Descrizione
Storia dell’arte [18] | Maggio – Agosto 1974
Claudio Strinati
Gli anni difficili di Federico Zuccari
On the basis of certain clarifications of chronology, primarily concerning the frescoes of Santa Caterina dei Funari and those of the Oratorio del Santissimo Crocifisso, the author proposes a new image of the personality and the work of Federico Zuccari, one that is closer to historical truth than that which has hitherto been presented. The purpose of the article essentially is to reject the hypotesis that Zuccari was the dictator and director of the artistic world of Rame, a role that a dubious tradition has attributed to him. This examination begins with an analysis of Zuccari’s Flagellation in the Oratorio del Gonfalone, by means of which an attempt is made to derive the artist’s ideological and linguistic premises. On this basis the author provides an hypothesis concerning Federico Zuccari’s style and ideology, and traces the broad outlines of bis activity up to the founding of the academy. Within this overall view, special attention is given to the figurative and intellectual relationship between Federico and his brother Taddeo who played a major role in the development of Federico’s career. Particular emphasis is given to certain nodal phenomena of sixteenth century Roman painting, especially in regard to the Oratorio del Gonfalone, where the author attemts to reexamine questions dealing with the entire decorative program and certain aspects of the final phase of Mannerism that followed and was partially influenced by Federico’s experience in the academies. In conclusion the author endevours to re-examine some of the traditional historical presuppositions that are regularly employed in dealing with Late Roman Mannerism.
