Valerio Castello

Valerio Castello (1624 - October 1659) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period. He was very active during his short life in Genoa.

He was the youngest son of Bernardo Castello, who died when Valerio was six years old. Valerio and his brothers were attached to the noble family of Torquato. While it had been the original intention for him to study a literate profession, he showed an affinity to drawing. This was noted by his patrons, who arranged his apprenticeship with Domenico Fiasella. Later he studied with Giovanni Andrea de’ Ferrari. To seek new inspiration, he travelled to Milan and then to Parma, probably between 1640 and 1645. In Milan he admired the work of Camillo Proccacini. From there, he traveled to Parma.

Remained under Torquato's senior brother's conduct, who attempted to redirect him to the study of letters, he was distinguished in his youth for a propensity towards painting, reinforced by the observations of the works of Perin del Vaga.

From the works of Rubens he learned the teaching of composition in movement, often diagonal; Not negligible were the combinations with Veronese both for the structure and for the equlibrio between light, color, movement and form.

He excelled in painting battle-scenes. He was also quite prolific within Genoa during his short life. He painted the Rape of the Sabines, now in the Palazzo Brignole, Genoa, and decorated the cupola of the Basilica della Santissima Annunziata del Vastato in the same city. For the house of Francesco Maria Balbi, he collaborated with the quadraturista from Bologna, Andrea Sghizzi to fresco the palace.

He soon had several orders, both in paintings and frescoes. In the few years of his life he was able to exert enormous influence in Genoese painting, contributing to the formation of painters such as Domenico Piola, with whom he painted the church of Santa Maria in Passione in Genoa, and had disciples Bartholomew Biscay, John Paul Cervetto, Stefano Magnasco and Giovanni Battista Merano.

He was the first to collaborate with the Bolognese quadrators who came to Genoa around the middle of the century, Sighizzi, Mariani, and Brozzi.

In his works he is regarded by his admirers as combining the fire of Tintoretto with the general style of Paolo Veronese. Castello influenced the work of young Domenico Piola. He also admired the work of Antony van Dyck, who had spent a long time in Genoa and whose paintings could be seen all over the city. Among his pupils were Bartolomeo Biscaino, Giovanni Paolo Cervetto, and Stefano Magnasco (the father of Alessandro).

He had an apprenticeship, however unimpressed, with Domenico Fiasella. Much more influenced on him by Giulio Cesare Procaccini, Correggio, Parmigianino and Van Dyck, from which he began to channel his poetic temperament into a languid sensuality, just think of the Rat of the Sabines or Rat of Proserpina.
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