Stigmatisatie van heilige Franciscus 1717 - 1763

This is Pietro Monaco's rendition of 'Stigmatization of Saint Francis,' made with etching in the 18th century. The composition swirls upwards, carrying our eye from the grounded figure of Saint Francis to the ethereal vision above. Note how Monaco uses contrasting textures—rough, earthly rocks against the soft, cloud-like forms—to distinguish the divine from the mortal realm. The stark lines forming the cross and the divine light cut through the swirling scene, punctuating the moment of Francis's spiritual transformation. This work plays with semiotic codes. Light traditionally signifies the divine, while the book held by an angel symbolizes knowledge and revelation. But consider too, how the upward, dynamic composition and the angel's gestures destabilize a fixed, hierarchical view of heaven and earth, suggesting a more fluid interaction between these realms. Monaco’s formal choices invite us to explore the convergence of the physical and spiritual and how the earthly might be transformed by divine intervention.