Art Review: Superbarocco at the Scuderie del Quirinale

Genoa, called “La Superba,” or the Proud One, was among the Mediterranean’s powers from the twelfth century until 1797, when Napoleon smote it, Venice, and most everything in his path. Superbarocco at the Scuderie del Quirinale in Rome considers the city’s legacy in art from Rubens and Van Dyck starting around 1610 to the weird and wacky Alessandro Magnasco in the 1730s.

Overall, it’s a splendid survey of the twists and turns in Baroque painting in one place. Genoa wasn’t a high-pressure art town like, say, New York, where a hip style can kill everything counter to it. In places where the business of life is making money, varieties of tastes and looks can exist.

About the Author

Brian T. Allen

Brian T. Allen is National Review’s art critic.

Genoa, called “La Superba,” or the Proud One, was among the Mediterranean’s powers from the twelfth century until 1797, when Napoleon smote it, Venice, and most everything in his path. Superbarocco at the Scuderie del Quirinale in Rome considers the city’s legacy in art from Rubens and Van Dyck starting around 1610 to the weird and wacky Alessandro Magnasco in the 1730s.

Overall, it’s a splendid survey of the twists and turns in Baroque painting in one place. Genoa wasn’t a high-pressure art town like, say, New York, where a hip style can kill everything counter to it. In places where the business of life is making money, varieties of tastes and looks can exist.