
The Choristers
1740 · oil on canvas
overall: 68 x 54.5 cm (26 3/4 x 21 7/16 in.)
framed: 91.4 x 78.1 cm (36 x 30 3/4 in.)
National Gallery of Art

Alessandro Magnasco was a Genoese painter of the 18th century known for dramatic, loosely handled scenes of monks, nuns, beggars, and landscapes rendered in dark, atmospheric tones. His technique employed rapid brushwork and chiaroscuro to create a sense of movement and psychological intensity across religious and secular subjects. Active primarily in Genoa and Venice, Magnasco developed a distinctive approach to figural composition that influenced Venetian painting in the decades following his death in 1749.
Source: Wikidata · Trust score: 40% · Updated 7d ago