The volumes in this series provide unique portraits of European art history. Readers gain fascinating insights into the artist's biography and their style; here we see the mysterious chiaroscuro paintings of Caravaggio. Authoritative text illuminates the decisive stages in the artist's life and the development of their style, explaining their impact against the background of their social context as well as their significance for following generations of artists. Plentiful large-sized illustrations showcase each artist's oeuvre. Each volume contains a comprehensive appendix providing information on the artist's biography in tabular form as well as an extensive bibliography. Each of the authors of the individual volumes is renowned in his or her field.