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Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione (baptized 23 March 16095 May 1664) was an Italian
Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including ...
painter,
printmaker Printmaking is the process of creating work of art, artworks by printing, normally on paper, but also on fabric, wood, metal, and other surfaces. "Traditional printmaking" normally covers only the process of creating prints using a hand proce ...
and draftsman, of the Genoese school. He is best known now for his
etching Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other types ...
s, and as the inventor of the
printmaking Printmaking is the process of creating artworks by printing, normally on paper, but also on fabric, wood, metal, and other surfaces. "Traditional printmaking" normally covers only the process of creating prints using a hand processed techniqu ...
technique of monotyping. He was known as ''Il Grechetto'' in Italy and in France as ''Le Benédette''.


Biography

Castiglione was born in Genoa. The biographer of Genoese painters, Raffaele Soprani says his parents had him places in the studio of
Giovanni Battista Paggi Giovanni Battista Paggi (27 February 1554 – 12 March 1627) was an Italian painter, sculptor, and writer. His style spans the Late-Renaissance and early-Baroque. Life He was born in Genoa into the well-to-do family of his father Pellegrino. I ...
. Wittkower describes him as a "passionate student" of
Anthony van Dyck Sir Anthony van Dyck (, many variant spellings; 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Brabantian Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Southern Netherlands and Italy. The seventh ...
, who arrived in 1621, and
Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens (; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat from the Duchy of Brabant in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium). He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque tradit ...
, who stayed in the city in the first decade of the 17th century and whose paintings were readily accessible there. He may have trained under the Genoese Bernardo Strozzi. He lived in Rome from 1634 to about 1645, then returned to Genoa. He also traveled to
Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico ...
and
Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adm ...
. He was back in Rome in 1647, before moving in 1651 to be a court artist in Mantua for Duke Carlo II and his wife Isabella Chiara de Austria. He died in Mantua. He had various brushes with the law in his lifetime. The Queen's Gallery in London, where an exhibition of his work was held in 2013, made the following statement: "Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione was also a violent and impetuous man, who was repeatedly in court for assault, allegedly attempted to throw his sister off a roof and was forced to leave Rome, probably after committing murder. The turbulence that characterised his life overshadowed his artistic brilliance, and Castiglione struggled to achieve recognition in his lifetime. Much of what is known about the artist is derived not from fulfilled commissions, but from court documents."


Artistic achievements

He painted portraits, historical pieces and landscapes, but chiefly excelled in fairs,
markets Market is a term used to describe concepts such as: *Market (economics), system in which parties engage in transactions according to supply and demand *Market economy *Marketplace, a physical marketplace or public market Geography *Märket, an ...
and rural scenes with animals.
Noah's ark Noah's Ark ( he, תיבת נח; Biblical Hebrew: ''Tevat Noaḥ'')The word "ark" in modern English comes from Old English ''aerca'', meaning a chest or box. (See Cresswell 2010, p.22) The Hebrew word for the vessel, ''teva'', occurs twice in ...
and the animals entering the Ark was a favorite subject of his. Castiglione was a brilliant draftsman and pioneered the development of the oil sketch (often using a mixture of mediums) as a finished work - previously they had been used only for working studies for another finished piece, for example by Rubens. He returned to the same subjects over and over again, but with significantly different compositions each time. He also executed a number of
etching Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other types ...
s (see cover of edition of
''The genius of Castiglione''
published in 1648). ''Diogenes searching for a Man'' is one of the principal of these; others are about religious themes. Some are moralistic stories such as that of the ''blind leading the blind

