Monks Praying in a Grotto

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.