Neapolitan Painting. The Carla and Francesco Valerio Collection

The Neapolitan school of painting assumed its personal artistic identity from the 17th century onwards through the work of several important artists influenced by the teachings of Caravaggio who lived in Naples between 1607 and 1610. Over one hundred paintings representing three centuries of history and belonging to the "Neapolitan Collection" of Carla and Francesco Valerio are featured in this volume; the paintings are described and illustrated in great detail by Nicola Spinosa. Spinosa has written many books on the topic and is considered a leading expert in Neapolitan painting. His detailed introductions precede the descriptions of the individual works, containing stories both sacred and profane. The book contains a series of portraits of saints and stories of devotion, adoration of the shepherds and magi, each brushstroke creating scenes exuding spirituality, emotion, personality and strength. Faith and paganism weave together with stories of heroes and gods and new takes on classical myths. We also see plenty of reality here, "real life" in all its hard work, depicted in gestures, poses, food and flower compositions, and pretty views. A few of the many artists included in this impressive publication are: Giovan Filippo Criscuolo, Francesco Guarino, Bernardo Cavallino, Antonio De Bellis, Salvator Rosa, Luca Giordano, Giovan Battista Ruoppolo, Abraham Brueghel, Guglielmo Courtois, Juan Ruiz, Tomás Ruiz, Pierre-Jacques Volaire, and Charles-François Grenier De La Croix.