CAVALLINO, Bernardo
(b. 1616, Napoli, d. ca. 1656, Napoli)

The Blessed Virgin

1650
Oil on canvas, 167 x 118 cm
Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan

A highly refined work, this canvas by Cavallino clearly shows his intrinsic vibrancy and lightness of style. Figures and objects are subtly built up out of transparent layers steeped in light and almost palpitating with atmospheric currents. Weightless, except for the face inclined toward her elegant fingers, the Blessed Virgin seems to be made of the same material as the background sky. The angels, the flowers and the olive branch share in this immaterial, vibrant world.