An artwork on Galleree from Minneapolis Institute of Art.
About the artwork
St. Onuphrius in Wildernessc. 1660
Artist: Salvator Rosa
Italian (Naples), 1615–1673
77 1/2 x 46 3/4 in. (196.85 x 118.75 cm) (canvas)
Oil on canvas
Painting
Italy
17th century
The John R. Van Derlip Fund
In the heart of the Egyptian wilderness, where the sun paints long shadows on the golden sands, there lived a man who seemed to merge with the very essence of the landscape around him. This wild-looking figure, eyes often cast downward in deep thought, is believed by some scholars to be Saint Onuphrius. For sixty long years, he sought solace in the solitude of nature, enveloped by the whispers of the wind and the call of the distant horizons. His existence was a tapestry woven with quiet prayers and moments of meditation, the threads fraying and frizzing like the unkempt hair and beard that cloaked his weathered face.
Onuphrius is usually portrayed as an elderly man, a being who has traded the trappings of civilization for the embrace of the wild. He often wears nothing but leaves—a humble attire that speaks of his rejection of earthly comforts. His gaze, often intense and penetrating, hints at the depths of contemplation that accompany a life lived far from the noise of society. In that stillness, he carved out a sacred space where the divine could find a voice amidst the rustling leaves and the sighing winds.
Enter Salvator Rosa—a man of many talents, not only a painter but also a etcher, poet, musician, and actor. With a spirit as wild as the subjects he painted, Rosa crafted images filled with witches, bandits, and ascetics. Each brushstroke was bold and bristled with an energy that echoed the tumult of his own life. Known for his bohemian lifestyle, Rosa reveled in the unconventional, and the rugged landscapes he often depicted became a canvas for the raw emotions swirling within him.
More than a century later, the Romantic movement would come to herald him as a hero, inspired by the stark contrast of his moody creations against the backdrop of an ever-ordering world. It is remarkable, how on the canvas, the wildness of Saint Onuphrius could reflect the chaos and beauty found in Rosa’s own life. Like Onuphrius, who shunned societal conventions in favor of spiritual exploration, Rosa too wandered off the beaten path, inviting viewers to join him in a journey through the shadows and light of human experience.
About the artist
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