1704
oil
canvas
From the collection of J. Paul Getty Museum
Death of Messalina is a 1704 oil by Francesco Solimena, a Early Baroque Italian work, depicting Aeneas, held at J. Paul Getty Museum.
In the painting, a man in a blue and yellow tunic is shown in a dynamic pose, holding a dagger in his right hand and grasping the arm of a woman in a white dress with his left. The woman is being pulled away from another woman who is lying on the ground, wearing a red and white dress. The scene is set against a backdrop of stone columns and a blue sky. The woman on the ground appears to be dead or dying, while the other woman looks on in distress. The man's facial expression is intense, and his body language suggests a sense of urgency or desperation. The painting's use of chiaroscuro creates a dramatic contrast between light and dark, drawing the viewer's attention to the central figures. For more information on this technique, look up chiaroscuro.
Francesco Solimena (4 October 1657 – 3 April 1747) was a prolific Italian Baroque painter, one of an established family of painters and draughtsmen.
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