Pier Francesco Mola

Pier Francesco Mola (February 9, 1612 – May 13, 1666) was an Italian painter of the High Baroque, mainly active around Rome.

Biography

Mola was born at Coldrerio (now in Ticino, Switzerland). At the age of four, he moved to Rome with his father Giovanni Battista, a painter. With the exception of the years 1633–40 and 1641–47, during which he resided in Venice and Bologna, respectively, he lived for the rest of his life in Rome.

His early training was with the late mannerist painter Cavalier D'Arpino, and he worked under the classicizing Francesco Albani. His masterpiece is the fresco in the gallery of Alexander VII in the Quirinal Palace Gallery, entitled "Joseph making himself known to his Brethren" (1657) [http://www.quirinale.it/palazzo/luoghi/immagini/galleria%20di%20Alessandro%20VII/a-pm-dc-b-0048-01.htm] . He was elected "Principe" of the Accademia di San Luca, the Roman artists' professional association, in 1662, but his last years were neither profitable nor prolific. One of his pupils was Antonio Gherardi.

With his looser style and handling, more naturalistic palette, and interest in exploring landscape elements, Mola rebelled against the prevailing, highly-theoretical classicism of such leading 17th-century Roman painters as Andrea Sacchi.

In February 2007, a painting depicting an astronomer and identified as a lost work of Pier Francesco Mola was auctioned in California for $600,000. Some Mola works have sold for considerably higher prices.

Anthology of works

*"Vision of San Bruno" [http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=941&handle=li]
* [http://www2.comune.roma.it/museicapitolini/pinacoteca/visita/sala4_mola.htm Diana and Endymion]

References

*cite book | first= Sydney J.| last= Freedberg| year=1993| title= Painting in Italy, 1500-1600| chapter= | editor= Pelican History of Art| others= | pages=323-325 Penguin Books Ltd| publisher= | id= | url= | authorlink=
* [http://www.artfacts.net/index.php/pageType/artistInfo/artist/22106/lang/2 "Artfacts.Net"]