PAGANI, PAOLO

DIVES AND LAZARUS

The rare artistic quality of this picture held in Moscow has assured it a prominent place among the paintings of this outstanding artist, whose work is a unique combination of the artistic traditions of Lombardy, Emilia and Venice. His depiction di sottinsu (from below) of the figure of Lazarus, moulded using dramatic chiaroscuro and the overall greyish-brown range of colours used are typical for works by Paolo Pagani. What would indicate that this is not one of his early works is the striking maturity of the composition, in which Pagani can be seen to have attained a profound understanding of the traditions of various different schools of painting.

Provenance: acquired from the Russian Museum in 1924.