St. Gerardo Sagredo, Bishop of Csanád
Bernardo Strozzi
1633
A native of Genoa, Bernardo Strozzi was largely a self-trained artist. He formed his style by observing and combining features from other prominent artists: Peter Paul Ruben's rich textures and the dramatic lighting employed by followers of Caravaggio. In 1630 or 1631 Strozzi settled in Venice, where a member of the Sagredo family likely commissioned this painting. It commemorates their saintly ancestor Gerardo Sagredo, a Benedictine monk who became Bishop of Csanád, a region straddling present-day Hungary, Romania, and Serbia.
Art Institute of Chicago · Image: Public domain · Text: CC BY 4.0