Minneapolis Institute of Art

Monks Praying in a Grotto

Alessandro Magnasco; Antonio Francesco Peruzzini

Date

c. 1705–06

Medium

Oil on canvas

Department

European Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

The paintings of Alessandro Magnasco present mysterious worlds—dark, moody landscapes in flickering light, populated by wild, expressive figures. Monks were a favored subject. Here he depicts a dozen praying and writhing in despair on the ground of a woodland grotto. Magnasco’s interest in fantasy, combined with his raw, rapid handling of paint, was very forward-looking in the early 18th century. Magnasco often collaborated with the landscape painter Antonio Francesco Peruzzini, who painted the background here. Italy, Europe

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