Mythological Figures Among Ruins, by Alessandro Magnasco and Clemente Spera, late 1690s, oil on canvas - Blanton Museum of Art - Austin, Texas - DSC08022

Magnasco was born in Genoa, Italy, and trained under the artist Filippo Abbiati. He was known for his dark and dramatic scenes of religious and mythological subjects, often with moving figures and dynamic compositions. Magnasco's style was influenced by the work of Caravaggio and Rembrandt, as well as the Venetian painters of the 17th century. He also painted landscapes and genre scenes, but it was his religious works that gained him the most recognition during his lifetime. Magnasco's paintings are in museums and private collections around the world, including the Louvre in Paris and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.