GIOVANNI BATTISTA LANGETTI (1625–1676)

Oil on canvas. Expert analysis: Dr. Mattia Vinco, Verona. This Italian Baroque painter worked in his native Genoa, then in Rome, and finally spent a longer period in Venice. He studied, for example, with Pietro da Cortona, but from the 1750s he worked in a more Caravaggian style. In this painting, Langetti depicts the atypical biblical story of Noah as he lay drunk and naked on the floor. After Noah awakened, he cursed the offspring of his son Ham, who made him appear pathetic and ridiculous (Genesis, Chapter 9). His two other sons – Shem and Japheth – stand to the side, attempting to cover their father’s nakedness with his mantle. A beautifully executed still life in the form of vine branches extends around the stone on which Noah lies. The grapes in his left hand allude to his drunkenness. The whole scene is oriented diagonally through the twisted reclined figure of Noah. A dramatic close-up and distinctive luminosity are used to highlight the naked human body. In the upper right corner, one of his sons looks urgently out of the painting towards the viewer, which was a very typical feature for Caravaggio, who reflected himself in these figures.