beside the easel

Allegory of Peace and Justice, 1754 Born on February 8, 1703 on the eastern coast of Italy, Corrado Giaquinto was a Rococo painter. His early training was under Neapolitan Master Francesco Solimena , then Giaquinto worked mainly in Rome, under another Neapolitan great, Sebastiano Conca . During this time he moved between Turin and Madrid where he received important commissions including Church frescos, alterpieces and a ceiling in Turin. Giaquinto marks a period in Italian Art where the elegance and sophistication of the Baroque leaned toward a more sensual liberty that would ultimately never quite return again. His work reflects the influence of his Neapolitan Masters yet also reveals a certain French sensibility in terms of colour, as he was sometimes referred to as an Italian François Boucher . Giaquinto however, has a drama that is particular in that his Baroque roots remain intact despite the grace he conveyed. In Allegory of Peace and Justice above, he uses an i...

Self-Portrait, 1730 click here for larger version Born near Avellino on October 4, 1657, Francesco Solimena was a giant of the Baroque, both painter and architect, who made Naples his home in his early twenties. His figures seem to have a musicality to them, his compositions inspiring, and his sense of color and chiaroscuro is majestic. The fact that he was not a northerner like his contemporaries makes him also unique, and he helped to establish Naples at that time as one of the painting capitals of the world. His career was quite successful and his studio also became an academy for several artists including Francesco De Mura and Gaspare Traversi. His Self-Portrait above shows a man of confidence and stature, someone who took his craft seriously and enjoyed the discipline of his hard work. Sitting in a rather noble red chair, Solimena is showing us that artists need not feel any shame in who they are or whom they work for, that artists contribute much to society and can be w...