View of the Gulf of Salerno 1645

Salvator Rosa made this dramatic seascape with oil on canvas, using the material to evoke both the scene's natural beauty and its inherent dangers. Rosa's brushwork is key to understanding the painting. Notice how he's built up the image using layers of paint, creating texture that mimics the roughness of the sea and the solidity of the buildings. The quick, gestural strokes capture the fleeting quality of light on water, contrasting with the more deliberate rendering of the figures on the shore. The choice of oil paint itself is significant. It allows for a rich depth of color and a luminous quality, which Rosa exploits to full effect. But it’s not just about technique; the painting also speaks to the economics of 17th-century Italy. The ships, meticulously rendered, hint at the importance of trade, while the figures suggest a society built on labor and commerce. Rosa skillfully employs his medium to make a statement about the world around him. It's a reminder that even in landscape painting, materials and making are never far from issues of labor, politics, and consumption.