Art & Architecture - Southern Italy - page 500

renewed interest in classical learning and humanist philosophy. Coupled with the increas-
ingly ambitious, competitive nature of northern Italy's city states, these developments
would culminate in the Renaissance.
Centred in Florence in the 15th century, and Rome and Venice in the 16th century, the
Renaissance was slower to catch on in southern Italy, which was caught up in the power
struggles between its French and Spanish rulers. One of the south's few Renaissance mas-
ters was Antonello da Messina (1430-79), whose luminous works include The Virgin An-
nunciate (1474-77) in Palermo's Galleria Regionale della Sicilia and The Annunciation
(1474) in Syracuse's Galleria Regionale di Palazzo Bellomo.
Italy's dedicated art police force, the Comando Carabinieri Tutela Patrimonio Culturale, tackles the loot-
ing of Italy's priceless heritage. It's estimated that over 100,000 ancient tombs have been ransacked by
tombaroli (tomb raiders) alone; the contents are often sold to private and public collectors around the world.
Bad Boys & the Baroque
With the advent of the baroque, it was the south's time to shine. Under 17th-century Span-
ish rule, Naples was transformed into Europe's largest city. Swelling crowds and counter-
Reformation fervour sparked a building boom, with taller-than-ever palazzi (mansions)
and showcase churches sprouting up across the city. Ready to adorn these new landmarks
was a brash, arrogant and fiery league of artists, ditching Renaissance restraint for
baroque exuberance.
The main influence on 17th-century Neapolitan art was the Milanese-born artist Cara-
vaggio (1573-1610). A controversial character, he escaped to Naples in 1606 after killing
a man in Rome; although he only stayed for a year, his impact on the city's artistic scene
was huge. Caravaggio's dramatic depiction of light and shade, his supreme draughtsman-
ship and his naturalist style had an electrifying effect on the city's younger artists. One
look at his Flagellazione (Flagellation; 1607-10) in Naples' Museo Nazionale di Capodi-
monte or his La sette opere di Misericordia (Seven Acts of Mercy; c 1607) in the Pio
Monte della Misericordia and you'll understand why.
One of Caravaggio's greatest fans was artist Giuseppe de Ribera (1591-1652), whose
combination of shadow, colour and gloomy naturalism is brilliantly executed in his mas-
terpiece, Pietà (1637), which is hanging in Naples' Certosa di San Martino. Merciless to
the extreme, Lo Spagnoletto (The Little Spaniard, as Ribera was known) reputedly won a
commission for the Cappella del Tesoro in Naples' Duomo by poisoning his rival Do-