Francesco Solimena (1657 - 1747), known as Abbate Ciccio or the Ciccio Abbot, is a painter of history and prone monks as well as a Neapolitan Architecte of the period baroque. It is one of the great figures of the development of the Baroque and the Rococo which was recognized internationally like one of the most famous artists of its time.

Biography

Francesco Solimena was born the October 4th 1657 in the area from Avellino in Campanie, in Canale di Serino according to some, Nocera dei Pagani according to others; his/her father Angelo Solimena (November 17th, 1629 - 1716) directed a workshop of painting in this area.

Angelo wanted to direct Francesco towards the study of the letters, against the taste of this last. But the cardinal Orsini (future pope Benoit XIII) dissuaded some and Francesco became thus apprentice in the workshop of his father, in 1672 - 1673, then carried out with him the fresco of the “Paradis” of the cathedral of Nocera Inferiore and a “Vision of holy Cyrille of Alexandria” to the church San Domenico de Sofra, towards 1675 - 1680.

In 1674, it goes to Naples to work with Francesco di Maria (1623 - 1690) then Giacomo LED Po (1654-1726); it approaches the style at this time that Giovanni Lanfranco (1582 - 1647) develops in the frescos of the vault Holy-Anne of the church of Gesù Nuovo of Naples (1677). Lastly, it completes its studies with Rome by copying works of Pietro da Cortona (1596 - 1669), Guido Reni (1575 - 1642) and Carlo Maratti (1625 - 1713).

Of return to Naples (towards 1685), it takes note of work of Luca Giordano (1632 - 1705) and Mattia Preti (1613 - 1699) of which it retained the lesson of shade by brown heats. Francesco then assembles its workshop to Naples and carries out there many Fresque S, Retable S of the mythological prone , celebrations of marriage and events of court,… characteristic by their dramatic aspect, as well as Portraits.

At the end of the years 1690 and first half of the 18th century, its workshop became practically an academy which occupies the heart of the Neapolitan cultural life.

According to Bénézit (1924), it would have gone to Madrid in 1702 at the request of Philippe V of Spain to carry out various works with the royal palace there but the other sources do not mention this episode of its life; always it is that its influence is obvious in painters as Francisco Goya which worked at the court of Spain at this period.

Nicola Maria Rossi (1650-1700) was her assistant and Francesco had many pupils: Bartolomeo Altomonte (1702-1779) Giuseppe Bonito, Lorenzo de Caro, Mario Gaetano Gioffredo, Daniel Gran (1694-1757), Francesco de Mura (1696-1782), Francesco Narici (1719-1785), Pietro Antonio Rotari (1707-1762), Ferdinando Sanfelice (1675 -?), Gaspare Traversi (1722? - 1769), Domenico Antonio Vaccaro (1678-1745) Johann Jakob Zeiller (1708-1783), Joseph Zoffany (1733-1810),… But among most famous appears: Corrado Giaquinto (1703-1765), his/her son Orazio Solimena (1690-1789?), Sebastiano Conca (1679-1764) also formed by Corrado Giaquinto, as well as the Scottish portraitist Allan Ramsay (1713-1784) who worked three years in the workshop of Francesco.

The success of Francesco Solimena was considerable and he worked for large course European (of which that of Louis XIV); that enabled him to live very comfortably by accumulating a considerable fortune and it was even named baron. In spite of its success and following the example its father Angelo, it did not wish that his/her son Orazio devote himself to painting and it intended it to become lawyer. This one accepted a doctorate of Dominican right but was devoted finally to painting just like his/her father had done it.

Francesco remained active until the end of its days and died at the 89 years age to Barra close to Naples, the April 5th 1747.

Work analyzes

The composition of its tables is often underlined by architectural elements (steps, arches, balustrades, columns) which turn the attention on the characters, just as the set of shades and lights of the fabrics.

