Art & Architecture - Southern Italy - page 501

menichino (1581-1641), as well as wounding the assistant of a second competitor, Guido
Reni (1575-1642). The Duomo was adorned with the frescoes of a number of rising stars,
among them Giovanni Lanfranco (1582-1647) and Luca Giordano (1632-1705).
A fledging apprentice to Ribera, Naples-born Giordano found great inspiration in the
brushstrokes of Mattia Preti (1613-99). By the second half of the 17th century, Giordano
had become the single most important artist in Naples. His finest fresco, the Triumph of
Judith, decorates the treasury ceiling of the Certosa di San Martino's church.
In M: The Man Who Became Caravaggio, Peter Robb gives a passionate personal assessment of the artist's
paintings and a colourful account of Caravaggio's life, arguing he was murdered for having sex with the
pageboy of a high-ranking Maltese aristocrat.
STARS OF NEAPOLITAN BAROQUE
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1573-1610) Bridging Mannerism and the baroque, Caravaggio injected
raw emotion and foreboding shadow into his art. Two of his greatest works are La sette opere di Misericordia
(Seven Acts of Mercy; 1607) and Flagellazione (Flagellation; 1607-10), hanging in Naples' Pio Monte della
Misericordia and Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte respectively.
Giuseppe de Ribera (1591-1652) Though Spanish born, most of this bullying painter's finest work was created
in southern Italy, including his dramatic St Jerome (1626) and Apollo and Marsyas (c 1637), both in the Museo
Nazionale di Capodimonte.
Cosimo Fanzago (1591-1678) This revered sculptor, decorator and architect cut marble into the most whimsical
forms, producing luscious, inlaid spectacles. Naples' Certosa di San Martino aside, his beautiful high altar in
Naples' Chiesa di San Domenico Maggiore is not to be missed.
Mattia Preti (1613-99) Dubbed 'Il Cavaliere Calabrese' (The Calabrian Knight), Preti infused thunderous, apo-
calyptic scenes with a deep, affecting humanity. Seek out his Feast of Absalom (c 1670) in the Museo Nazionale
di Capodimonte.
Luca Giordano (1632-1705) Affectionately nicknamed Luca fa presto (Luca does it quickly) for his dexterous
ways with a brush. Fabulous frescoes aside, his canvassed creations include Apollo and Marsyas (c 1660) in the
Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte.
Francesco Solimena (1657-1747) Lavish and grandiose compositions define this icon's work. One of his best is
the operatic fresco Expulsion of Eliodoro from the Temple (1725) in Naples' Chiesa del Gesù Nuovo.
Giuseppe Sanmartino (1720-93) Arguably the finest sculptor of his time, Sanmartino's ability to breathe life in-
to his creations won him a legion of fans, including the bizarre alchemist prince, Raimondo di Sangro. Don't miss
his Cristo Velato (Veiled Christ) in di Sangro's Cappella Sansevero, Naples.