Saint Francis

Bernardo Strozzi's Saint Francis from around 1650 is a late work by the Genoese painter-friar who spent his final decades in Venice. Strozzi, known as il Cappuccino because he was a Capuchin monk, brought a robust, Rubensian energy to Venetian painting that helped revitalize the city's artistic culture in the seventeenth century. His treatment of Saint Francis, the founder of the Capuchin parent order, carried personal as well as devotional significance for the painter-monk.

Strozzi's broad, confident brushwork and warm, Venetian-influenced palette create a powerful image of Franciscan devotion. The vigorous handling of the saint's rough habit and the expressively modeled face demonstrate his characteristic blend of Genoese energy and Venetian color.