Salvator Rosa

Salvator Rosa was an Italian Baroque painter famous for wild, dramatic landscapes and a rebellious personality. Born near Naples in 1615, he painted rugged scenes of jagged rocks, twisted trees, storms, and lonely bandits, a stark contrast to the calm, orderly landscapes favored by many of his contemporaries. His work has a stormy, untamed energy.

He was also a poet, actor, and satirist with a fierce independent streak, proud of choosing his own subjects rather than pleasing patrons. His moody, sublime scenery later thrilled the Romantics, who saw him as a kindred spirit. Rosa's dramatic, untamed landscapes and his colorful character made him one of the most distinctive figures of Italian Baroque art.