CARDUCHO, Bartolomé

Vicente Carducho (c.1576-1638) was a Spanish painter and writer on art. He was a Florentine by birth (his name was originally Vincenzo Carducci), but he settled in Spain when he was 9, when his elder brother, Bartolomé Carducho (originally Bartolommeo Carducci, c.1560-1608), went to the Escorial in 1585 as assistant to Federico Zuccaro. Vincente was appointed a court painter in Madrid in 1609, and had a successful and prolific career, but he is now remembered mainly for his book Dialogos de la Pintura (1633). In this he defended the heroic Italian tradition (championing Michelangelo in particular), and excoriated the naturalismGLOSSARYGeneric term for scientific positions supported by natural insights. In fine arts and literature between approximately 1870 and 1900, Naturalism tried to reproduce the reality comprehended through sensory experience as realistically as possible, i.e. without idealising the object, but with scientific precision. In contrast to Realism, which was also based on the accurate description of natural occurrences, Naturalism concerns itself with the sensual dimensions of observation, whereby questions of morality and social criticism come to the fore. The spokesman for literary Naturalism was Emile Zola, who believed the artistic methods provided evidence of human existence. of Caravaggio. In a sense this was an attack on Velázquez, who had completely eclipsed Carducho at court.

Bartolomé Carducho also had a successful career in Spain, becoming a court painter in 1598 and working on royal commissions in Madrid, Segovia, and Valladolid. He painted in oils and frescoGLOSSARYWall painting technique in which pigments are applied to wet (fresh) plaster (intonaco). The pigments bind with the drying plaster to form a very durable image. Only a small area can be painted in a day, and these areas, drying to a slightly different tint, can in time be seen. Small amounts of retouching and detail work could be carried out on the dry plaster, a technique known as a secco fresco., and was influential in introducing Italian ideas to Spain.