The historians of art took pleasure to identify the many models which he had imitated in his compositions. Its many preparatory studies often mix several techniques such as drawings with ink and the feather, chalk and washings of watercolour.

A typical example of the style of its youths of maturity is the “Allegory of a reign” (1690), work of the Stroganoff collection now preserved by the Musée of the Hermitage at Saint-Pétersbourg.

As from the years 1680, Francesco Solimena adapts the experiment Chromatiste of Luca Giordano, raises Jose de Ribera, which had assimilated the pictorial experiments most various of Italy of the time and license the blossoming of Neapolitan painting Baroque. Francesco Solimena will be its heir, like his pupils Corrado Giaquinto and Sebastiano Conca. As from 1690, it returns the following the example of Baroque vigorous and expressive of Mattia Pretti and it will initiate in Naples, at the beginning of the 18th century one major artistic period: that of the Rococo like exhaustion of the baroque, but also like that of the victory of the Century of the lights, the reason and reasonable opposed to arbitrary, to imagination and the unrestrained luxury. At the beginning of the 18th century, it is directed towards vast solemn compositions, with the crowned prone or profane, and with let us tons formal and, as from the years 1730, returns almost to its youthful ardor with a painting Néobaroque, finding one upsetting visual intensity.

Francesco Solimena exerted a considerable influence on the painters of the more young generations of Naples but also of all the Central Europe. It was used as example with the incipient generations and in particular Jean Honoré Fragonard, Francisco Goya and François Boucher which was inspired abundantly by its works.

Thanks to him, in one century, painting passed to Naples of the light-obscure heroic of the Caravage and of Giovanni Battista Caracciolo at luminous scenographies and this city left its statute of peripheral artistic center to become one of the European capitals of painting.

List works

  • 1675-1680 Paradise (Fresco, Duomo, Nocera Inferiore, Campania) - Carried out with his/her father Angelo Solimena

