Valerio Castello

Born 1624, Died 1659
Draftsman, Painter
Italian

"From foreign countries, including all of France, orders for his pictures came to Genoa, and this raised their prices too high for words," wrote Valerio Castello's biographer in 1674. Tragically, Castello died suddenly at the height of a brilliant career.


By passionately studying a vast range of sources, Castello formed a unique, sophisticated artistic style. Born to a family of painters, the young artist copied drawings in his late father's studio and studied works by painters known for their emotional power and vivid colors. Feeling confined by his local teachers' interest in naturalism and narrative, Castello left for Milan and Parma. There, he scrutinized works by artists who bent nature in the service of expressiveness.


Patrons admired Castello's paintings of mythological and religious subjects as well as his lively oil sketches. His lively frescoes of glowing color and dramatic illusionism in various Genoese palaces made him most famous. His style united elegant figures with dramatic, violent compositions composed of spontaneous brushwork and vibrant colors. His thriving workshop's pupils included Bartolomeo Biscaino.