080104 PS Case Study II/III: Salvator Rosa. The painter as rebel in the 17th century (2023W)

The art historian Luigi Salerno, in an essay published in 1970 (Il dissenso nella pittura: intorno a Filippo Napoletano, Caroselli, Salvator Rosa e altri, in Storia dell'arte, 5, 1970, pp. 34-65), recognized within official Baroque painting a "current of dissent" evident in the works of artists such as Mola, Testa, Castiglione, Salvator Rosa and others. The works of these artists show a certain affinity in terms of the choice of rare and remote pictorial subjects and testify to common intentions and philosophical interests. The condemnation of their own times and the shaking of existing hierarchical structures within society are expressed in these artists' preference for subjects of Stoic and ascetic origin. At the same time, the search for escapism branches out into a dense network of themes such as magic, alchemy, the natural sciences, and exoticism. In this context, Salvator Rosa (1615-1673) is a prominent figure. The choice of subversive pictorial themes, the pursuit of fame as well as intellectual and economic freedom, his originality and strong personality, which included a certain quarrelsomeness that did not make him afraid to take on Bernini or the reigning pope, distinguish the Neapolitan Baroque artist. Rosa was not a follower, but a protagonist who wanted to actively shape and form the present and the future with his art. To this end, he developed a variety of strategies of self-expression that included the skillful use of painting, printmaking, drawing, and literary production. The seminar will analyze the artist's work from different perspectives and reflect on Luigi Salerno's theses in terms of research history.

The recommended literature on Salvator Rosa will be added to the Handapparat in the library of the Institute of Art History.