| Placed in a loose orbit around Caravaggio, Antiveduto Gramatica belonged to Caravaggio's generation yet remained artistically independent. His particular mixture of mundane realism and elevated religious subject matter endows his images with a curiously surreal quality. Antiveduto received his unusual first name, according to Baglione, because he was born before his family arrived in Rome. Sometimes called a pupil of Giandomenico Angelini, his style was strongly influenced by Sienese traditions, particularly Vanni, Salimbeni, and Barocci. Active in Rome by the early 1590s, Antiveduto joined the Accademia di San Luca in 1593, the year Caravaggio arrived in the city. The year 1594 found Caravaggio working briefly in Gramatica's shop, painting copies of old masters and perhaps devotional images. Gramatica had a fairly successful career. He was elected into the Society of Virtuosi in 1604 and became principe of the Accademia di San Luca in 1624. Baldinucci reports that Antiveduto's attempt to replace a Raphael painting of St. Luke with his own copy resulted in his dismissal. Gramatica had a number of patrons in common with Caravaggio: Cardinal del Monte and Marchese Giustiniani, for whom he likely painted such Caravaggesque subjects as the The Orbo Player (Turin, Galleria Sabauda). Most of his career must have been spent in Rome, since primarily Roman works are known; but we know he worked for Ferdinando Gonzaga of Mantua in 1610 and 1619. He was in Turin in 1621 and worked in Naples around 1620/21. He also exported works to Spain. His known oeuvre concentrates on lives of saints, including more than one portrayal of the life of St. Romauid, St. Hyacinth, St. Stanislas, and others. Sometime before 1620 Antiveduto was engaged in producing what is still considered his best-known work: the Dream of St. Romauid (Frascati, Eremo dei Camoldoli). Praised by Mancini, this work likely resulted in Gramatica's commission for the St. Romauid series done for the Certosa dei Camaldoli in Naples, which included four large canvases (of which the Death of SL Romauid is considered the best) and several smaller depictions of martyr saints. Though the dates of Gramatica's activity in Naples are not documented, the works there are generally thought to have been produced around 1620 to 1621. Though included in Caravaggesque circles, Gramatica is not regarded as a mere imitator of Caravaggio's manner and style. Employing many subjects popularized by Caravaggio, Gramatica also responded to contemporary currents in the work of such artists as Gentileschi, Borgianni, and Vouet. His overall oeuvre is often connected with Bolognese trends. |
