Salvator Rosa’s Bandits, Wilderness, and Magic at the Kimbell

One of the boldest artists of seventh century Italy, the Kimbell Art Museum is currently presenting Salvator Rosa: Bandits, Wilderness, and Magic until March 27 highlighting 36 of the artist’s best paintings.  Currently on loan from museums and private collections around Europe and North America, this is the first major exhibition devoted to Rosa’s work.

For those unsure of the Bandits, Wilderness and Magic themes, Rosa’s brilliant juxtaposition of craggy ravines and crumbling towers give way later in his career to scenes such as Fortuna, a piece that got him in trouble with the church.

Not that Rosa particularly seemed to care about trouble since as his style changed over the years, so, in fact did he.  His work was distinctly marked by the various stages of his life.  A landscape artist when he began, Rosa’s need for the unusual made landscape less and less interesting, thus catapulting him into works such as Jason and the Dragon and classical themes and allegorical portraits that he later became known for by his admirers.

The main draw for me, the mystical “Magic” paintings, his painting Scene of Witchcraft is not only alluring, but notably his first of a number of pieces in which witches dominate; dark and threatening.

Preferring to think of himself as a free man who could paint what he wanted, Rosa’s skill was in his inventive mind be it his landscapes, portraits, scenes of witchcraft and magic or his subjects derived from literature.

The Kimbell has Rosa’s work grouped by theme, beginning with the self-portraits.  One standing out for me was called Self-Portrait with a Skull, the thought behind it being a long-haired Rosa, a tear in his eye, meditating on death.
Regardless of the theme however, Rosa’s real signature lay in his expert use of light effects and shadows, continuously playing upon one another for lasting effect.

Kimbell Art Museum:  3333 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth (map)

Hours:  Tuesday–Thursday and Saturdays, 10 am-5; Fridays, noon–8 pm;  Sundays, noon–5 pm; closed Mondays.

Admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors age 60 and over and students with an ID; $8 for children six to 11 and FREE for children under six years old.  Admission is half-price on Tuesdays and after 5 pm on Fridays.

Photo credit:  Kevin Muncie via flickr