Giordano was trained in the workshop of José de Ribera, whose rich and pictorial tenebrism he skilfully imitated. An extraordinarily gifted artist, he was capable of mimicking the styles of others, from the grave realism of his master to classicism of Raphael and the precision of the Flemish painters. He was almost legendary for the speed with which he completed his paintings and his career constitutes an important chapter in the history of the Baroque. After a trip to Rome in around 1650, he became acquainted with the art of Pietro de Cortona. His admiration for the world of Venetian art was sealed on his visit to Venice in around 1665, when he painted the large canvases for the church of Santa Maria della Salute. In the 1680s he worked in the Medici-Riccardi palace and the Santa Maria del Carmine church in Florence. In 1692, he moved to Spain on the service of King Charles II, for whom he produced, perhaps, his finest work: the vaults of the Escorial, the Casón del Buen Retiro, the sacristy of the cathedral of Toledo and hundreds of canvases. He returned to Italy in 1702.
He is undoubtedly one of the pillars of the decorative Baroque and had a huge influence on the development of 18th century painting in Italy and Spain.
Giordano was trained in the workshop of José de Ribera, whose rich and pictorial tenebrism he skilfully imitated. An extraordinarily gifted artist, he was capable of mimicking the styles of others, from the grave realism of his master to classicism of Raphael and the precision of the Flemish painters. He was almost legendary for the speed with which he completed his paintings and his career constitutes an important chapter in the history of the Baroque. After a trip to Rome in around 1650, he became acquainted with the art of Pietro de Cortona. His admiration for the world of Venetian art was sealed on his visit to Venice in around 1665, when he painted the large canvases for the church of Santa Maria della Salute. In the 1680s he worked in the Medici-Riccardi palace and the Santa Maria del Carmine church in Florence. In 1692, he moved to Spain on the service of King Charles II, for whom he produced, perhaps, his finest work: the vaults of the Escorial, the Casón del Buen Retiro, the sacristy of the cathedral of Toledo and hundreds of canvases. He returned to Italy in 1702.
He is undoubtedly one of the pillars of the decorative Baroque and had a huge influence on the development of 18th century painting in Italy and Spain.