The etchings are remarkable for light and shade, and have even earned for Castiglione the name of a second
Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (, ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker and draughtsman. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally cons ...
. He was exposed to Rembrandt's etching by 1630. In about 1648 he invented the monotype, the only printmaking technique to be an Italian invention, making over twenty over the succeeding years. His most popular and influential prints were a series of exotic heads, mostly of vaguely Oriental males, but also of women. These were produced in great numbers. Among the topics of his etchings are ''Diogenes with his lantern, Noah leading animals into Arc'', St Joseph Asleep during Flight from Egypt'', ''Circe surrounded by animals'', ''Silenus at the fountain'', ''Nativity'', ''Resurrection of Lazarus'', and ''Genius of Castiglione''. Castiglione was renowned for his ability to paint animals, mostly barn animals, and this was often a dominant motif in his paintings. For example, in the painting of ''Jesus clearing the temple of Moneylenders'', the religious event is a minor, background part of the painting, the stampede of animals is far more prominent than the scattering of bankers. Castiglione's attention to detail in the depiction of nature is regarded as proof of the influence of Scorza and the Flemish still life and animal painter Jan Roos who was a long-term resident of Genoa.Timothy J. Standring. "Castiglione." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 5 March 2016 It has been suggested that it was Jan Roos who convinced Castiglione to enliven his religious and mythological compositions with animal and still life elements. In Mantua, he received his name of Grechetto, from the classic air of his pastoral depictions. In his later years, he was severely afflicted by gout. His brother Salvatore and his son Francesco excelled in the same subjects; and it is thought that many paintings which are ascribed to Benedetto are only copies after him, or perhaps originals by his son or brother. He also influenced
Anton Maria Vassallo Antonio Maria Vassallo (c. 1620-1664/1673) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active mainly in Genoa, and painting mythologic scenes and still lifes. His biography is poorly documented, and mainly depends on the Genoese biographer Raf ...
(c1640-60). Among those who engraved after him were
Giovanni Lorenzo Bertolotto Giovanni Lorenzo Bertolotti (1640–1721) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active in Genoa. Bertolotti specialized in paintings having scenes of a mythological, historical or religious nature as subjects. He trained under Giovanni ...
in Genoa,Dizionario geografico-storico-statistico-commerciale degli stati del Re di Sardegna
Volume 7, by Goffredo Casalis, Turin (1840), page 724.
the Venetian
Anton Maria Zanetti Count Anton oMaria Zanetti (1689–1767) was a Venetian artist, engraver, art critic, art dealer and connoisseur. He formed a collection of engraved gems, of which he published a lavish catalogue. Life Zanetti spent his early manhood making ...
, Michele l'Asne, Louis de Chatillon, and Coreneille Coemans. His paintings are to be found in
Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...
,
Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400  ...
,
Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adm ...
,
Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico ...
, and more especially Genoa and
Mantua Mantua ( ; it, Mantova ; Lombard and la, Mantua) is a city and '' comune'' in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the province of the same name. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the Italian Capital of Culture. In 2017, it was named as the Eur ...
. ''The Presepio'' (Nativity of
Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and relig ...
) for the church of San Luca, Genoa, ranks among his most celebrated paintings, and the
Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the '' Venus de Milo''. A central ...
contains eight characteristic examples. He painted a ''SS. Mary Magdalene and Catharine'' for the church of the Madonna di Castello and ''St. James defeats the Moors'' for the Oratorio di San Giacomo della Marina, both in Genoa.


Gallery

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione - Circe - WGA4544.jpg, Circe Grechetto - Entrada dos animais na arca de Noé.jpg, Noah brings Animals into Arc Castiglioni, Noah's Sacrifice After the Deluge.JPG, Noah's sacrifice after Deluge Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione - Jacob Leading the Flocks of Laban - WGA4546.jpg, Jacob leading Flocks of Laban Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione - Pyrrha and Deucalion - WGA4550.jpg, Pyrrha and Deucalion Castiglione, Giovanni - Fable of Diogenes - 17th century.jpg, ''
Diogenes Diogenes ( ; grc, Διογένης, Diogénēs ), also known as Diogenes the Cynic (, ) or Diogenes of Sinope, was a Greek philosopher and one of the founders of Cynicism (philosophy). He was born in Sinope, an Ionian colony on the Black Sea ...
'', oil by Castiglione,
Museo del Prado The Prado Museum ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It is widely considered to house one of the world's finest collections of European art, dating from th ...
. File:Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione - Journey of Rebecca - Google Art Project.jpg , Journey of Rebecca File:Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione - The Miracle of Soriano - WGA04551.jpg, ''
San Domenico in Soriano ''Saint Dominic in Soriano'' ( it, San Domenico in Soriano; es, Santo Domingo en Soriano) was a portrait of Saint Dominic painted in 1530. It is an important artefact in the Dominican friary at Soriano Calabro in southern Italy. It was believ ...
'',


Notes


Sources

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External links


Gallery of etchings''Genoa : drawings and prints, 1530-1800''
fully digitized text from The Metropolitan Museum of Art libraries (see index) {{DEFAULTSORT:Castiglione 1609 births 1664 deaths Artists from Genoa 17th-century Italian painters Italian male painters Italian painters of animals Italian Baroque painters Italian draughtsmen Italian printmakers