Giacinto Brandi

Variant namesGiacinto Brandi

DatesBiographical dates: 1621 - 1691 Dead: dead 1691-01-19 Born: born 1621

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BiographyBiography: Giacinto Brandi was born in Florence and soon afterwards his family moved to the small town of Poli near Rome. In 1630 he left for Rome to study under the sculptor Alessandro Algardi (1598– 1654). Here Brandi designed and executed modelli for, in particular heads of angels. It was in all likelihood through his apprenticeship in Algardi’s workshop that he developed his command of figure drawing. Algardi encouraged Brandi to take up painting rather than sculpture, and presently Giacinto found himself in the studio of one of the foremost painters active in Rome at the time, Giovanni Lanfranco. His apprenticeship to Lanfranco lasted for just two years (1646–47), but the influence of this master was felt throughout his career. In 1647 Brandi was inducted into the Accademia dei Virtuosi al Pantheon and in c. 1651 into the Accademia di San Luca. In the 1650s, he received two important commissions: for decorations for the church of Santa Maria in Via Lata and for two stanze of the Palazzo Pamphilj in the Piazza Navona. The Pamphilj commission must be considered amongst the most prestigious in Rome at this time. During these years Brandi befriended Michelangelo Cerquozzi (1602–1660) and Mattia Preti (1613–1699), and it was probably through the combination of influences from these artists and from Lanfranco that Brandi developed quite an eclectic style. The influence of Lanfranco can be found in Brandi’s sensitive hand and finely rounded brushstrokes, while his realistic finish and dramatic chiaroscuro were in all probability due to the influence of Preti. Amongst works executed between 1655 and 1660, the paintings of Lot and his Daughters and The Drunkenness of Noah, both in the Galleria Corsini, should be mentioned. The chromatic tonality which enhances the chiaroscuro effect of these paintings is an early example of what would characterize Brandi’s artistic maturity. In the late 1670s and early 1680s, Brandi painted three altarpieces with scenes from the Passion for the church of Sant’Andrea al Quirinale. The paintings are of the Flagellation, the Deposition and the Road to Calvary (Christ and St Veronica). In the early 1680s Brandi also painted frescoes for the church of San Silvestro in Capite, his influences ranging mainly from Pietro da Cortona’s frescoes for the Palazzo Barberini to those of Giovanni Battista Gaulli (il Baciccio, 1639–1709) for the church of il Gesù.

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