Ercole Gigante (1815-1860) - Le grotte di Posillipo (Napoli)

Beautiful etching by Ercole Gigante, a 19th century Neapolitan artist representing the Posillipo caves.

Ercole Gigante (Naples, 1815-1860) was introduced to painting by his older brother Giacinto (1806-1876) , even though the latter would become much more famous.
In reality, and this is not to be taken for granted, Ercole will never imitate his brother, on the contrary, he will develop a very particular and personal sensibility. Nevertheless, in any case, Ercole's production appears overshadowed by that of Giacinto, the major representative, together with Anton Sminck Van Pitloo (1790-1837) of the School of Posillipo.

Friendship with Achille Vianelli:

Very important, during the short career of Ercole Gigante is the artistic and personal friendship with Achille Vianelli (1803-1894) . With him he makes several trips to the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, to explore the places of the south, bringing back impressions and sketches.

Every corner of the Kingdom, from Irpinia to Puglia to Lucania, is known by the two painters, during the 1830s and 1840s. From these drawings, he draws a series of views of great value. Characterized by a loose and lyrical chromatism at the same time, the landscapes of Ercole Gigante appear studied and distant from those of his brother.

The numerous trips and impressions:

The sepia drawings made not only during his travels in the South, but also during the French stage, undertaken again together with Achille Vianelli, constitute an important treasure of the painter's very short life. In fact, they mark a notable portion of the works attributable to the free and realistic style of the Posillipo School, in which he is included together with Vianelli.

Unfortunately, the promising career of the young Ercole Gigante was cut short by his premature death in 1860. When he was only forty-five years old, the painter abandoned his friend Achille Vianelli and left halfway through an artistic career that was destined to give great value to the Posillipo School.

Hercules the Giant: a short life given to the landscape from life
The bond with his brother Giacinto immediately leads Ercole Gigante to practice painting en plein air. Quick, sudden and very bright impressions characterize his poetics. The landscapes and views, in fact, appear characterized by a bright and lively chromatism and by a loose and truth-inspired design.

His numerous travels allowed him to portray every suggestive corner of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, as can be seen in the sepia drawings now preserved in the Museum of Capodimonte and the Museum of San Martino in Naples.

Even if Giacinto Gigante's style appears even more stylistically current and perfectly in line with veristic developments, Ercole's is no less so. Surely his approach did not have the opportunity to improve and develop due to his premature death, so it is slightly more rigid than Giacinto's.

The first paintings are interiors, such as Refectory or Princely Wedding in a Church in Naples. The later views that have come down to us are The Valley of the Mills in Amalfi from 1851, Porta Capuana from 1855, Villa Martinelli, The Eruption of Vesuvius, View of Naples from the Ramps of Sant’Antonio.