1653
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
The Young Christ Teaching in the Temple is a 1653 by Luca Giordano, a Baroque work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This etching shows a crowded scene of people gathered in a dimly lit room with stone steps. In the center, a young boy sits on a low wall, surrounded by older men who lean in closely, listening. Some people stand or sit on the steps, while a few lie on the floor, looking up. The artist used strong lines and shading to show the folds in their clothing and the tension in their faces. The boy at the center might be the focus, but the way the older men crowd around him suggests they’re all paying close attention. The lighting is dramatic, with dark shadows making the figures stand out sharply. Next, look up chiaroscuro to see how this lighting trick works.
Luca Giordano was an Italian late-Baroque painter and printmaker in etching. Giordano was one of the most celebrated artists of the Neapolitan Baroque, whose vast output included altarpieces, mythological paintings and…
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