What kind of education did Caravaggio receive?

There's no record of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio receiving any formal artistic education in the traditional sense, like an apprenticeship with a well-known master in a workshop at a young age. While he was born in Milan, he likely received only a basic education. His artistic skills were primarily self-taught, developed through observation, experimentation, and likely some informal mentorship or influence from lesser-known artists in his early career in Milan and later Rome. He learned by studying nature and directly observing the human figure, a characteristic reflected strongly in his distinctive style.