LODOVICO CARDI “IL CIGOLI”
PAINTER AND ARCHITECT
PAINTER AND ARCHITECT
Lodovico Cardi, whose nickname “Il Cigoli” derives from his birthplace, was born in the “Castle of Cigoli” on 21st September 1559 . When he was very young, he first moved to Empoli and then to Florence, where he studied at “Bottega Allori”, where his master was one of Bronzino’s heirs , and at the Academy of Fine Arts.
He was appreciated by his contemporaries such as Correggio Toscano; he was among the best interpreters of Mannerism and left great works of art.
He finally settled in Florence and was Bernardo Buontalenti ’s student , who was an architect at the Medici Family ‘s Court.
During the first decade of the seventeenth century, he was given several jobs so he moved to Rome, where he worked on St. Peter’s Cathedral. He also participated in the competition for the building of its façade.
He painted for noble families such as the Borghese Family and the Massimi Family– the very same families Caravaggio worked for- and frescoed Santa Maria Maggiore’s Chapel for Pope Paolo V.
In that period, he gave lessons at “San Luca Academy” and corresponded with his friend Galileo Galilei. We can see the theories supported by his friend confirmed in Lodovico’s paintings.
He died in Rome on 8th June 1613, a few weeks after obtaining the title of “Knight of the Malta Order”. He was first buried in the Church of San Giovanni de’ Fiorentini in Rome, then his tomb was moved to the Church of San Gaetano in Florence.
We can admire his works in the main museums and art galleries all over the world, such as the Uffizi Gallery, The Palatina Gallery, the Hermitage, the Louvre, and in lots of Tuscan cities such as San Miniato, Montopoli Val d’Arno, Pontedera, Pisa, Florence, Massa, Lucca, Livorno, Empoli, Colle Val d'Elsa, Grosseto, Pistoia, Figline Valdarno, Cortona and Arezzo and cities all over the world such as Forlì, Rome, Naples, Stockholm, Vienna, Budapest, St. Petersburg, Paris, Washington and Leipzig.
His famous “ Circoncisione”, which can be admired at the Hermitage in St. Petersburg , was in the film “Russian Ark” by Aleksandr Sokurov, while “The Adoration of the Magi” can be admired in the film “Barry Lyndon” produced by Stanley Kubrik.
Traduzione a cura di GIULIA IUPPA
Istituto Tecnico "C. Cattaneo" di San Miniato, 5AE
