"unlike a few of my contemporaries, i rejected the masters of the high renaissance and formulated a style of painting that i considered to be more immediate and spontaneous. with my art, i strove for realism. i often painted directly from live models and rarely made preliminary sketches and notes. i also rejected more "elevated" subject matter and painted denizens i found on the streets of rome. this often got me into trouble and i quickly became a notorious genius. professionally, i was known by the name "