Youth Tempted by the Vices
Luca Giordano·1664
Historical Context
Youth Tempted by the Vices at the Stadel Museum, painted in 1664, depicts the allegorical conflict between virtue and vice that was central to Baroque moral imagery. The subject drew on the classical tradition of the Choice of Hercules between virtue and pleasure. Oil on canvas suited Giordano's rapid working method: he typically laid in compositions with fluid, transparent washes then built form with loaded brushwork, completing large canvases in days. His stylistic eclecticism — absorbing R...
Technical Analysis
The central youth is flanked by tempting figures representing various vices, creating a symmetrical moral composition. Giordano's characterization of each vice through distinct gestures and attributes demonstrates his inventive allegorical imagination.
Look Closer
- ◆Notice the symmetrical moral composition with the central youth flanked by tempting figures: the visual balance between virtue and vice places the young person — and the viewer — in the position of choosing between them.
- ◆Look at Giordano's characterization of each vice through distinct gestures and attributes: the vices are made specific and recognizable rather than generic, giving the allegory the particularity of observation.
- ◆Find the 1664 Städel Museum provenance: one of Germany's great art museums acquired this Giordano — the Städel's collection of Italian Baroque works is among the finest in the German-speaking world.
- ◆Observe that the Choice of Hercules subject — virtue versus pleasure — was among the most intellectually respectable mythological subjects, allowing patrons to display moral philosophy through sensuous painting.
