On August 4, 2020 a devastating explosion at the port of Beirut caused death, destruction and incalculable damage. The final balance will speak of 220 victims, 6500 wounded and 300 thousand displaced people, with over 50 thousand damaged houses: impressive numbers. But among the victims there was also culture: the Surrsock palace, a famous historical residence and museum venue, was seriously affected, together with its collection of works of art. In the midst of the rubble, two forgotten televisions emerged, that time and chaos had hidden in the world: “Hercules and Onfale” and a “Maddalena” attributed to Artemisia Gentileschi.
The attribution of the works to the great seventeenth -century painter was not immediate. Initially anonymous, the canvases have been identified thanks to the work of experts such as Sheila Barker and Gregory Buchakjian, who recognized in the brushstrokes and in subjects typical elements of the artist’s Neapolitan period. A crucial era for Artemisia, which in Naples developed its most mature and powerful stylistic figure.
Restoration to the Getty Museum
The painting “Hercules and Onfale” was entrusted to the care of the Getty Museum of Los Angeles, where the restorers Ulrich Birkmaier and Matteo Rossi Doria worked for two years to reconstruct the damaged parts. “Ercole and Onfale” will be exhibited for about three months in an exhibition dedicated to the painter in the Getty Museum who has dealt with bringing it back to its maximum splendor, before being transferred to the Columbus Museum, Ohio.
The work represents a bold reinterpretation of the myth: Hercules is portrayed while the wool rows, a symbol of a reversal of gender roles, with onphaal wearing the lion’s skin. A theme dear to Gentileschi, who through his female figures claimed an autonomous and powerful narrative.
Maddalena: the return to Naples
Maddalena rediscovered in Beirut is now the protagonist of a new path. After being exhibited in Milan, she returned to Naples, in the setting of Santa Chiara, a few steps from the places where it may have been painted. Both works, which remained in the shadows for centuries, today finally return to the public, bringing with them a history of survival, memory and redemption.
The journey of these two works shows how art can survive destruction, finding new lives and meanings. After escaping a tragic fate, Hercules and Maddalena have returned to the world and enchant him with their beauty.
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