Southbank and Caravaggio

Last Sunday, it was a beautiful winter day.

With clear blue sky, bright winter sunshine and crisp air, I decided to explore Christmas markets in Southbank first before meeting a friend for a bit of cultural enlightenment.

London, you wheel-y are a beauty!

Fancy a little bit of Christmas celebration before the big day? Head down to Southbank, where you'll find plenty of baubles, gingerbreads, cookies and mulled wine offered in wooden chalets.

Beautiful hand carved Christmas decoration.

Mini Dutch pancakes with Nutella. Delicious!

Nutella makes me smile. Always.

Feeling happy, and truthfully, half frozen, I made my way to Trafalgar Square.

I love a good exhibition.

Caravaggio has taken over The National Gallery and I could not be more excited to witness it in person.

Beyond Caravaggio is the first major exhibition in the UK to explore the influence of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio shedding new light on a 400-year-old mystery.

If you go before Christmas, definitely check out the gift shop. They have some amazing festive decoration on display.

In his twenties, Caravaggio moved to Rome where there was a demand for his paintings to fill the many huge new churches being built at the time.

His paintings combine a realistic observation of the human state, both physical and emotional. He put the oscuro (shadows) into chiaroscuro, which was practiced long before him but it was him who made the use of dark shadows to obscure parts of the composition, a dominant element.

His work focused on mainly religious scenes, with a dark mixture of violence and sexuality resulting in a very powerful storytelling.

Caravaggio's portraits are incredibly realistic which is the reason of his huge popularity, showing everything from wounds, dirty fingernails, blemishes to the wrinkles.

Younger artists imitated him, older disapproved. Seduced by the power of his paintings, many went on to imitate their dramatic lighting effects.

If you are in London, please go! Take a couple of hours and just spend it admiring these incredible masterpieces.

His work will definitely take you on an emotional journey through history that will deeply touch your soul.  It is hard not to leave without feeling utterly stunned.

The exhibition runs until the 8th January 2017, book online here.