Alessandro Turchi

Alessandro Turchi (* 1578 in Verona, † January 22, 1649 in Rome ) was an Italian painter of the early Baroque. He is also known under the name Alessandro Veronese or as L' Orbetto; he got the nickname because he winked one eye. In addition to finely painted cabinet pieces on slate or marble he later also created canvas pictures with mythological and Christian themes.

Training in Verona and first works

Alessandro Turchi was in the workshop of Felice Brusasorzi, one of the Veronese masters of late Mannerism, was trained and worked freelance as early as 1603. In 1610 he presented an altarpiece for the church of San Luca in Verona finished, and in 1612 he received from the Veronese Guild of Goldsmiths order for a - now lost - altarpiece " Madonna and Saints ". Then he left the workshop of Brusasorzi and went for some time to Venice.

1616 Turchi traveled to Rome and took part in a fresco in the Sala Regia of the Palazzo del Quirinale, and then painted for Cardinal Scipione Caffarelli Borghese "Christ, Mary Magdalene and Angels ". In Rome, he came under the influence of the Carracci and Guido Reni and Caravaggio from whose chiaroscuro style, he then translated in terms of his Venetian training in softer and more pleasing shapes.

Time in Rome

In the church of Santa Maria della Conception Turchi was in competition with Andrea Sacchi and Pietro da Cortona. 1619 he painted the altarpiece " 40 martyrs " for the chapel of the Church of Santo Stefano in Verona; It was there his place alongside the paintings of Pasquale Ottino and Marcantonio Bassetti. He also painted the " Flight into Egypt " for the church of S. Romualdo, the " Holy Family " for the church of San Lorenzo in Lucina and the presentation " S. Carlo Borromeo "for the church of San Salvatore in Lauro.

For Count Giangiacomo Giusti he created in 1620, an allegorical representation of " Mercury and Pallas Athene " and three other paintings. In 1621 he led the French Cardinal François d' Escoubleau Sourdis the " Resurrection of Christ ", which is now located in the cathedral of Bordeaux; the Gherardini family in Verona received from him the " Adoration of the Magi ". 1621 he completed for the church of San Salvatore in Lauro in Rome the images " San Carlo Borromeo " and " Madonna in glory." An inventory of the Palazzo Mattei di Giobbi in 1632 leads to two more pictures of Turchi.

1623 Turchi married to Lucia San Giuliano. 1637 he was with the support of Cardinal Francesco Barberini, President of the Accademia di San Luca, and in 1638 he joined the Pontifical Accademia dei Virtuosi of the Pantheon. Turchi sister married in 1640 the painter Giacinto Gimignani.