Open full image Pin

Underground Prisons, Known as "the Wells"

Giovanni De Pian

1797

ink

paper

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Romanticism 18th Century

Dominant colour

Underground Prisons, Known as "the Wells" is a 1797 ink by Giovanni De Pian, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.

Who painted this?: Giovanni De Pian
When & what style?: 1797 · Romanticism
Where can I see it?: National Gallery of Art

About this work

This painting shows a man sitting in a dimly lit, wood-paneled room with a low ceiling. He is dressed in 18th-century attire and holds a lantern in his right hand, which casts a beam of light upwards. The man's left hand is raised to his head, and he appears to be in a state of distress or discomfort. The room is small and Spartan, with a bucket in the corner and a bench or pallet on which the man sits. The overall atmosphere is one of confinement and isolation. The artist's use of chiaroscuro and dramatic lighting adds to the sense of tension and emotion in the scene. The painting is a powerful example of Romanticism, a movement that emphasized emotion and individualism. The artist, Giovanni De Pian, was a master of this style, and his work can be seen at the National Gallery of Art, Washington.