Caravaggio: Painter on the Run

By Marissa Moss

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Caravaggio was on a defiant mission to change the art world. Before him, there were pastel-colored idealized visions, polite paintings for a polite society. After him, there were slews of imitators, trying to grasp his brilliant slashes of light and dark, his people who looked more like your neighbor than a model of perfection. Bold with his brush, the young rebel was equally brash in his life, picking fights and getting arrested for things as silly as throwing a plate of artichokes in a waiter's face. Until he faced the ultimate punishment, condemned for a murder he didn’t commit – at least not intentionally.

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"Moss tells an absorbing, informative story set in a fascinating time replete with political intrigue, bustle, and corruption."

        -Kirkus Reviews

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"A detailed, well-researched story. . .[Caravaggio's] biography makes art history quite thrilling: he was regularly arrested for fighting, most of the women he interacts with are prostitutes, and he even killed a man. Teens already interested in art history are probably the best audience here, though interesting comparisons could be made to novels about characters fighting oppressive regimes, as well."
        -Booklist

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"Moss' words seamlessly build beautiful, dark -- and beautifully dark -- images, canvas after canvas. A must read for students, art lovers, or anyone driven to succeed, Caravaggio: Painter on the Run is historical fiction at its finest."
        -Foreward Reviews

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"I really enjoyed the descriptive scenes in which the main character is painting. I felt as if I were in Rome admiring Caravaggio’s art myself. I also liked the journal entries and police reports between chapters, some pulled from actual Roman archives. They give interesting insight into how other characters and communities view Caravaggio. Initially, the book felt difficult to read, but as I continued, I was very sucked into the world created before me. Anybody with an interest in art and/or history would likely enjoy this book. Any teenager who likes to read would find this book a nice change of topic and scenery from most books marketed toward us."

        -Pierce S.V., 18, Teens Review, School Library Journal

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         Junior Library Guild Selection