Portal of the church of St. Anastasia in Verona

Portal of the Church of Saint Anastasia in Verona was painted by Aleksander Gierymski in 1900. Gierymski was one of the most important Polish Realist painters of the nineteenth century, known for his nocturnal and twilight scenes of Warsaw and his travels in Italy. The Gothic portal of Sant'Anastasia — the largest Gothic church in Verona — offered an extraordinary subject: elaborate carved stone, deep shadow, and the layered history of Italian medieval religious architecture. Gierymski painted in Verona during extended Italian sojourns, and this late work shows his sustained engagement with Italian light and architecture.

Gierymski handles the Gothic portal with careful attention to the contrast between the carved stone's warm ochre tone and the deep shadow within the entrance. The portal's complex ornamental detail is rendered with restrained accuracy. Surrounding figures and street are treated more loosely.