Pittore Fiammingo del XVII secolo - Rembrandt H. Van Rijn (1606-1669) [followers] - San Francesco in preghiera

\Artist: Pittore Fiammingo del XVII secolo - Rembrandt H. Van Rijn (1606-1669) [followers]
Technique: Oil on board\Signature: Not signed\Dimensions: 55_10_50_cm
CARAVAGIST PAINTER - FLAMINGO OF THE XVII CENTURY Rembrandt H. Van Rijn (1606 - 1669) [followers] St. Francis in prayer Oil on wood, cm. 25 x 20 Size with frame, cm. 45 x 40 x 5 approx. BROWSE CATALOG (copy link) : https: //www. sfogliami. it/fl/238096/8jr1pv76d1rru6kefskr5ynnmzdrt1#page/65 NOTES: Publication of the catalog of works from the Intermidiart collection. Certificate of Guarantee and Lawful Origin. Work with gilt frame (Defects) : ". . . This interesting painting depicts St. Francis of Assisi meditating in front of the crucifix, kneeling in the act of prayer with an ecstatic gaze turned to Christ. The Saint, represented here among the stone blocks, in a cave illuminated from the left by the light, the place where Francis had placed his nest, almost imprisoned in this stone hollow, immersed himself more and more deeply in the meditation of the passion of his Lord and as his hands clung to the rock, the memory of Christ's death grew stronger. Below the Crucifix, an open book is depicted, the angel, while a skull lies next to it. This last element is a clear memento mori, that is, a warning about the finitude of life; about the fact that our time in the world sooner or later ends. 'Vanitas Vanitatum, vanity of vanities, everything is vanity', says Qelet. For Francis the stone is Christ and he remembered how the rocks broke at the death of the Lord. In the evening, weakened by penances and fasting, he stretched out his frail body on the bare stone. The brown-toned style of painting suggests the influence of Rembrandt van Rijn, Artificial candlelight lighting became a special topic in the painting of the time. Despite the conventionality of the subject, the artist manages to offer the viewer a new interpretation. Thanks to his distinctive use of light - which focuses on the kneeling figure of the sage and the magical details of the character - the most exalted component in the scene becomes the esoteric one. The interest of the master is concentrated, in fact, in the act of meditation of the Saint as he offers his prayer to the Lord. As you observe the painting, the glare and reflections that spread from one detail to another shift the attention of the observer further and further away. From the scene in the foreground, depicting St. Francis praying in front of the Crucifix, we quickly pass to those behind, from the rocky stones to the plant below the saint. Through these “luminous accents”, the painter underlines the most significant moments of the Saint, translating them and thus making them immediately understandable even for a simpler spirituality, such as the bourgeois one. The typical light of Rembrandt, in fact, is a light that tells, outlining the scene almost like a theatrical moment. However, it is not the spectacular effect that interests him, but rather the emotional dimension that the light helps to create. Regarding its state of conservation, the pictorial surface shows a patina varnish. We can see - in Wood's light - some small scattered restorations and some slight unveiling and oxidation of the pictorial surface, moreover - above all - on the sides of the small drops of color scattered on the panel. All this does not allow to evaluate a careful attributive evaluation. The measures of the table are cm. 25 x 20. The painting is sold with a gilded frame (the dimensions of the frame are approx. 45 x 40 x 5 cm, defects) . ORIGIN: Coll. private PUBLICATION: Unpublished; MYTHS AND THE TERRITORY in Sicily with a thousand cultures. UNPUBLISHED QUADRERIA general catalog of paintings from the collection of the “Myths and the territory” cycle, Publisher Lab_04, Marsala, (in print 2021) . We also guarantee accurate packaging with external wooden crate and bubble wrap / cardboard / internal polystyrene (packaging cost approximately € 100. 00) and tracked shipping (€ 100. 00 Italy) . For export, the work is subject to a request for a Certificate of Free Movement (European Community) or Export Certificate (Extra-Community Transport) , at the export office (Superintendency of the territory) with the times and costs incurred ( € 300 / € 500, all included: shipping, packaging and particular exports) . The original documents (including catalog, will be sent separately after receiving payment from Catawiki) . The shipment may be delayed by a few days / week for logistical and administrative reasons.