Caravaggio and the Art of Darkness
Nineteen hand-painted oil reproductions after Caravaggio, from the card sharps and lute players of his early Roman years to the grave, half-lit religious scenes of his last decade. Each one is painted to order in oils on stretched canvas by university-trained artists, in the size and framing you choose, and takes 21 to 28 days.
- 100% hand-painted oil on canvas
- Painted to order in your size, framed or stretched
- Free delivery Australia-wide, 21 to 28 days
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Rated 4.81/5 from 549 reviews
All 19 Caravaggio oil paintings
Every print is made to order. Stretched ready to hang, or with a floating frame. 30-day money-back guarantee.
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Caravaggio | Supper at Emaus -
Caravaggio | Judith Beheading Holofernes -
Caravaggio | Boy with a Basket of Fruit -
Caravaggio | The Musicians -
Caravaggio | The Inspiration of Saint Matthew -
Caravaggio | The Incredulty of Saint Thomas -
Caravaggio | The Conversation of Saint Paul -
Caravaggio | Crucifixion of St. Peter -
Caravaggio | The Cardsharps -
Caravaggio | The Calling of Saint Matthew -
Caravaggio | St. Francis in Ecstasy -
Caravaggio | Rest on the Flight into Egypt -
Caravaggio | Basket of Fruit -
Caravaggio | The Taking of Christ -
Caravaggio | The Seven Works of Mercy -
Caravaggio | Death of the Virgin, 1601-06 -
Caravaggio | Boy Bitten by a Lizard -
Caravaggio | Bacchus -
Caravaggio | Amor Victorious
Why Caravaggio
These paintings are mostly darkness, and that changes where they hang
Caravaggio built his pictures out of a black ground with light cut into it, so the wall behind matters as much as the frame.
Caravaggio worked directly onto a dark priming, pulling figures forward with a handful of lit passages. In oils that reads as real depth, because the shadow is built from thin glazes and the highlights sit up off the canvas in thick paint. A flat print cannot do it. Stand at an angle and you see the ridges of the brush catching the light, which is exactly how the original was meant to be read.
Hang these away from direct sun and away from a window reflected opposite, since a dark glossy surface mirrors everything. A warm lamp or a picture light at a shallow angle is better than a downlight straight overhead. Go larger than feels safe: at under 60cm the faces lose their weight. Warm walls, timber, leather and brick suit them; cool grey and stark white flatten the shadows into a blank patch.
How your painting is made
- Choose the size and finishSeven standard sizes from 60 × 50cm to 200 × 135cm. Stretched ready to hang, rolled, or one of our frames. The size guide on every painting shows it to scale.
- Painted to order, by handA university-trained artist paints your piece in oils on canvas, working from the original. Two to three weeks at the easel, then drying time.
- Stretched, framed, checkedGallery-wrapped or framed in our workshop, then photographed and checked before it leaves.
- Delivered free, Australia-wideMade to order in 21 to 28 days, then tracked to your door. Thirty-day money-back guarantee if it isn't what you hoped.
Questions people ask
Is this a print or a real painting?
A real painting. Every piece is hand-painted in oils on canvas by a professional artist. Nothing here is printed, and nothing is a print with paint dabbed on top.
How close is it to the original?
Very. Our artists work from high-resolution references of the original and match composition, colour and brushwork. Because it is painted by hand, no two are identical, which is rather the point.
What sizes can I order?
Seven standard sizes, from 60 × 50cm up to 200 × 135cm, and custom sizes on request. Open the size guide on any painting to see each size to scale next to a sofa.
Framed or unframed?
Your choice at checkout: stretched and ready to hang, rolled in a tube, or framed in floating, classic or ornate frames. A floating frame adds a few centimetres each side; an ornate frame adds roughly 8 to 12cm.
How long does it take?
21 to 28 days, because it is painted to order. Delivery is free and tracked anywhere in Australia.
What if I don't love it?
Thirty-day money-back guarantee. Tell us within thirty days of delivery and we will make it right or refund you.
Famous Artists · Italian Baroque
29 September 1571, Milan — 18 July 1610, Porto Ercole
The outlaw genius whose blazing light and pitch darkness changed painting forever. Every painting below is 100% hand-painted in oils on canvas, from $299 with free delivery Australia-wide.
About Caravaggio & our reproductions
The life
Caravaggio's early training in Lombardy instilled a commitment to realism and a rejection of idealisation — principles that proved revolutionary when he arrived in Rome. His treatment of religious subjects was scandalously direct: the models for the saints and supplicants in his pictures were genuine peasants with rags, wrinkles and dirty feet, provoking controversy among patrons who preferred the polished refinement of Mannerism.
His career mixed ferocious creativity with an equally tumultuous personal life. He greatly admired Michelangelo, referencing the master's work in several compositions, and his legacy proved enduring — influencing followers such as Artemisia Gentileschi and inspiring later filmmakers including Pasolini, Jarman and Bertolucci. He succumbed to malarial fever at Porto Ercole in 1610, aged just thirty-eight.
Our reproductions
Every Caravaggio reproduction at Direct Art Australia is 100% hand-painted in oils on artist canvas by professional artists — never a print. Our painters build up his deep tenebrist darks first, then pull each sharply lit figure out of the shadow, just as Caravaggio worked. Delivery is free Australia-wide.
Can’t find the Caravaggio work you’re after? We can hand-paint any of his works on request — just ask for a quote.