Stefano Magnasco

Variant namesStefano Magnasco

DatesBiographical dates: 1635 Dead: dead between 1665 and 1674 Born: born ca 1635

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BiographyBiography: Stefano Magnasco was a follower of Valerio Castello (1624–1659) and the father of the better- known painter Alessandro Magnasco (1667–1749). His life was brief and he would perhaps have become a more notable artist, like his son Alessandro, had it been longer. He was born in Genoa in the parish of Sant’Agnese, in the vicinity of the church of L’Annunziata del Vastato (Guastato). He married Livia Caterina Musso, in all likelihood before 4 February 1667, which has been established as the date of birth of Alessandro. Stefano must have begun his apprenticeship to Valerio Castello at quite an early age, perhaps as early as 1650–55, since it is documented that he moved to Rome in 1656 to avoid the plague that hit Genoa that year. Returning to Genoa after his Roman sojourn in 1660, he had only about another decade of professional activity before his untimely death. His autograph work consists of around sixty paintings, which in number are testament to his short career, and in style to his quite diverse influences. His early work is naturally characterized by the influence of his master Castello: notably, a certain golden lustre in combination with a pronounced colouristic sfumato rendered through quick and easy brushwork. Yet from early on Magnasco’s work was distinct from his master’s, especially due to its more pronounced naturalism. His compositions are also clearer, often divided into distinct planes of foreground and background, typical of the Genoese work of Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione (il Grechetto, 1609–1664) at that time. He may also have shared earlier influences with Castello, such as Parmese masterworks of the 16th century and the late Mannerist style of Giulio Cesare Procaccini (1574–1625). Familiar with Rubens’s Genoese work, he must also have studied his output in Rome, the influence of which we can see, for example, in Susanna and the Elders in a private collection, Genoa. His classicist influences seem to have come predominantly from the work of Pietro da Cortona and his followers, such as Pietro Testa. When Magnasco returned to Genoa, many studios had closed due to the ravages of the plague. His master Castello, for instance, had died at the age of 35, and the disease can be said to have forced a more rapid generational change amongst artists in Genoa. At quite an early age, artists such as Magnasco had to take on commissions that would previously have been given to the likes of Castello, Giovanni Paolo Cervetto (1630–1657) and Bartolomeo Biscaino (1632–1657).

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