  • 1675-1680 Vision of holy Cyrille of Alexandria (Chiesa San Domenico, Sofra) - Carried out with his/her father Angelo Solimena
  • 1680-1681 Virgin in glory (Gemäldegalerie, Berlin)
  • 1684 (towards) Fall of Lucifer (Pinacoteca Vaticana, the Vatican)
  • 1685 (towards) Frescos (Chiesa Santa Maria Donnaregina, Naples)
  • 1685 (towards) Tables (Chiesa San Nicola went Carità, Naples)
  • 1689-1690 Holy Trinity with the Vierge and holy Dominique (Fresco, Sacristie, Basilica di San Paolo Maggiore. Naples)
  • 1689-1690 Holy Gaetan alleviating the angel divine (Fresco, Sacristy, Basilica di San Paolo Maggiore. Naples)
  • 1690 Allegory of a reign (Museum of the Hermitage, Saint-Pétersbourg, Russia)
  • 1695-1705 (towards) Venus in the forging mills of Vulcan - drawing - (Art Gallery off Ontario, Toronto) - the paternity of work is dubious.
  • 1695-1705 (towards) Holy Georges combatant the dragon - drawing - (Art Gallery off Ontario, Toronto) - the paternity of work is dubious.
  • 1696-1697 (towards) Dream of Joseph (Museum of Louvre, Paris)
  • 1697-1708 Placid Martyrdom of holy and holy Flavie (Szépmüvészeti Museum, Budapest)
  • 1698 Worship of the shepherds (Covento della Santa Annunziata, Aversa, Campania)
  • 1700 Borated removing Orithye, girl of Érechthée (Galleria Spada, Rome)
  • 1702 Holy January, (Duomo San Gennaro, Naples)
  • 1704 Venus receiving Vulcan weapons for Énée (J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles)
  • the 1710 Virgin entrusting the the Holy Sepulchre to Holy Bonaventure (Duomo San Paolo, Aversa, Campania)
  • 1710 (towards) Rébecca to the well (?)
  • 1710 (towards) Rébecca and Éliézer with the well (Galleria dell' Academia, Venice)
  • 1710 (towards) Jacob and Rachel (?)
  • 1712-1714 (towards) royal Hunting of Didon and Énée (Museum off Fine Arts, Houston)
  • 1719 Plan of the floor earthenware representing the " Terrestrial Paradise " and " Adam and Eve driven out of Paradis" (Chiesa San Michele, Capri, Campania)
  • 1720 Didon receiving Énée and Cupid disguised in Ascagne (National Gallery, London)
  • 1721-1730 Retable (Palate of the View-point, Vienna)
  • 1723 Holy Philippe Néri and the Virgin (Chiesa San Filippo Neri, Turin)
  • 1723-1725 (towards) Héliodore driven out Temple (Museum of Louvre, Paris), preparatory study with the fresco of Chiesa Gesù Nuovo of Naples
  • 1725 Héliodore driven out Temple of Jerusalem (Fresco of the reverse of the frontage, Chiesa del Gesù Nuovo, Naples)
  • 1727-1730 Frescos (Vault San Filippo Neri, Chiesa Gerolamini, Naples)
  • 1728-1733 Judith ('' woman of Esaù '') holding the head of Holopherne (Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna)
  • 1730 Annunciation (Museum of the Art schools, Quimper, Finistere, France)
  • 1730 Education of the Virgin (national Art gallery, Athens, Greece)
  • 1730 Holy Trinity with the Virgin and Holy Dominique (Fresco, Sacristy, Chiesa di San Domenico Maggiore, Naples)
  • 1730 Virgin surrounded by holy Dominican (Chiesa di San Domenico Maggiore, Naples)
  • 1730 (?) Holy Thomas d' Aquin (Chiesa di San Domenico Maggiore, Naples)
  • 1730 (towards) Self-portrait (Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence)
  • 1735 victorious Alexandre of Darius (Palacio Real of Granja, San Ildefonso, Segovia)
  • 1737 Allegories for the Weddings of Charles of Bourbon and Marie-Amélie of Saxony (Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte, Naples)
  • 1740 Didon receiving Énée (Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte, Naples)
  • 1744 equestrian Portrait of Charles II with the battle of Velletri (Pinacoteca, Caserta, Campania)
  • 1747 Virgin of the Rosary (Basilica di San Michele, Piano di Sorrento, Campania)

See too

Inter Wiki

  • Francesco Solimena

  • Francesco Solimena

external Bonds

  • Web Gallery off Art: Francisco Solimena

  • the abbate Ciccio, Francesco Solimena
  • Francesco Solimena on-line
  • J. Paul Getty Museum: Francesco Solimena
  • Scuola Media F. Solimena, Canale di Serino.
  • Skies in Glory, Temporary exhibition of the Museum Fesch Ajaccio from May 17th to September 30th, 2002
  • mysteries of Naples, Temporary exhibition of the Museum Fesch Ajaccio from April 30th to September 30th, 2003
  • Of Énéide with the images: Énée and Didon
  • Of Énéide to the images: Venus
  • the church of Gesù Nuovo of Naples In short historical artistic
  • the Castle of the View-point to Vienna and its collections
  • Museum of the Art schools of Rouen - Exposure Mirror of time, Masterpieces of the Museums of Florence, from May 19th to September 3rd, 2006
  • Francesco Solimena, Portrait of woman
  • Francesco Solimena, Didon receiving Énée and Cupid disguised in Ascagne

Other sources

  • critical and documentary Dictionary of the painters, sculptors, draftsmen and engravers of all times and all the countries, under the direction of E. Bénézit - Volume third L with Z - Editor E. Gründ, Paris, 1924
  • Encyclopædia Universalis, volume 20, Thesaurus Index Sports shirt in Zyriane - Edition Encyclopædia Universalis France, Paris, third publication 1977
  • Encyclopedia of art, under the direction of Lucio Felici - Edition Delivers pocket, 1991

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