Where to See Luca Giordano

29 more museums hold works by Luca Giordano with smaller collections, not listed here.

• Where can I see Luca Giordano's work?+

  Luca Giordano's paintings can be found in numerous museums and collections around the world. In Europe, his work is held by the Hermitage Museum (Saint Petersburg), the Prado Museum (Madrid), and the Staatliche Museen (Berlin). In the UK, you can find paintings by Giordano at the National Gallery, Dulwich College Picture Gallery, and the Wallace Collection, all in London; and at the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham. Other European cities with Giordano paintings include Les Andelys (Hotel de Ville), Dresden (Staatliche Kunstsammlungen), and Copenhagen (The Royal Museum of Fine Arts). Outside of Europe, museums holding his paintings include the National Gallery of Victoria (Melbourne), the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University (Cambridge, Massachusetts). Some of his paintings are in private collections, such as those of Sir Anthony Blunt (London) and Lawrence Gowing (Lambourn, Berkshire).
• What should I know about Luca Giordano's prints?+

  Luca Giordano (1634-1705) was a prolific Italian painter and printmaker from Naples. While celebrated for his large-scale frescoes and oil paintings, his prints offer a more accessible entry point into his artistic world. Giordano's prints display his skill in etching and his engagement with various subjects, including religious scenes, mythological narratives, and allegorical compositions. His style often shows the influence of other artists, such as Rembrandt. Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione was fascinated by Rembrandt's prints, especially for themes and linear patterns. Prints in the 17th century also served as a means of advertising collections. Illustrated books containing reproductive prints allowed collectors to display their treasures and inspire admiration. "Theatrum Pictorium" (1660), organised by David Teniers, was the first illustrated book on a single picture collection. When assessing old master prints, condition and provenance are important. Certificates of authenticity are not always reliable, as connoisseurship is not an exact science.
• Why are Luca Giordano's works important today?+

  Luca Giordano (1634-1705) was an Italian Baroque painter. He is remembered for his speed and prolific output, completing commissions across Italy and Spain. Giordano's importance lies in his synthesis of different artistic styles. He drew inspiration from the Roman High Baroque style, Venetian colourism, and the naturalism of artists like Caravaggio. This blending of influences created a distinctive and dynamic approach to painting. His impact can be seen in the work of later artists. His decorative schemes and illusionistic ceiling paintings influenced generations of painters. His ability to work in diverse styles also made him a sought-after artist during his lifetime. He left behind a substantial body of work that continues to be studied.
• What techniques or materials did Luca Giordano use?+

  Luca Giordano was a prolific painter who worked in both fresco and oil. He was known for his speed and ability to imitate other artists' styles, which allowed him to adapt his techniques to suit different commissions and locations. For frescoes, Giordano would have employed the traditional Italian method of buon fresco, painting directly onto wet lime plaster. This required a rapid, resolute hand, as the artist had to complete each section (giornata) before the plaster dried. In oil painting, Giordano likely used a drying oil medium, such as linseed or walnut oil. The preparation of colours may have involved grinding pigments and tempering them with oil. He may have employed brushes of various sizes and softness to achieve different effects. His palette seems to have favoured strong colours.
• Who did Luca Giordano influence?+

  Luca Giordano's influence is widespread. Immediately after his death, many important painters adopted elements of his style. Rubens, Velázquez, and Pietro da Cortona echoed his compositions or copied his techniques. Within a generation, entire schools of Caravaggisti emerged in both Italy and the Netherlands. French art was also significantly affected; Valentin de Boulogne and Georges de La Tour show his influence. The location of the French Academy in Rome, near many of Caravaggio's altarpieces, may have contributed to this. Interest in his art resurged during the Neoclassical and Romantic periods. Joseph Wright of Derby's 1768 *Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump* transformed a scientific demonstration into a modern miracle reminiscent of Caravaggio's paintings. Jacques-Louis David depicted the dead Marat as one of Caravaggio's martyrs. Théodore Géricault's *The Raft of the Medusa* (1819) can be seen as a secular version of a Caravaggio altarpiece.
• Who influenced Luca Giordano?+

  Figuring out the influences on an artist is complex. Luca Giordano, an Italian painter, lived from 1634 to 1705. Caravaggio was an important figure in Italian art because he brought back naturalism. He is known for his use of tenebrism, a style using strong contrasts between light and dark. Some people criticised Caravaggio, saying he hid his lack of drawing skill by shrouding figures in darkness, and that he relied too much on real life for his subjects. Giovan Pietro Bellori, writing in the late seventeenth century, saw Caravaggio as important because he brought naturalism back to Italian art. Bellori's artistic hero, however, was Annibale Carracci. Other artists who followed Caravaggio include Ribera and Baglione, along with artists such as Guido Reni and Lanfranco.
• What is Luca Giordano's most famous work?+

  Although Luca Giordano produced a large number of paintings, he is best known for his fresco cycles. These decorate many important churches and palaces, particularly in Naples and Florence. His fresco work in Florence includes the ceiling of the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi's gallery (c. 1682). This large-scale commission cemented his reputation outside Naples. The subject is the Apotheosis of the Medici. It uses illusionistic perspective, a common feature of Baroque ceiling painting. Giordano also completed significant fresco cycles in Naples. These include works in the Tesoro di San Martino (1687-1689) and the church of San Gregorio Armeno. In Spain, he decorated ceilings in the Buen Retiro Palace and Casón del Buen Retiro. These have since been destroyed. He also worked at the Escorial, near Madrid, on ceilings in the church and sacristy (1692-1694). These Spanish commissions, for Charles II, occupied the final years of the artist's career. While individual easel paintings such as "The Judgement of Paris" are well-regarded, his large decorative schemes are considered his most important artistic contribution.
• What style or movement did Luca Giordano belong to?+

  Luca Giordano (1634-1705) was an Italian painter of the late Baroque period. He is known for his speed and facility, earning him the nickname "Luca fa presto" (Luca paints quickly). Giordano's style is characterised by its theatricality, dynamism, and use of colour. He was influenced by a range of artists, including Peter Paul Rubens, Paolo Veronese, and the Spanish painter Jusepe de Ribera. He synthesised these influences into a distinctive personal style. Giordano's work can be seen as part of the broader Baroque movement, which emphasised drama, emotion, and grandeur. However, his style also anticipates some aspects of the Rococo, particularly in its lightness and decorative qualities. His impact on Neapolitan painting was substantial. He also worked extensively in Spain during the final decade of his life, where he executed commissions for the royal family. His work there influenced the development of Spanish Baroque painting.