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Luca Giordano. National Heritage Masterpieces
The exhibition, open to the public from 2 October
to 8 December, formed part of the activities
organised to celebrate the 20th anniversary
of Focus-Abengoa. It was inaugurated by Mariano
Rajoy, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister
of the Presidency.
The exhibition was organised within the framework
of a cultural initiative undertaken by the Spanish
National Heritage Board to restore paintings
that it has in its custody by Luca Giordano.
The Focus-Abengoa Foundation was closely involved
in the work to restore and preserve the paintings.
The two institutions worked together on the
comprehensive project, which culminated in two
outstanding exhibitions, the first in Madrid
entitled Luca Giordano and Spain, and the second
in Seville, entitled Luca Giordano. National
Heritage Masterpieces.
The aim of the exhibition was to showcase the
work of one of the most productive, talented
masters of his age, a leading figure in the
history of European Baroque art. Luca Giordano,
known in Spain as Lucas Jordán (1634-1705)
and to his contemporaries as "Luca fa presto"
for the speed with which he completed his paintings,
paved the way for a new, more dynamic and original
style of painting, displaying a superb use of
colour and rapid, fluid, almost Impressionist
brush strokes.
The National Heritage Board has around 160 of
his paintings in its Royal Heritage palaces
and monasteries, and the Prado Museum has another
50, most of which have also come from Royal
Heritage palaces.
The Seville exhibition displayed a brilliant
selection of works from the National Heritage
collection, which revealed the wealth and variety
of the work produced by this great artist, who
embraced all genres with equal mastery and greatly
influenced later artists, including Goya.
The careful selection of 27 paintings, made
by the renowned 17th-century art specialist
Alfonso E. Pérez Sánchez, was
exhibited for the first time outside the National
Heritage palaces and monasteries where they
normally hang. Some of the paintings are rarely
on display to the general public, and not even
art experts often have the opportunity to study
them.
The painting St Ferdinand before the Virgin
is particularly significant as its subject is
the patron saint of Seville and the Los Venerables
church and it is inspired by distinctly Sevillian
traditions. It is also the last painting that
the artist completed before returning to Italy.
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