Saint Rosalie 

Anthony van Dyck’s painting depicts Saint Rosalie, her gaze lifted towards an angel offering her a bouquet of flowers. The scene unfolds with dramatic contrasts—light against dark, the ephemeral against the mortal. Van Dyck uses tenebrism, a technique employing strong contrasts between light and dark. This not only heightens the drama but also focuses our attention on Rosalie’s face, her hand, the angel and the skull. There is a complex semiotic interplay. The skull traditionally symbolizes mortality, while the angel and flowers represent divine grace and salvation. Her upward gaze, combined with the symbols, suggests a transcendence of earthly concerns. Consider the brushwork too. It's loose, expressive, especially in the rendering of Rosalie’s robes and hair, adding movement. This is a key formal element, infusing the painting with dynamism and reflecting the Baroque period’s emphasis on emotion and drama. Ultimately, the painting invites us to meditate on our existence and the possibility of spiritual transcendence.