Italian school; XVIII century.

Italian school; XVIII century.
"Diana surprised by a satyr".
Oil on canvas. Relined.
Presents restorations.
Measurements: 44 x 87 cm.
The painting seems to represent the moment in which, after a hunt, Diana and one of her nymphs fall exhausted and fall asleep. While they sleep, a satyr appears and surprises them in this vulnerable state. In the painting, Diana lies on a tree with almost no clothes on, except for a blue cloak that covers her lap. Next to her is the satyr, a male creature half man half ram, with pointed ears and horns; satyrs used to accompany the god Pan and often wandered through forests and mountains; moreover, they incessantly pursued nymphs to appease their sexual desire. The satyr, with a dynamism that contrasts with the static figure of Diana, and this one seems to be ready to remove the mantle that covers the goddess.
Formally it is inscribed within the academicism, and therefore follows classical rules of which the first is the great technical quality. Thus, the drawing is rigorous and firm, although a taste for the sumptuous, typical of the Venetian school, can be appreciated in the conception. The academicism is a direct inheritance of classicism, and hence the predilection for themes such as the one presented here, taken from mythology, although captured from a sensual and decorative point of view far from the solemnity of ancient classical art. Hence also the way of approaching the subject, recreating the mythological figures in a totally new way. Nevertheless, we can appreciate an ideal of beauty that is not based on reality, although the painter's study of nature is undeniable, but rather an idealism based on reality through his sum of experience, that is to say, an aesthetic sublimation that reflects a beauty that transcends reality.