Descrizione
Pietro Testa(1612-1650) dedicated one of his last and most dramatic paintings to a rarely represented scene from the life of Alexander the Great. In the middle of a hot summer day, Alexander decided to bate in the river Cydnus, not knowing that its waters were exceedingly cold. This decision to cool off in the river nearly caused the death of the great Macedonian commander. The quick reaction of Alexander’s soldiers and the medical treatement at the hands of his physician Philip of Acarnania prevented a tragedy in which Alexander was threatened to be defeated by nature rather than by a enemy. This book is devoted to a visual analysis of the painting and interprets the work in the context of Testa’s artistic production in the second half of the 1640s. Looking at the painting in the context of Testa’s art theory and philosophy, his role in Roman society and his relationship with Poussin and other artists, will shed light on many issues that were important to the artist at this stage of his career.
