Caravaggio, The Calling of St. Matthew, c. 1599-1602, oil on canvas

This work by the artist Caravaggio uses value in a dramatic way to express a monumental event. The artist used strong lights and darks to create a contrast that suggests a dramatic event. Caravaggio, like many of his peers created work for and about Christianity, although he worked as a condotiere, or mercenary, who killed for pay.