Andrea Celesti (Venice, 1637 – Toscolano Maderno, 1712), The Expulsion of Hagar

Andrea Celesti (Venice, 1637 – Toscolano Maderno, 1712)

The Expulsion of Hagar

Oil on canvas, 124 x 167 cm

Critical note by Prof. Giuseppe Sava

A native of Venice, where he was born in 1637, Andrea Celesti initially trained in the workshop of Matteo Ponzone and then perfected his skills under Sebastiano Mazzoni. Already in the decade between 1659 and 1669, he demonstrated his talent by undertaking elaborate decorative cycles for Venetian patrician residences, most notably his work in the Hall of Honor of Palazzo Erizzo. His fame in the city grew rapidly, leading him to create the effigy of Doge Nicolò Sagredo for the Doge's Palace in 1676, a success that soon afterward earned him a knighthood from Doge Alvise Contarini. The artist proudly displayed this prestigious recognition by signing himself with the abbreviation of the knightly title on the imposing canvases he subsequently executed for the seat of Venetian government, such as the work depicting Moses and the Golden Calf. In the mid-1680s, he contributed to the embellishment of the church of San Zaccaria, and in 1687, he reached the pinnacle of his career when he was elected Prior of the College of Painters. Although legend has it that he hastily fled Venice following a satirical snub toward Doge Contarini—whom he allegedly painted with donkey ears in a portrait after being criticized—it is more likely that his move was facilitated by his connection with Scipione Delaj, a member of a wealthy Brescian family active in business in the lagoon. After a stint in Rovigo, where he is thought to have worked for the Rotonda, Celesti settled on the Brescian shore of Lake Garda, in Toscolano Maderno, establishing permanent ties to the area both professionally, with canvases for the parish church and the Delaj family residence, and privately, by marrying the Venetian Martina Davagni. In the 1690s, his activity shifted to Brescia and subsequently to Lonato, where he received a commission for a municipal celebration, before moving to Treviso in 1696. In the Treviso area, he received numerous commissions for large religious compositions, now unfortunately no longer traceable, facilitated by the mediation of Abbot Rinaldo Rinoldi, who also employed him in the decoration of his villa in Asolo. At the end of the century, the artist returned to the lagoon, opening his own professional studio in 1700, while maintaining strong relationships with his Brescian clientele and finding new opportunities for work between Padua and Rovigo. Re-registered in the Venetian painters' guild in 1708, Andrea Celesti died around 1712, passing away in the very Toscolano that had welcomed him during his maturity.

Considered one of the most fascinating and unconventional figures of late 17th-century Venetian Baroque, his painting represents a bridge between the solid tradition of the past and an expressive freedom that almost anticipates the vaporousness of the 18th century. Deeply influenced by the great masters of 16th-century Venice—Tintoretto for his dynamism and Veronese for his theatrical use of space—Celesti developed a rebellious style characterized by a concise, rapid, and concise brushstroke, sacrificing precision of detail for the overall effect and the emotionality of light. In this painting, The Expulsion of Hagar, his frayed and vaporous brushstroke emerges, leaving the figures devoid of sharp contours, immortalizing them as they seemingly dissolve into the surrounding atmosphere. This approach creates an "unfinished" effect that imbues his works with a vibrant vitality. The work highlights the artist's ability to transform a biblical drama into a theatrical scene full of psychological pathos through an extremely free technique. Hagar's face, turned upward with red eyes, is a masterpiece of emotion: the scene is constructed through an interplay of divergent glances and gestures, where Abraham imperiously thrusts out his arm at Hagar, who implores heaven, while the child gazes at his mother, creating a pressing narrative rhythm. The most immediate comparison is with the large canvases in the Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Toscolano. In particular, in the martyrdom scenes and the large choral compositions, we find the same treatment of the muscular masses and faces "undone" by light and emotion. Abraham's monumentality recalls the senile, authoritative figures of the prophets painted for Lake Garda.

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