Melancholie
1645 - 1646
Medium
etching
Dimensions
215; 114
About this artwork
height 215 mm x width 114 mm
Art Historical Context
**Melancholie** is a poignant etching by Giovanni Benedetto Cast, created between 1645 and 1646. This Genoese Baroque master (1609–1664), often called il Grechetto, was a pioneering figure in Italian printmaking, blending the dramatic light and shadow of Caravaggism with pastoral elegance. At just 215 mm high by 114 mm wide, intimate scale invites close contemplation, transforming the print into a personal meditation on human emotion. Etching allowed Castiglione to achieve painterly effects rare in prints of his time—loose, expressive lines that evoke texture and depth, as if brushed onto the...
About the Artist
Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione · 1609–1664
Versatile and eclectic artist open to foreign influence which was unusual for an Italian artist of his time. Some of his best-known works are somewhat fantastical. He was court painter at Mantua from 1648. Comment on works: Religious; Landscapes; Animals; Mythology.