‘La Canterina Corteggiata’ or popularly known as The Courted Singer is a late 17th century painting by the Italian painter, Giuseppe Maria Crespi. Renowned for his genre paintings, i.e picture representation of everyday life, say for example markets, domestic settings, parties, work, and street scenes.
Crespi was a Bolognese artist, whose style was that of the Baroque, the Western style of painting which flourished from the early 1600s till the late 1700s. It was followed by the Renaissance art and preceded the Rocco (often known as Late Baroque).
The painting captures a vibrant scene of courtship and musical entertainment. Giuseppe Crespi was known for depicting raw emotions and variety of textures. If you carefully observe the painting you will notice the way the light catches the sheen of the singer’s satin dress and the way the brush strokes radiate the jewels. Speaking of the jewels, one might also notice the attempt of the nobleman to impress the singer and his commanding foot coming forward subtly along with the visible reaction shown by the female singer.
The setting of this painting gives us a slight hint towards the social setting of those times when artists heavily relied upon patronage by the wealthy individuals of the society. Depicting luxury and leisure, this painting could be considered one of the best by Giuseppe Maria Crespi.
This artwork from the Baroque era depicts a social gathering of the wealthy. The use of light and shadow and the details and texture of the clothing are quite impressive.
