Gioacchino Martorana

[1][2] He was the son of Pietro Martorana and a member of an extended family of decorators and artists from Palermo.

When he was seventeen he went to Rome to study under his father's former pupil Giuseppe Vasi, and also spent time with Marco Benefial.

He painted many religious subjects; much of his work shows the influence of Sebastiano Conca and of Pompeo Girolamo Batoni.

After his return to Palermo he painted a number of portraits, including one of the Sicilian architect Giuseppe Venanzio Marvuglia.

These late works show the influence of the French Rococo style introduced to Palermo by Elia Interguglielmi.