Aristotle

Luca Giordano prints bring the light, colour and swirling energy of the late Italian Baroque into your home. Giordano was the star painter of Naples, nicknamed "Luca fa presto" (Luca paints fast), who covered palaces and churches from Florence to Madrid with frescoes and painted hundreds of altarpieces and myths. Our collection of fine art prints covers his religious paintings, mythological scenes, philosophers and drawings.

About Luca Giordano

Luca Giordano was born in Naples, the son of the painter Antonio Giordano. Around 1650 he was apprenticed to Jusepe de Ribera, and his early half-length philosophers follow Ribera's dark, naturalistic style. In about 1652 he went to Rome, where he studied the art of Pietro da Cortona and the High Renaissance masters. Back in Naples he developed a bright, exuberant Baroque style, drawing on Mattia Preti, Rubens and the Venetian painters, especially Veronese and Titian. He married Margherita Dardi in 1658.

In 1665 he travelled to Florence and Venice, where he painted altarpieces for Santa Maria della Salute. From the late 1670s he painted great fresco cycles, including the Life of St Benedict at Monte Cassino, later destroyed in the Second World War. In 1682–85 he worked in Florence, painting the dome of the Corsini Chapel and the gallery and library ceilings of the Palazzo Medici Riccardi.

In 1692 King Charles II invited him to Spain, where for ten years he painted vast schemes at the Escorial, the Buen Retiro palace, Toledo Cathedral and Aranjuez. The prior of the Escorial marvelled that he could paint a dozen figures three times life size in a day. He returned to Naples in 1702 and kept painting until his death there in January 1705.

Style and Subjects

Giordano's speed and versatility were legendary. Besides "Luca fa presto", he was called "the Thunderbolt" and "the Proteus" of painting, because he could imitate other artists so convincingly. His early work is dark and dramatic in the manner of Ribera; his mature work is full of light, warm colour, movement and swirling figures.

He painted almost every subject: altarpieces, saints and visions, myths of gods and heroes, battles, philosophers and astrologers, and soaring ceilings crowded with angels and allegorical figures.

Famous Works

• Saint Luke Painting the Virgin (c. 1650), Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon. Perhaps his first major work, with the saint as a self-portrait.
• Crates (1660), Palazzo Barberini, Rome. A powerful half-length philosopher in the manner of Ribera.
• The Fall of the Rebel Angels (c. 1666), Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. Saint Michael casting down Satan in a whirl of bodies and light.
• Rape of Europa (1675), Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg. Jupiter as a bull carries off the princess, a lively mythological scene.
• Galatea (before 1677), Palazzo Pitti, Florence. A celebrated sea-myth in his free Cortona-inspired style.
• Palazzo Medici Riccardi frescoes (1682–85), Palazzo Medici Riccardi, Florence. His great ceiling for the gallery and library of the Riccardi family palace.
• The Marriage of the Virgin (1688), Louvre, Paris. A graceful religious scene from his return to Naples.
• Crucifixion of Saint Peter (1692), Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice. The apostle raised upside down on his cross.

Decorating with Giordano Prints

Giordano's paintings have the drama and scale for formal rooms. A large religious or mythological scene, such as The Abduction of Helen, suits a dining room, library or stairwell with traditional furniture and rich colours.

His philosophers and astrologers, like Aristotle, make a characterful group in a study, and the gentler holy family and Madonna scenes work well in a quiet bedroom or reading room.

FAQ

Why was Luca Giordano called "Luca fa presto"?

The nickname means "Luca paints quickly". He was famous for the speed of his work and for his huge output of altarpieces, easel paintings and frescoes.

What art movement was Luca Giordano part of?

He was one of the leading painters of the late Italian Baroque, the most celebrated artist of the Neapolitan school of his time.

Where did Luca Giordano work?

He worked in Naples, Rome, Florence and Venice, then spent ten years (1692–1702) as court painter in Spain, decorating the Escorial, the Buen Retiro and Toledo Cathedral.

Where can I see Giordano's paintings?

His frescoes are in the Palazzo Medici Riccardi in Florence and the Escorial in Spain. Paintings are in the Museo di Capodimonte in Naples, the Prado, the Louvre, the Kunsthistorisches Museum and many other museums.

Related Artists

• Jusepe de Ribera: his teacher in Naples
• Pietro da Cortona: Roman Baroque painter whose style he absorbed
• Mattia Preti: Neapolitan painter he admired
• Peter Paul Rubens: Flemish master who had a lasting influence on him
• Francesco Solimena: leading Neapolitan painter of the next generation