groundbreaking artist. They'll also relate to Caravaggio's desire to use real-life models as a way of making the divine topics of his paintings more relatable to everyday people, and his constant battles with the stodgy status quo.
Caravaggio's life makes quite a page-turning story. Including diary-like entries from those who knew him brings broader perspective to the man and the events in his life, and the real-life police blotter entries add realism, and even humor. Readers may want to seek out his paintings after reading this bio, since the only examples of his work here are small black-and-white sketches of some details found in his paintings. Kids should be encouraged to look him up online or at the library or a museum to compare his actual images against descriptions in the text and what they imagined as they read.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the violence in Caravaggio's Rome. How are attitudes different, or the same, today?
How might Caravaggio's life have been different if he hadn't spent so much time drinking? Would it have ended differently? Does the book glamorize drinking?
Why doesn't the author show any of Caravaggio's paintings? What do you think they look like? Search on line or at the library to find some of the paintings described in the book. Is it different from what you pictured?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Historical Fiction
- Topics : Arts , Friendship , History
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Creston Books
- Publication date : October 11, 2016
- Number of pages : 360
- Available on : Hardback
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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