Magnasco, Allessandro (älĕs-sänˈdrō mägnäsˈkō) [key], 1667–1749, Italian painter. Magnasco's style developed from an early apprenticeship to a Venetian painter and from his exposure to Lombard mannerism during his years as a Tuscan court painter. His works are characteristically gloomy, storm-torn landscapes and ruins, peopled with small, attenuated figures, and illuminated by flickering light. Magnasco's themes are primarily religious, and his paintings have a mystical, fantastic quality often compared to that of El Greco. Among his works are The Baptism of Christ (National Gall. of Art, Washington, D.C.) and the late work Synagogue (Cleveland Mus. of Art).
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