Fracanzano, Francesco

Like his brother Cesare Fracanzano, Francesco Fracanzano studied under José Ribera and subsequently taught his own brother-in-law Salvator Rosa. He also had roots in the Naples of Caravaggio but, unlike his brother Cesare, he did not turn his back on the luminist Naturalism of the Neapolitan style of the 1630s. Instead, he and others - including Guarino, Do, Bassante and, not least, Ribera himself - continued that tradition, paving the way for its spread into other parts of Europe, notably Spain.