Francesco Solimena Arte

Painting oil on canvas depicting the myth of Diana and Actaeon measuring 110 x 130 without frame and 120 x 140 with frame by the painter Francesco Solimena. According to the myth, during a hunting trip, Actaeon provoked Diana's wrath when he caught her bathing with her companions in the shade of the Gargafia forest. The summer heat induced her to put on her clothes and cool off, interrupting the hunt. The goddess, to prevent the hunter from speaking about what he had seen, transformed the young man into a stag by spraying water on his face. Anteone si rese conto della sua trasformazione solo quando corse verso una sorgente, dove poté vedere se stesso riflesso nell'acqua. Nel frattempo il cacciatore fu raggiunto dai suoi 50 cani, inferociti da Artemis, che, non riconoscendolo, sbranarono il loro vecchio padrone. The dogs, once they had devoured Actaeon, set out in search of their master throughout the forest, filling it with painful wails. Later they came to the cave of Chiron, who gave them an image of their master to ease their pain. Francesco Solimena, also known as L'Abate Ciccio, was a famous Italian painter of the late Baroque current. He was influenced in his conception of art by Luca Giordano for his creative and very scenic painting and Mattia Preti...