Existing comment:
Alessandro Magnasco
The Quaker Meeting, ca 1712
Flickering lights on a dark background and a virtuoso freedom of brushwork mark Alessandro Magnasco's style. Many of his paintings reflect an interest in bizarre or fantastic subjects, which are also difficult to identify precisely.
Magnasco was very interested in the seemingly stranger rituals of many ancient and modern sects. In this painting, he sought to render his imprecise notion of Quakerism, a Christian denomination that developed in England in the 17th century and was sometimes regarded as a curiosity because of its untraditional rituals. Here, Magnasco shows a preacher on a platform before a broken obelisk delivering a passionate sermon inside a mysterious round building. He has obviously moved the congregation greatly -- one penitent has torn off his clothing and weeps into his hands. However unsuccessful this painting is as a true representation of Quaker practices, it does reflect an interest in the history and variety of religious beliefs and practices on the part of contemporary Enlightenment theologians, historians, and philosophers. |