Caravaggio's 'Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy' Comes to India

Key Points

• 1Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio's 'Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy' was unveiled at Delhi's Italian Cultural Centre.
• 2Caravaggio painted Mary Magdalene alone, with dramatically enhanced facial features in a pitch-dark room.
• 3Caravaggio fled Rome to escape a death sentence for murder, and his paintings were based on real models.
• 4His technique, called chiaroscuro, uses light and darkness in high contrast.
• 5Realism in art emerged soon after the Protestant Reformation, and the Catholic Church wanted art to help Christians reconnect with their faith.