Andreas 1775

This is Domenico Cunego's engraving, "Andreas," made sometime in the 18th century. Notice how Cunego uses hatching and cross-hatching to model form and create areas of light and shadow. This technique gives the image a tactile quality, almost as if you could reach out and touch the rough texture of the man’s beard and clothing. The composition centres on the figure of Andreas, his gaze directed upwards, which draws our eye along the same path. There's a diagonal pull from the lower right to the upper left, mirroring the figure's line of sight. This directional emphasis is not merely aesthetic; it suggests a yearning for something beyond the immediate, tangible world. Consider the semiotic implications of such upward-gazing figures in religious art of this era. How does Cunego, through the formal arrangement of line and light, engage with and perhaps challenge, established notions of faith and devotion? This print, with its rich textures and carefully orchestrated composition, invites us to contemplate the interplay between the material and the spiritual.