1647
From the collection of Brukenthal National Museum
Uciderea pruncilor din Bethlehem (în Reg. inv.: Uciderea pruncilor din Bethleem) is a 1647 by Massimo Stanzione, a Baroque work, held at Brukenthal National Museum.
This painting shows a chaotic, dark scene with three figures. On the left, a robed man kneels, his back turned, holding a child. In the center, another man in armor grabs the child’s arm. To the right, a woman clutches a baby, her face twisted in fear. The background is shadowy, with a faint glow in the top right corner. The artist used deep contrasts between light and dark to make the figures stand out sharply. This helps focus attention on the drama unfolding. Next, look up *chiaroscuro* to see how this technique works in other paintings.
Massimo Stanzione (also called Stanzioni; Frattamaggiore 1585 – Naples 1656) was an Italian Baroque painter, mainly active in Naples, where he and his rival Jusepe de Ribera dominated the painting scene for several decades.
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