The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts has acquired an important painting by 17th-century Italian artist Mattia Preti, depicting The Visitation (1640s). The work is an exceptional religious scene by the Baroque master, illustrating the verisimilitude popularised by Caravaggio. Preti is generally described as the last great exponent of Caravaggesque naturalism, and here he revels in the tenderness of the scene unlike the coarse treatments of some of his counterparts.
Read the VMFA's press release.
January 23, 2015