Francesco Costanzo Catanio, (1602 – 3 July 1665) was a painter of the

Italian Baroque Italian Baroque (or ''Barocco'') is a stylistic period in Italian history and art that spanned from the late 16th century to the early 18th century. History The early 17th century marked a time of change for those of the Roman Catholic religion ...

period, born and mainly active in

Ferrara Ferrara (; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, capital of the province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main ...

. He was variously known as Catanio, Cattani, Cattaneo, or Cattanio, sometimes without the forename Francesco.

Life

Catanio was born in 1602 in

, at that time in the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; ; ), officially the State of the Church, were a conglomeration of territories on the Italian peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope from 756 to 1870. They were among the major states of Italy from the 8th c ...

, now in

Emilia-Romagna Emilia-Romagna (, , both , ; or ; ) is an Regions of Italy, administrative region of northern Italy, comprising the historical regions of Emilia (region), Emilia and Romagna. Its capital is Bologna. It has an area of , and a population of 4.4 m ...

, the son of Giulio Cesare Catanio. He initially trained under Ippolito Scarsellino in Ferrara, until – because of his "...litigious and ill-tempered..." manner – his father sent him to Bologna to study in the school of

Guido Reni Guido Reni (; 4 November 1575 – 18 August 1642) was an Italian Baroque painter, although his works showed a classical manner, similar to Simon Vouet, Nicolas Poussin, and Philippe de Champaigne. He painted primarily religious works, but al ...

. On the death of his father in 1627, he returned to Ferrara, where he came under the influence of

Carlo Bononi Carlo Bononi (1569? - 1632) was an Italian painter. An 1876 book lists him among "the last artists of any eminence in Ferrara". Page 175 Biography Bononi was active mainly in his home territories of Emilia and Ferrara, and is considered to be a ...

, and began to paint in a style less influenced by

Ludovico Carracci Ludovico (or Lodovico) Carracci ( , , ; 21 April 1555 – 13 November 1619) was an Italian early-Baroque painter, etcher, and printmaker from Bologna. His works are characterized by a strong mood invoked by broad gestures and flickering li ...

and more by

Caravaggio Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (also Michele Angelo Merigi or Amerighi da Caravaggio; 29 September 1571 – 18 July 1610), known mononymously as Caravaggio, was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life. During the fina ...

. Catanio was described as prone to carrying a sword, hunting, and brawls. He was so quarrelsome and had such a turbulent disposition that he passed the greater portion of his life in exile or in disgrace. After injuring a soldier, Catanio was forced to seek refuge in the monastery of San Francesco where he was employed in painting frescoes. He was able to travel with the Marchese Giraldi throughout Italy.Dizionario storico degli uomini illustri ferraresi
by Luigi Ughi, page 123. In 1654, he traveled briefly to

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

in the patronage of Cardinal Carlo Pio di Savoia.

Works

In his earliest works in Ferrara – a ''San Gregorio'' originally painted soon after 1630 for the church of that saint, now in Santa Maria dei Teatini, and the ''Coronazione di spine'' and ''Flagellazione'' in the

Duomo ''Duomo'' (, ) is an Italian term for a church with the features of, or having been built to serve as a cathedral, whether or not it currently plays this role. The Duomo of Monza, for example, has never been a diocesan seat and is by definitio ...

from before 1636 – already show the influence of Caravaggio. He also painted studio portraits.Fondazione Zeri
Portrait of Francesco Catanio. His ''Martirio di San Matteo'' for the church of was probably painted soon after 1636, when the building was enlarged. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

two of his paintings were destroyed: a ''S. Luigi Gonzaga che rinuncia alla signoria di Castiglione'' in Santo Stefano (formerly in the Gesù); and an ''Orazione nell'Orto'' in .

Life

Works

References

Further reading