Twee zittende figuren en engelen op wolken 1661 - 1666

Mattia Preti rendered this drawing of two seated figures and angels on laid paper in the 17th century. Drawings like these provided the foundation for the frescoes and altarpieces that Preti produced in Naples and Malta. Preti’s career took off in the decades after the Council of Trent, when the Catholic Church used art as propaganda to assert its authority. Religious imagery had to abide by certain rules and focus on the emotional impact on the viewer. This explains the dynamism of Preti’s art. He specialized in dramatic scenes with lively figures. As a historian, I would study the archives of the religious institutions that commissioned artworks from Preti. What were the specific requirements that Preti had to follow? And how did his patrons make use of his art to convey their message? These are the questions that help us understand the cultural work of art in the early modern period.