- Giordano, Luca
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born Oct. 18, 1632, Naplesdied Jan. 3, 1705, NaplesItalian painter active in Naples.He was inspired by the work of José de Ribera and (after extensive travel in Florence, Rome, and Venice) that of Paolo Veronese and Pietro da Cortona, whose influence is most evident in his huge ceiling fresco in the gallery of the Medici-Riccardi Palace (1682–85/86), Florence. In 1692 he went to Spain as court painter to Charles II; his frescoes in El Escorial are considered his best works of the period. In 1702 he returned to Naples, where he completed his last great work, the ceiling of the Treasury Chapel of the Certosa di San Martino (1704). His oil and fresco output was enormous, and his subject matter ranged from religious to mythological themes; his nickname was Luca fa presto ("Luca, work quickly"). Many of his frescoes in Naples were destroyed or damaged in World War II.
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▪ Italian painterborn Oct. 18, 1634, Naplesdied Jan. 3, 1705, Naplesthe most celebrated and prolific Neapolitan painter of the late 17th century. His nickname Luca Fa Presto (“Luca, Work Quickly”) is said to derive from his painter-copyist father's admonitions, which were certainly heeded. His other nickname, Proteus, was acquired as a result of his reputed skill in producing pastiches in the style of almost any artist. Because he is said to have painted a large altarpiece in one day, it is no wonder that his output, both in oil and in fresco, was enormous. His range of subject matter was equally great, although most of his pictures deal with religious or mythological themes.Giordano's earliest dated work is of 1651. He was influenced at the beginning of his career by the work of José de Ribera (Ribera, José de). His style underwent a profound change as a result of journeys to Rome, Florence, and Venice. The lightness and brightness of Paolo Veronese (Veronese, Paolo)'s decorative works in Venice and the recent work of Pietro da Cortona in Rome and Florence induced him to abandon sober drama in favour of a more decorative approach. The influence of Pietro's frescoes in the Pitti Palace, Florence, is particularly evident in Giordano's huge ceiling fresco in the ballroom of the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi, Florence, begun in 1682 and completed in the following year.He went to Spain in 1692 as court painter to Charles II, returning via Genoa to Naples in 1702. The frescoes in El Escorial are often held to be his best works, but nearly 50 pictures in the Prado, Madrid, all painted in Spain, testify to his unflagging energy. His last great work in Naples was the ceiling of the Cappella del Tesoro in San Martino, begun on his return in 1702 and completed in April 1704. Many of his frescoes in Naples were destroyed or damaged during World War II. The great St. Benedict cycle of 1677 in the abbey of Monte Cassino was entirely destroyed, but the Christ Expelling the Traders from the Temple (1684) in the Gerolomini (San Filippo Neri) in Naples survived.Additional ReadingClovis Whitfield and Jane Martineau (eds.), Painting in Naples, 1606–1705, from Caravaggio to Giordano (1982), an exhibition catalog; Oreste Ferrari and Giuseppe Scavizzi, Luca Giordano, 3 vol. (1966).* * *
Universalium. 2010.
