Luca Giordano

Luca Giordano (Naples, October 18, 1634 - Naples, January 3, 1705), Italian Baroque painter. In Spain he was also known as Lucas Jordán , due to the Spanish version of the name.

Life and work

Although the son of a modest painter, Antonio Giordano, the friendship with José de Ribera would mark his life. Luca began working with Ribera at an early age in his Neapolitan workshop, and due to the great influence of the Spanish artist and his numerous trips to Rome, Venice and other cities, in search of a better knowledge of the different techniques of the time, he became one of the best artists of the Baroque. He was an assistant to Pietro da Cortona in Rome, delving into decorative aspects around 1650.

The Creation of Manfresh at the Medici Riccardi Palace in Florence, 1684-1686.

It is uniquely famous for its lightning-fast production and versatility; he will perform imitations "in the manner of" Raphael, Titian and Rubens. His activity, quite prolific, and his speed when painting are reflected in his nickname " Luca fà presto ", words that his father apparently used to say to him to encourage him at work. of the.

At the age of twenty he produced a series of canvases for the Basilica of San Pietro Ad Aram and Santa María Donnaromita, (The defeat of Sisera) in Naples, in which he depicts his mastery and also the Ribera influence. From those years, his prestige grows and he receives important commissions for various Italian and even Spanish churches. In Naples he meets Mattia Preti, influencing each other and it is there that he paints his Madonna of the canopy and it is known that in 1665 he was master of the painters' guild. In 1677 he worked in Montecassino and later went to Venice.

Giordano acquired a style that fused the Venetian and the Roman. He combines the ornamental pomp of Paolo Veronese with livelier intricate schemes "in the grand manner"; by Pietro da Cortona. In Venice he painted frescoes in the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute. Between 1682-83 he painted several series of frescoes in Florence, including the dome of the Corsini Chapel in the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine. In the block occupied by the old Medici Palace he painted the ceiling of the Biblioteca Riccardiana (Wisdom Freed from the Bondage of Ignorance) and the immense ceiling of the gallery of the Medici Riccardi Palace. The frescoes include in the center the prototypical hagiographic celebration of the Medici family surrounded by a series of intertwined narrative spaces: allegorical figures (Cardinal Virtues, Elements of Nature) and mythological episodes (Neptune and Amphitrite, the Rape of Proserpina, the Triumphal Procession of Bacchus, the Death of Adonis, Ceres and Triptolemus).

The influence of Ribera is manifested in the composition and in the gloomy lighting, but with a different use of color, even going so far as to make commissioned imitations of Ribera's style.

Around 1670, due to his incessant activity in frescoes in numerous monasteries and churches and the numerous Spanish commissions for pictorial works, King Carlos II commissioned him to paint the frescoes in the Royal Monastery of El Escorial.

In April 1690, he directed a request for grants to be granted by the king to agree to go to Spain, resorting to the then viceroy of Naples, Francisco Benavides, as supporter. On July 3, 1692, he moved to the Spanish court, where he would remain for a decade.

From September 1692 to August 1694, Giordano painted eleven vaults in El Escorial. The ceiling of the main staircase, La Gloria de la Monarquía Hispánica, was painted in the first eight months, in addition to the frieze located at the base and which represents the battle, siege and surrender of San Quintín, as well as of the foundation of the monastery by King Felipe II. Later, in May 1693, he began working in the basilica and remained there until, in the last three months of his stay in the monastery, he painted the frescoes of the two access passages to the choir of monks from the college (four facts of the story of King Solomon) and from the convent (so many episodes about King David).

Giordano's freedom, inventiveness and technique were one of the causes of the success of the frescoes in El Escorial. This work was followed by others of great importance such as the Buen Retiro Palace, the Church of Atocha and the sacristy of the Cathedral of Toledo, in addition to numerous works on canvas for the court and the clergy.

Portrait of Luca Giordano in an 18th century waterproof.

Solomon and the Queen of Saba in the vault of the Basilica of El Escorial, 1693-94.

Apart from his frescoes in the Monastery of El Escorial, the one in the Casón del Buen Retiro (c. 1697) stands out, one of the few murals that survive in Madrid, of the several that he executed. His frescoes can also be found in the Church of San Antonio de los Alemanes in Madrid on Calle de la Puebla. On the contrary, his presence through paintings on canvas is enormous: more than 40 in the Museo del Prado, such as Solomon's Dream, Rubens Painting an Allegory of Peace and portraits small-format equestrian paintings of Carlos II and his wife, surely previous models for large-sized specimens that were never executed.

Medici Triomphe among the clouds of Mount Olympusfresh at the Medici Riccardi Palace, 1684-1686.

Allegory of the Golden Toy in the vault of the Casón del Buen Retiro (Madrid, c. 1694).

In addition to the painting Santiago Apóstol en la Batalla de Clavijo in the church of the Convento de las Comendadoras de Santiago in Madrid, the collection of paintings in the Convento de Carmelitas de Peñaranda de Bracamonte and that of the Monastery of Guadalupe in Cáceres. The canvas called San Joaquín y Santa Ana con la Virgen niña , currently in the church of San Miguel in Cuéllar (Segovia), also corresponds to his last Spanish period.

He became very popular at the Spanish court and was granted the title of Knight. Due to the death of Carlos II and the difficult situation during the time of Felipe V, he decided to return to Naples in 1702. There had been no contract that would regulate his mission in Spain and he was simply a servant of the King's House.

The Archangel Michael and the fallen angels4-metre-high canvas (Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna).

There and possessing a large fortune, he spent significant sums of money on charitable works and was particularly generous to his fellow artists with financial problems.

He paints the dome of the Church of Santa Brígida in Naples, from the 17th century, the curious thing is that of the dome that could not exceed 9 meters in height so as not to obstruct the artillery fire from Castel Nuovo. However, the limpid sky frescoed in the dome by Luca Giordano makes the most of perspective and creates the feeling of immense space.

He reached the height of his fame in 1704 painting the History of Judith on the ceiling of the sacristy of the Charterhouse of Saint Martin in Naples.

One of his maxims was that a good painter is one that the public likes and is attracted more by color than by design.

Luca Giordano died in Naples in 1705. His body remains in a side altar in the Church of Santa Brígida. He died as a lay brother of the Ordo Clericorum Regularium Matris Dei .

Critical appraisal and legacy

The penitent Magdalena, work of the Museo del Prado in which the great influence of José de Ribera in the early production of Giordano is appreciated.

Giordano has been criticized for being a prolific dealer in all styles without mastering any. He has been regarded as a proto Tiepolo , reviving the grand manner of Cortona in a style that would shine with Tiepolo. Also, from the union of his Neapolitan school with the Venetian tradition, he would prepare the way for Francesco Solimena.

After his death, he was harshly discredited by artists and critics, who considered him responsible for the decline of Spanish painting after the splendor years of Velázquez and Murillo. The new interest aroused by the Baroque era at the beginning of the 20th century contributed decisively to the revaluation of the Italian painter. It must be recognized that his production in Spain clearly influenced Miguel Jacinto Meléndez, Antonio Palomino and Francisco de Goya.