Biographies

Magnasco was born in Genoa and first studied with his father Stefano before going around 1680 to Milan where he worked in the studio of Abbiati, a Venetian painter who taught him the technique of applying colours on the canvas.

He first produced portraits, now lost, and then devoted his time to genre painting though he also produced some religious scenes, notably «The Last Supper of Emmaus» in the convent of Saint Francis of Albaro.

In Milan, Magnasco befriended Sebastiano Ricci and was impressed by many architectural monuments in that city. He also went to Florence but preferred to work in Milan until at least 1735 after becoming old and jealous of the success of the Tiepolos. He died in Genoa at 82 after producing some great masterpieces in his native town. Magnasco had no pupil and first worked under the influences of Salvator Rosa and Jacques Callot, notably regarding his way of adding small figures in his works.

He was rather considered as a Romantic painter with an inclination for immediate expression. Still, he was forgotten during two centuries before being rediscovered only recently.

Some art critic saw in him a forerunner of Goya regarding his sense of tragedy but it must be stressed that many of his paintings were not solely produced by his hand as he used to work with several other artists. For instance, during the first part of his career, he added figures in the works of landscape painters like Spera, Favello, Marco Ricci or Perugini until at least 1711.

Afterwards, Magnasco tried to adapt himself to new 18th Century trends while his best period ran from 1711 and 1735 and from that year until his death after he had returned to Genoa. During almost 40 years he managed to exhale some deep poetry in his paintings with a much light brushstroke. The large compositions in the Seilenstellen Abbey (1719-1735) and the «Recreation in a garden in Albaro» are considered as his best works.