Luca Giordano was one of the prominent painters of the seventeenth century and one of the artists associated with the style of Neapolitan Baroque in Italy. He was born in Naples and had his initial training in painting under his father Antonio Giordano. While he was a young painter, he learned from the paintings of Jusepe de Ribera, and he also went to Rome, Florence, and Venice, where he was exposed to the works of several notable Italian painters. The style of painting practiced by him was a result of the influence of Neapolitan realism, Venetian color, Baroque painting of Rome, and Flemish painting. He was well-known for his speed of execution, and he got the name of “Luca fa presto.” He painted in Italy for many years and then lived in Spain for about ten years, where he painted for the court of Charles II. He died in Naples in 1705.
Early Life
Luca Giordano was born on 18 October 1634 in Naples to an artistic family. His father Antonio Giordano was a painter and art-dealer who taught Luca the art of painting at a very young age. Luca had shown unique talent since childhood, and thanks to his early introduction to the work of his father, he has developed good technical skills. During this time period Naples was a place where a lot of artistic activity was taking place, especially due to the influence of Caravaggio and other painters of Caravaggio’s school. Luca developed a particular interest in the works of Jusepe de Ribera, whose realist paintings, chiaroscuro effect, and dramatic representations of religious themes greatly influenced his early paintings.
These influences are clear in the first known works by the artist, which were created in the early 1650s. On the other hand, Giordano did not like being restricted to just one style. He was able to absorb influences from many other styles and from various Italian cities through travel. Being able to adapt to new styles quickly became one of the features of his career. He was well-known for his extremely fast execution and was nicknamed “Luca fa presto.”
Education
Education of Giordano was purely practical, and it comprised of close observations and thorough study of works by his predecessors. His initiation into painting came from his father, and the impact of his experience in the workshop of Jusepe de Ribera on him was profound. Naturalism of the characters painted and the play of light in the paintings of Ribera are evident in the works of Giordano. Education of Giordano progressed through the travelings to the centers of the art world. In his young years, he travelled to Rome and studied ancient sculpture, Renaissance art, and paintings of such famous painters as Raphael, Michelangelo, Carracci, and Polidoro da Caravaggio. He also got much inspired by the compositions of Pietro da Cortona.
Giordano’s subsequent travel to Venice exposed him to the vibrant colors and expressive strokes of painters like Paolo Veronese, Tintoretto, and Titian. He was also influenced by the paintings of Rubens and other Northern European painters. Giordano received a broad-based art education that enabled him to blend together various artistic traditions rather than limiting himself to one tradition alone. Imitation, adaptation, and transformation of works of art by other masters formed an important aspect of Giordano’s art.
Artistic Journey
The artistic career of Luca Giordano evolved from his works painted in Naples to a very successful international career. In the decade of 1650s, he painted some religious paintings, and gradually his talent of painting quickly came to light. He moved to different significant Italian cities like Naples, Rome, Venice, Florence, and Padua. The move of Luca Giordano to Venice in the 1660s decade played a significant role in his artistic career, as he found color and technique of the Venetian masters. In the 1680s decade, Luca Giordano started gaining reputation as a painter of large frescoes.
The great decorative cycle served as an example of his skillful combination of complicated composition, movement, illusionism, and vivid colors. In 1692, Giordano was invited to Spain by King Charles II, and there he served as a court painter and completed big decorations in the Escorial, the Royal Palace in Madrid, the Buen Retiro, and in the Toledo Cathedral. Giordano stayed in Spain for approximately ten years and then came back to Naples in 1702. In his last years, he received many commissions and worked intensively till his death in Naples in 1705.
Influences
The artistry of Luca Giordano was formed not by a particular school or master but through various influences that Giordano experienced throughout his life. The first notable influence on the painter came from Jusepe de Ribera and his realistic approach to rendering figures and their lighting. The further journey of the artist across Italy exposed him to the Renaissance and Baroque painters, thus providing Giordano with more artistic possibilities. For instance, the influence of Raphael and Michelangelo lay in the painter’s approach to human anatomy and composition, whereas the Carracci were influential in Giordano’s classicist organization.
In Cortona, he learned about the importance of motion, illusionary space, and grandiose Baroque composition. The artists from Venice, especially Veronese, had an effect on Giordano’s color and its play of light. Titian and Tintoretto were some of the artists whose work he liked. Some of the Northern European artists, like Peter Paul Rubens, who taught him about dramatic colors and movements, and Rembrandt, who interested him, also left their imprint. Some of the artists he met in Spain were Velázquez, Murillo, and Claudio Coello. He took these influences and made them his very adaptable style.