Landscape with Bandits (panel 1 of 2)

Bandits lurk in a mountainous landscape in this first panel of a pair from around 1644 at Lamport Hall in Northamptonshire. Rosa"s bandit scenes, inspired by the outlaws of the Neapolitan countryside and the Abruzzo mountains, created an entire genre of outlaw painting that persisted for over a century. The brigands" combination of danger and freedom appealed to audiences who saw in them a primitive vitality missing from civilized society. Rosa's bandit paintings created a lasting genre in European art, combining the Caravaggist tradition of armed figures with the picturesque landscape he had observed in the Abruzzo mountains and the Campagna around Naples.

The composition arranges armed figures among rocks and trees, with the landscape providing natural cover and dramatic setting. Rosa"s handling of the figures shows the anatomical knowledge gained from his training under Falcone, while the landscape elements are painted with the bold, free brushwork that characterizes his outdoor scenes. The palette of dark earth tones creates a threatening atmosphere appropriate to the subject of armed men in hiding.