Artwork
St. Francis of Assisi in Ecstasy before a Cherub with a Violin
St. Francis of Assisi in Ecstasy before a Cherub with a Violin is an oil painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Gioacchino Assereto. It dates from 1628 and is held in the collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts. St.
About this work
Overview
St. Francis of Assisi in Ecstasy before a Cherub with a Violin is an early Baroque oil painting created in 1628 by Gioacchino Assereto, a Genoese painter. The work is part of the Detroit Institute of Arts collection.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts Saint Francis of Assisi in deep religious ecstasy, accompanied by a cherub playing a violin. The saint's posture, with eyes closed and head tilted back, conveys intense spiritual experience. The cherub's violin serves as a focal point, suggesting it induces the saint's ecstatic state.
Technique & Style
Assereto employs chiaroscuro, juxtaposing the bright, luminous violin with a dark, shadowy background, creating dramatic tension. This contrast highlights the spiritual and emotional intensity of the scene.
History & Provenance
Created in 1628, the painting is characteristic of early Baroque Italian art. It is now held in the collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts.
Context
As an early Baroque work, it reflects the period's emphasis on emotional depth and dramatic lighting, common in 17th-century Italian religious art.
Legacy
While not widely discussed in broad art historical narratives, the piece remains a notable example of early Baroque techniques and themes in religious painting.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Gioacchino Assereto (1600 – 28 June 1649) was an Italian painter of the early Baroque period and one of the most prominent history painters active in Genoa in the first half of the 17th century.
