Caravaggio's Trick

Caravaggio was early 'photographer'

Caravaggio used an early form of photography to create his masterpieces - 200 years before the invention of the camera, a researcher has claimed.

Roberta Lapucci said the Italian artist - noted for his chiaroscuro (light and shadow) paintings - used "techniques that are the basis of photography".

It was already known he worked in a "darkroom" and illuminated his models through a hole in the ceiling.

But Ms Lapucci believes the image was also projected on a canvas and "fixed".

Light-sensitive substances applied to the canvas would have "fixed" the image for around 30 minutes, allowing Caravaggio to paint the image with broad strokes using white lead mixed with chemicals and minerals that were visible in the dark.

-bbc