About the Artist

Francesco Solimena *1657 Canale di Serino-1747 Barra near Naples) first learned painting from his father, the artist Angelo Solimena. In 1674 he went to Naples where he continued his studies with Francesco di Maria. Here he bacame acquainted with the paintings of Giovanni Lanfranco, Mattia Preti and Luca Giordano, whose works helped him develop his own style. Aside from short trips to Montecassino (1702) and Rome (1700 and 1707), Solimena remained in Naples. He is considered the most important exponent of Neopolitan painting of the late Baroque. His large murals and ceiling paintings as well as his panel paintings, are characterized by a wealth of figures, a dramatic impulse toward movement, and dramatic chiaroscuro effects. Other works by the artist include Samson and Delilah, c. 1690, Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum, Braunschweig; Virgin and Child with St. Francis of Paula, c. 1705, Gemaldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden; and Expulsion of Heliodorus from the Temple, c. 1725, Galleria Nazionale d' Arte Antica, Rome.