- NameGiacinto Brandi
- Activity/Titlepainter
- Sexmale
- Variant namesGiacinto Brandi
- Nationality/DatesItalian, born 1621, dead 1691-01-19
- PlacesPlace of birth: Italien
Place of death: Rom, Italien
BiographyGiacinto 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.