Luca Giordano

Presentazione della virgine al tempio

Giordano (18 October 1634 – 12 January 1705) was a Neapolitan artist who, in terms of Allegory, went for baroque.

He was as fast at the canvas as Hurricane Higgins at the billiard table, and thus acquired the nickname “The Thunderbolt.”

His draftsmanship was slightly glib, not as good as the great artists of the Renaissance, but his use of colour was striking, giving his pictures a fuzzy, slightly over-developed quality that impressed people like the florid landscape artist, Fragonard.

“Sound but not outstanding” quoth German Bazin, in his A Concise History of Art (1958).

He was what we once called a minor artist.

Nowadays, we would elevate him to the front rank, where all abide.

But his work was earnest, and competent, and hard-worn…

So while we do not find him in Vasari (he was born too late), we remember his various daubs with fondness, because although they were mediocre, they were never lazy.

Unlike so much modern art, which is lazy, incompetent, and indifferent.

Let’s look at his various effusions:

…and:

…and:

…and: