THE CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE AND MOSES BREAKING THE TABLES OF THE LAW

This is a scene that transmits significant physical energy and motion. The theme of the work refers to two particularly powerful episodes in the Old and New Testaments. In the former, Christ rages against the moneychangers in the temple, while in the second episode, Moses is overcome with anger with the people of Israel and breaks the tables of the Law. Here, too, Vassilacchi turns to Tintoretto to study the vivacity with which the Venetian master enlivens his work, including characters caught by the painters daring eye, in highly artificial poses. An example is the well-known Miracle of St. Mark Freeing the Slave (Venice, Galleria dell’Accademia). The chromatic range and the precise description of the architecture bring Vassilacchi closer to the representational tradition of Venetian painting, from Titian to Veronese.