Carlo Sellitto
Encyclopedia
Carlo Sellitto was an Italian
painter of the Baroque
period.
One of the most gifted followers of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio
(1571–1610), Sellitto played an important role in the spread of Caravaggism to Naples
and in the development away from Late Mannerism
to a greater naturalism.
The son of a painter and gilder, he was apprenticed briefly to the Piedmontese painter Giovanni Antonio Ardito (c. late 16th century–early 17th) before moving (c. 1591) to the studio of the Flemish painter Louis Croys. By 1608, at the age of 27 years, he had left Croys and had set up his own workshop in the Via Donnalbina, attracting to it such artists as Filippo Napoletano
, Giovan Mattea Arciero (b 1591) and Francesco Abbenante (first decade of the 17th century). The talent for portraiture that Sellitto had shown while working with Croys brought him commissions from the court and aristocracy, although none of these documented works has been identified.
Sellitto would have known Caravaggio during the artist's exile in Naples in 1606/1607, but the date indicates that this Baptist (illustrated) was painted several years previously - cf. Caravaggio's own treatment of the theme of John the Baptist
.
He died October 1st, 1614, after a brief 6 year independent career.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
painter of the Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
period.
One of the most gifted followers of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio
Caravaggio
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was an Italian artist active in Rome, Naples, Malta, and Sicily between 1593 and 1610. His paintings, which combine a realistic observation of the human state, both physical and emotional, with a dramatic use of lighting, had a formative influence on the Baroque...
(1571–1610), Sellitto played an important role in the spread of Caravaggism to Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
and in the development away from Late Mannerism
Mannerism
Mannerism is a period of European art that emerged from the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520. It lasted until about 1580 in Italy, when a more Baroque style began to replace it, but Northern Mannerism continued into the early 17th century throughout much of Europe...
to a greater naturalism.
The son of a painter and gilder, he was apprenticed briefly to the Piedmontese painter Giovanni Antonio Ardito (c. late 16th century–early 17th) before moving (c. 1591) to the studio of the Flemish painter Louis Croys. By 1608, at the age of 27 years, he had left Croys and had set up his own workshop in the Via Donnalbina, attracting to it such artists as Filippo Napoletano
Filippo Napoletano
Filippo Napoletano was an Italian artist, with a peculiar output, mainly landscape and genre scenes and also drawings or etchings of diverse, often particular, items such as exotic soldiers, skeletons of animals, or cityscapes.He began his career in his native city, Naples and moved to Rome in...
, Giovan Mattea Arciero (b 1591) and Francesco Abbenante (first decade of the 17th century). The talent for portraiture that Sellitto had shown while working with Croys brought him commissions from the court and aristocracy, although none of these documented works has been identified.
Sellitto would have known Caravaggio during the artist's exile in Naples in 1606/1607, but the date indicates that this Baptist (illustrated) was painted several years previously - cf. Caravaggio's own treatment of the theme of John the Baptist
John the Baptist (Caravaggio)
John the Baptist was the subject of at least eight paintings by the Italian Baroque artist Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio ....
.
He died October 1st, 1614, after a brief 6 year independent career.