Neapolitan school, possibly Sebastiano Conca, XVIII century.

Neapolitan school, possibly SEBASTIANO CONCA (Gaeta 1680 - Naples, 1764); XVIII century.
"The Adoration of the Shepherds".
Oil on canvas.
Measurements: 53 x 41 cm.
The adoration of the shepherds is a traditional theme in the world of art in which Jesus is presented to us as a king. A humble king who is born in a haystack. In this case the work has been conceived in a theatrical way with the presence of the Child in the center as usual and a large number of characters who adore his presence and pay him homage. The artist has moved the figures to the background leaving a slight space in the foreground that gives spatiality to the work and also a certain lightness that facilitates the compression of a composition with so many characters. The light seems to radiate directly from the body of the Child, whose luminosity is further enhanced by the white cloth that surrounds him. This light illuminates the face of the Virgin, highlighting it against the background, and affects other points of the composition creating an expressive and effective play of chiaroscuro, typically baroque.
Aesthetically the work is very reminiscent of Sebastiano Conca, an Italian painter active during the Baroque period. One of the most acclaimed artists of his time, he had the opportunity to produce large-scale works, in which he combined the grandeur typical of the late Baroque and the classicist style of Carlo Maratta.