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The following biography is from the archives of askArt.
Biography from Auctionata
Born in Monopoli in 1612, Francesco Fracanzano moved to Naples in 1625, where he and his brother were trained in the studio of Jusepe de Ribera. At the beginning of his career Fracanzano predominately focused on religious themes. His first works therefore include, among others, the painting San Paolo and San Antonio Abate Eremita or Apostolo, both characterized by an orientation towards Ribera as well as a strong naturalism.
In 1635, Fracanzano created a series of paintings for the Chiesa di San Gregorio Armeno in Naples, where he picked up on new features of contemporary Venetian painters, which became known in Naples at that time. Other works from the same period prove contacts with the Roman Caravaggisti, particularly to the group of French and Flemish artists working in Rome.
The paintings Ecce Homo, Cristo davanti a Caifa and San Matteo belong to the late phase of the artist, all of which are again shaped by a strong naturalism. Numerous public and private collections are in possession of Fracanzano’s works, e.g. the City Museum Bristol, the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, several Neapolitan private collections, the New York collection Morton B. Harris and the Museo di Capodimonte in Naples. Fracanzano died around 1656.