Luca Giordano

Luca Giordano (1634-1705), Italian late baroque painter (see Baroque Art and Architecture), born in Naples. He was known as Luca Fa Presto (“Go Quickly”) because of the speed with which he worked. He studied with the Spanish painter Jusepe de Ribera and the Italian painter and architect Pietro da Cortona, and his style was derived from the styles of Cortona and Paolo Veronese. Giordano lived and worked mostly in Naples; he also executed commissions in Florence, and from 1692 until after 1700 he resided and worked in Madrid under the patronage of King Charles II of Spain. Giordano painted numerous pictures, perhaps as many as 5000. His work is characterized by harmonious color, charm, and facile invention. Among his frescoes are those in the cupola of the Corsini Chapel, Florence; Christ Expelling the Traders from the Temple (Church of San Filippo da Girolami, Naples); and Battle of Saint-Quentin and Taking of Montmorency (Escorial, Madrid). His easel paintings include Venus and Mars (Louvre, Paris) and Birth of John the Baptist (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City).