Leonello Spada Facts for Kids

Leonello Spada (also known as Lionello Spada) was an Italian painter from the Baroque period. He was born in 1576 and passed away on May 17, 1622. Spada worked in Rome and his hometown of Bologna. He became known as one of the artists who followed the style of the famous painter Caravaggio.

About His Life and Art
Spada and Caravaggio
Gallery
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About His Life and Art

Leonello Spada first learned painting from the artist Cesare Baglioni. In the early 1600s, Spada worked with Girolamo Curti on special decorative paintings called quadratura in Bologna. This type of painting creates the illusion of architecture or sculptures on flat surfaces.

His early paintings showed a style similar to the Flemish artist Denis Calvaert. Spada later joined the Carracci Academy, a famous art school. He helped with the decorations for the funeral of Agostino Carracci in 1603.

One of his first important paintings is Virgin and Saints Dominic & Francis Interceding with Christ (1604). This work shows that he was influenced by Ludovico Carracci, another important artist. Spada often worked with other students of Ludovico, like Francesco Brizio. He stayed in Bologna until 1607. His painting style became stronger over time, as seen in his work Miraculous Draught of Fishes (1607).

Spada and Caravaggio

It is not fully clear if Spada ever met or worked directly with Caravaggio. Some stories say that Spada posed for Caravaggio's painting Death of John the Baptist.

Spada was supposedly in Rome after 1608-1609, when Caravaggio had already left for Malta. However, some suggest that Spada followed Caravaggio to Malta. This is possible because Spada painted frescoes (wall paintings) in the Magisterial palace of Valletta in Malta around 1609-1610. But Caravaggio had already left Malta for Sicily by 1608, so if they met there, it was for a very short time.

Spada's paintings, like Cain Killing Abel and Musical Concert, had a dark and realistic style. Because of this, people in Bologna sometimes called him "scimmia del Caravaggio," which means "ape of Caravaggio." This nickname suggested he copied Caravaggio's style.

Leonello Spada was known to make many copies of other painters' works. He painted a large canvas for the Basilica of San Domenico in Bologna. This painting, from 1616, shows St Dominic Burning the Books of the Heretics. His frescoes in Ghiara, Reggio Emilia, are considered some of his best works. They show a return to the style of the Carracci artists. Other famous paintings from this time include Return of the Prodigal Son and Aeneas and Anchises, both found in the Louvre museum.

In 1617, Ranuccio I Farnese, Duke of Parma asked Spada to decorate the new Teatro Farnese in Parma. His painting Mystic Marriage of St Catherine (1621) is one of his later works.