Luca Cambiaso

Luca Cambiaso, November 18, 1527–September 6, 1585, was an Italian painter and draftsman born in Moneglia, in the Republic of Genoa. He trained under his father, Giovanni Cambiaso, and worked with him on fresco decorations in Genoa. His early work was influenced by Michelangelo and the painters of northern Italy.

Cambiaso worked extensively in Genoese churches and palaces, producing frescoes, religious paintings, and mythological subjects. He collaborated with Giovanni Battista Castello and developed a drawing method that reduced the human figure to simplified geometric forms. His later paintings also included nocturnal scenes with concentrated light effects.

In 1583 Philip II summoned Cambiaso to Spain to work on the decoration of the Escorial. He died there in 1585. His work is represented in Genoese collections and in museums including the Museo Nacional del Prado, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the National Gallery of Art. His pupils included Lazzaro Tavarone and Giovanni Battista Paggi.

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