Sicilian great who was killed in Palermo riot
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| Novelli's Annunciation, which he painted in the church of Santissima Annunziata |
Pietro Novelli, recognised as the most important artist in
17th century Sicily, was born on this day in 1603 in Monreale, a
town about 10km (6 miles) from Palermo.
A prolific painter, his works can be seen in many churches and
galleries in Sicily, in particular in Palermo.
There are good examples of his work outside the city, too, for
example at Piana degli Albanesi, about 30km (19 miles) from Palermo, where he
painted a fresco cycle in the cathedral of San Demetrio Megalomartire and
another fresco, entitled Annunciation, in the church of Santissima Annunziata.
At his peak, wealthy and aristocratic members of Sicilian
society, as well as monasteries and churches, competed to be in possession of a
Novelli work.
His father, also called Pietro, was a respected artist who also
worked with mosaics and Pietro initially worked in his father’s workshop in
Monreale.
A great student of art who travelled extensively, among his
major influences were Caravaggio, whose work in Sicily he studied, particularly
his Adoration of the Shepherds, which was commissioned for the Capuchin
Franciscans and was painted in Messina for the Church of Santa Maria degli
Angeli.
He was also influenced by Anthony Van Dyck, who had been
present in Sicily in 1624, and whose altarpiece, the Madonna of the Rosary in
the Oratory of the Rosario di San Domenico in Palermo, persuaded him to lighten
his palate, which gave his subsequent works elegance and sweetness.
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| Novelli's Immaculate Conception is at the Civic Museum in Termini Imerese |
Novelli’s travels took him to Rome, where he was
particularly receptive to Bolognese classicism and neo-Venetian Roman painting,
and to Naples, where he was introduced to the work of Caracciolo, Stanzione and
Ribera, and studied the classicising naturalism of Andrea Vaccaro.
He incorporated the chiaroscuro of Ribera into his own style,
as can be seen from his two canvases about St Benedict in the abbey of San
Martino alle Scale in Mondovi.
In addition to his paintings, he drew up plans for fortifications,
designed jewellery and stage scenery for the theatre and turned his architectural
hand to a number of buildings, notably the presbytery and apse in the cathedral
at Piana degli Albanesi.
He also served as the engineer and architect of the Senate
of Palermo and was made engineer of the Kingdom on the appointment of the
Viceroy Count of Cabrera, for whose entry to Palermo he realized the triumphal
arch in 1641.
Novelli was killed during the riots against the viceroys in
Palermo in 1647 and was buried in the cemetery of the Friars in San Domenico.
Around the world, there are works by Novelli on display, among
other places, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the J Paul Getty Museum
in Los Angeles, the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg and the Prado in Madrid.
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| The Norman cathedral in Monreale |
Travel tip:
The town of Monreale is located on the slope of Monte
Caputo, overlooking a valley known as La Conca d'oro (the Golden Shell), which
produces and exports orange, olive and almond trees. The town is famous for its
cathedral, which is regarded as one of the finest examples of Norman architecture
anywhere in the world, built there by William II following the Norman conquest
of 1072, and has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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| The Oratory of the Rosario del San Domenico in Palermo |
Travel tip:
The Oratory of the Rosaria del San Domenico, where there are
a number of works by Novelli in addition to the Van Dyck altarpiece, is situated
in Via dei Bambinai in the La Loggia district of Palermo, near the historic Vucciria
marketplace.
More reading:
How Giovanni Battista Vaccarini turned Catania into a city of Sicilian Baroque
The Sicilian painter whose work represented the victims of Italian Fascism
Guido Reni - the 17th century Bolognese painter who idealised Raphael
Also on this day:
1886: The birth of double World Cup-winning coach Vittorio Pozzo
1939: Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli elected Pope Pius XII
(Picture credits: Monreale cathedral by Jerome Bon; Oratory by Bjs; via Wikimedia Commons)
More reading:
How Giovanni Battista Vaccarini turned Catania into a city of Sicilian Baroque
The Sicilian painter whose work represented the victims of Italian Fascism
Guido Reni - the 17th century Bolognese painter who idealised Raphael
Also on this day:
1886: The birth of double World Cup-winning coach Vittorio Pozzo
1939: Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli elected Pope Pius XII
(Picture credits: Monreale cathedral by Jerome Bon; Oratory by Bjs; via Wikimedia Commons)
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