Ballad Singer at a Shrine of the Virgin 1720 - 1725

Alessandro Magnasco probably made this drawing using pen and brown ink with brush and brown wash on cream laid paper. The sepia ink allows for a limited range of tonal values and a distinct graphic style, and Magnasco seems to have delighted in these constraints, using the medium to its fullest advantage. The monochromatic palette gives this scene a somewhat anonymous quality. There is a clear contrast between the delicate lines of the ink drawing and the subject matter it describes, a group of peasants or beggars gathered around a shrine, listening to a ballad singer. Magnasco was from a privileged background, so this artwork may give us insight into how the upper class viewed the working class during the artist's time. Through this artwork, Magnasco used readily available materials to portray the materiality of everyday life. In doing so, he prompts us to consider the social and economic contexts that shape both the creation and reception of art.