Artwork
Visión de San Francisco de Asís
Visión de San Francisco de Asís is an oil painting by the Post-Impressionist artist Luis Menéndez Pidal. It dates from 1894 and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.
About this work
Overview
Luis Menéndez Pidal’s 1894 oil painting *Visión de San Francisco de Asís* is part of the Museo del Prado’s collection. Executed in the post‑impressionist idiom, the work presents a dimly lit interior where a monk in a brown habit gazes upward at a luminous angel.
Subject & Meaning
The central figure, a Franciscan monk, stands with clasped hands, his elongated shadow stretching across the stone floor. Above him hovers an angel with golden hair, a red garment, and expansive white wings, cradling a small object—perhaps a symbolic token—while emitting a serene, radiant light.
Technique & Style
Menéndez Pidal employs a pronounced chiaroscuro, contrasting the deep shadows of the stone walls and doorway with the almost ethereal glow surrounding the angel. The handling of light creates a blurred halo effect, enhancing the spiritual atmosphere and emphasizing the encounter between the earthly and the divine.
History & Provenance
Since its creation, the painting has remained in Spain, eventually entering the holdings of the Museo del Prado, where it is displayed as part of the museum’s representation of late 19th‑century Spanish religious art.
Artist & collection
Artist
Luis Menéndez Pidal (8 August 1861, in Pajares – 7 February 1932, in Madrid) was a Spanish painter; primarily of genre scenes.
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