Michelangelo Caravaggio | David with the Head of Goliath

I initially liked this painting by Michelangelo Caravaggio because of his ability to portray power justice on the face of David and his ability to capture such a lifeless appearance in the severed head. However, I liked this painting even more after reading up on the history of how it was created. In May of 1606, Caravaggio was accused of murder and fled from Rome to escape his potential penalties. In 1610, he created this painting which depicts David the executioner holding Caravaggio's own severed head in place of Goliath's head. This painting was sent to the papal court as a petition for pardon, and pardon was eventually granted to Caravaggio, but he was dead before it reached him.