Francesco Rustici, calledIl Rustichino (Siena, 1592 – Siena, 1626) was an Italian painter active in Siena. He worked on commissions for the local churches as well as from the Grand-Dukes of Tuscany. In his work he shows a preference for nocturnal effects which reveals the influence ofCaravaggio and his followers, the so-calledCaravaggisti.
Francesco Rustici was born in Siena in 1592 as the scion of an artistic family. His fatherVincenzo Rustici as well as his uncleCristoforo Rustici and his mother's brotherAlessandro Casolani were all prominent painters active in Siena.[1][2]
He trained with his father who was the chief collaborator in the workshop of his brother-in-law Alessandro Casolani. Casolini himself was influenced by the work ofDomenico Beccafumi.[1] While working in his father's workshop, Francesco Rustici's hand was initially difficult to distinguish from that of his father. His precocious talent was spotted byGiulio Mancini, a local physician, art collector and art dealer who mentioned the young artist in hisConsiderazioni sulla pittura ('Thoughts on painting'), written between 1617 and 1621. It is believed that the artist spent time in Rome in the period 1624-1625. In Rome he deepened his study of other Caravaggisti such as the DutchmanGerrit van Honthorst.
Towards the end of his life he received commissions fromArchduchess Maria Maddalena of Austria who commissionedThe death of Saint Mary Magdalene andThe death of Lucretia. He was also in contact withLorenzo Magalotti, an important personage in the organization of the cultural projects of theBarberini.[3]
The known oeuvre of Francesco Rustici is not numerous. His early works show the influence of his father and of Alessandro Casolani who painted in the SieneseMannerist style.[4] Later he came under the influence of the style of Caravaggio.[5] This is visible in the realistic and warm humanity with which he rendered his subjects.[6]
Another important influence on his work was Gerrit van Honthorst, who was known for his mastery of nocturnal effects, which had earned him in Italy the nickname 'Gherardo delle Notti' ("Gerard of the nights").[7] Rustici's handling of light followed the Dutch-Flemish model of van Honthorst and blended it with a wholly Tuscan form ofClassicism.[5] Rustichino painted a number of paintings which used the devise of the dark scene lit up by a single light source that was so favoured bytenebrists to create dramaticchiaroscuro effects.
Rustichino's style appears generally to have been closer to the style ofOrazio Gentileschi, particularly in his use of bright and lively colours.[8] However, he did not entirely embrace the naturalism of Gentileschi.[8]
Media related toFrancesco Rustici at Wikimedia Commons
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