Attributed to Giuseppe Maria Crespi

Attributed to GIUSEPPE MARIA CRESPI (Bologna, Italy, 1665 - 1747).
"Christ on the way to Calvary".
Oil on canvas. Relined.
Presents label on the back.
It has a XIX century frame.
Measurements: 30,5 x 22 cm; 37,5 x 28 cm (frame).
The author of this work presents a narrative scene in which he uses a classic composition based on a triangle. However, the foreshortening of the Virgin and the counterpoint of the character who pulls Christ. This completely baroque compositional conception, which favors the dynamism of the scene, reveals the author's skill. The expressiveness of the disposition of the elements is connected with the dramatism of the representation of the fall of Christ, during the Calvary. Exhausted by the blood lost in the scourging, weakened by the physical and moral sufferings that had been inflicted on him the night before, and without having slept, he could barely take a few steps and soon fell under the weight of the cross. Then followed the blows and imprecations of the soldiers, the expectant laughter of the public. Jesus, with all the strength of his will and with all his strength, managed to get up and continue on his way. According to theological interpretations, Jesus invites us with his actions to carry our cross and to follow him, he teaches us here that we too can fall, and that we must understand those who fall; that no one must remain prostrate, we must all get up with humility and confidence seeking his help and forgiveness.
Nicknamed "Lo Spagnuolo", Giuseppe Maria Crespi is today recognized as one of the great genre painters of the Italian Baroque. Belonging to the Bolognese school, he also painted religious subjects and portraits. He began his training at the age of twelve in the workshop of Angelo Michele Toni, a little-known Bolognese painter, and between the ages of fifteen and eighteen he continued his studies in the workshop of Domenico Maria Canuti. From the beginning he was interested in the great Bolognese masters of the late sixteenth century, as evidenced by the copies he made of the frescoes of the Carracci and several works by Guercino. Around 1684 he joined the drawing academy directed by Carlo Cignani, the "Accademia del Nudo". Two years later Cignani would be succeeded in the academy by Giovanni Antonio Burrini, who probably guided the young Crespi towards the study of Venetian painting. After completing his training, he made a series of trips to Urbino, Parma and Venice, thanks to the financial support of the art dealer Giovanni Ricci. He was thus able to become acquainted with the work of the great masters of the north, being especially interested in Correggio, Veronese and Titian.