THE COSTAIOLI'S PAINTINGS

As I mentioned, it was from the second part of the 19th century that a local school of painting originated on the Coast, formed around the masters Raffaele D'Amato and Gaetano Capone, both originally from Maiori. Not only that: most of the artists belonging to this artistic current came from there, which is why they were called “Painters of Maiori” or, more generally, “Costaioli.” The major exponents of the movement include, in addition to D'Amato and Capone, who among other things was the author of numerous paintings and frescoes for the Collegiate Church of Santa Maria a Mare, Angelo Della Mura, Manfredi Nicoletti, Luigi Paolillo, Antonio Ferrigno, Luca Albino, Gaetano Cimini, Pietro Scoppetta, Gaetano Conforti, Enrico and Ignazio Lucibello, Antonio Rocco and Paolo Caruso. 

But what are the characteristics of these works? The subjects depicted by the Costaioli are usually striking and picturesque views of coastal villages, wonderful panoramas, and scenes of everyday life. The pictorial style echoes the more famous Impressionist style, with colorful brushstrokes juxtaposed with each other, and the Romantic style of the Posillipo School. Regarding these aspects, Professor Massimo Bignardi commented, “The landscape becomes a space charged with tension and restlessness, with passion, sought in the movement of colors, in the stains, in the chromatic vibrations: it is what Stendhal calls the ‘despair of solitude.’” 
The painters from Maiori brought a breath of fresh air to the international art scene to such an extent that they attracted the attention of foreign critics, who came to the Coast to see them work live. Their paintings, inspired by the scenic beauty of the Amalfi Coast, are, in essence, characterized by a fresh, colorful painting of glimmers, reflections and warm tones.

Are you an art lover and want to admire the Costaioli paintings live? You will be able to find them in several places scattered around the Coast. Some are on display in the Salerno Pinacoteca Provinciale, where there is a section dedicated precisely to the “Salernitani e Costaioli” artists. Here the exhibition follows a thematic itinerary, showing how all these works were inspired by recurring themes such as landscapes, local folklore and portraits of relatives and friends. 
You can also find them in another evocative location, that is the Cetara Tower Museum. Here, in addition to the Museum of Fishing and Anchovy “colatura”, there is also a section entirely dedicated to the Costaioli. 
Finally, other works can be admired inside the Collegiate Church of Santa Maria a Mare in Maiori, in the Town Halls of Minori and Ravello, in the Mezzacapo Palace in Maiori, in the convent of San Domenico, and in the Church of Madonna delle Grazie in Maiori.