PAINTINGS OF THE '900 - Page 2

Grotesque with Angels

Fake fresco on canvas. In imitation of classical frescoes, the canvas features a grotesque decoration, characterized by fantasy plant forms intertwined with human figures, animals or bizarrely deformed masks, in this case cherubs and birds, inserted in architectural references, as in this case the fake support base.

Torrefazione Caffè Pernigotti, 1924

Color lithograph. Signed and dated 1924 top right. Printed by the printer Barabino & Graeve of Genoa. This is an advertising poster for the well-known Pernigotti company of Novi Ligure, today renowned above all for the famous Gianduiotti chocolates, but which began with the production of various confectionery and similar products. Ettore Mazzini, a Genoese portrait and landscape painter, also created various advertising illustrations for important Ligurian companies (we recall the poster for the naval, thermal, electrical and mechanical constructions of the Ansaldo group of Genoa). The poster presented is in good condition, with humidity stains and a cut in the paper. Framed.

Landscape with Figures, 1930 ca.

Oil on canvas. Signed lower right. Ivan Karpoff, of Russian origins but raised and artistically established in Italy, was appreciated for his painting oriented towards the Italian impressionistic realism of the late 19th century; he devoted himself mainly to landscapes and portraits. In this work he offers a glimpse of the countryside and hills overlooking a lake, with two peasant figures intent on harvesting. On the back of the canvas there is a dedication: "Campanini... to the Manara spouses Luciano and Adriana, Milan 28 October 1939 XVII". The painting is presented in a mid-1900s frame.

Interior with Figures and Animals, 1917

Oil on canvas. Signed and dated lower right. In Giuseppe Solenghi's extensive production, rich in lyricism expressed with delicate and refined tones and strokes, the urban landscapes of Milan or the Venetian lagoon views prevail, but there are also several glimpses of the countryside, mainly Lombardy, as well as rustic interiors. In this work the artist portrays the interior of a peasant house, where humans and animals coexist: the scene is pervaded by a serene atmosphere of family everyday life, in which the warm light of the sun filtering through the open door creates plays of light and shadow on the earth tones of the interior. The painting is presented in a mid-20th century frame.

Oil on panel. Signed lower right R.lo Pellegrini. It is probably a work by Romolo Pellegrini, who lived between the 19th and 20th centuries, an artist of landscapes and still lifes with delicate colors. Here we see a bright, flat countryside, with a flock of sheep grazing in the meadows, watched over by the shepherd. The work is presented in a contemporary frame, with missing parts.

The Birth of Venus, 1935

Oil on canvas. Signed and dated lower left on the left lateral canvas. The large composition is made up of three separate canvases, the central one developed vertically (dimensions 220 x 128 cm) and rounded on the upper margin, the two lateral ones developed horizontally and shaped at the corners (dimensions 150 x 328 cm). The central canvas is dominated by the figure of Venus, who emerges naked from the sea foam, with one arm raised to cover her eyes to protect herself from the light of dawn; on the two lateral canvases, a group of tritons, sirens, sea nymphs, sea monsters, led by the god Poseidon, recognizable on the left by the trident he holds, witness the event with amazement and joyful exultation. The figures stand out against the background of sea and sky, fused in a luminous continuum of shades of blue, into which the pink light of dawn insinuates itself, illuminating the scene. Trained at the school of Cesare Tallone, Brignoli learned from him the naturalism deriving from the Venetian tradition, the observation of nature, the decisive brush stroke, the strong contrasts of light. Moreover, after several trips to Africa, begun in 1922, Brignoli approached orientalist painting, but he shunned forms of exotic rhetoric, to instead relive the new subject with a careful research of colors and the effects of light on the landscape. This work, belonging to the artist's already "African" period, is influenced by this imprint, in the bright and clear chromatic choices. Due to its size and the composition of the three canvases, it has a great scenographic impact: coming from a large villa in Brescia, where it was displayed on the imposing staircase, it was probably conceived and created specifically as a custom-made decorative element. The canvases are presented in contemporary gilded frames, missing some parts.

Painting on canvas. Unlike most contemporary banners, this one is hand painted and not printed on canvas. The scene is divided into three parts, enclosed within a frame painted with floral motifs and separated by the design of small columns. In the center are depicted the Madonna with Jesus on the throne, on the sides two angels with the appearance of girls. The painting is then framed by a trimming.

Tempera on canvas. Signed Mimy and dated lower right. The scene, set in an elegant living room, features a group of ladies and gentlemen entertaining themselves musically during a reception: while a woman plays the spinet, a young couple dances. The work is presented in a period frame, with a large lack in the upper part.

Landscape with Figures

Mixed media on cardboard. Signed lower left. Stamp of the artist's studio on the back. The painter of Apulian origins Giuseppe Casciaro, painter and teacher at the Institute of Fine Arts in Naples where he trained, was essentially a landscape painter and produced in particular views of the surroundings of Naples, Irpinia (Nusco) and Puglia. He preferred the pastel painting technique in which he excelled. Here is a glimpse of a Mediterranean countryside, crossed by a path with wayfarers. It is presented in a period frame.

Oil on canvas. Central European school of the first half of the 20th century. Unidentified signature on the lower left. In a wide valley under sharp mountain peaks, a small lake opens up, on which some houses overlook and boats sail; some common people's figures are busy with daily activities. Pleasant and serene in the green-blue hues of nature. It is presented in a period frame.

Landscape with Mill

Oil on cardboard. Signed lower right. Carlo Vittori, an artist from Cremona, mainly portrayed the landscapes of his Po Valley. Here he proposes a countryside inhabited by a mill, to which the water arrives through an overhead canalization. The painting is presented in chronicle.

Seated Figure

Oil on wooden board. Signed lower right. The painter Salvatore Sportelli, of Apulian origin but who lived for a long time in Lodi, where he taught (a posthumous exhibition of his was recently held in the city), produced numerous popular figures and genre scenes characterized by a look at post-impressionism. The work is presented in a frame.

Mountain Landscape

Oil painting on canvas. Signed lower left. The Milanese painter Gino Federici specialized in Alpine views, as in this view, where in the foreground a flock of sheep drinks water from a stream, in the wide valley, under steep peaks. The painting is presented in a contemporary frame. It shows signs of previous restoration.

Interior scene

Oil painting on canvas. Not signed, but on the back there is a dedication "Alla signora Clelia Mazzioli, con stima Gaetano Bellei 23 gennaio 1909". The big scene, set in a popular kitchen, sees a woman reading cards to two girls, who ask for explanations by pointing to the figures that appear and seem to compare them with a text leaning on the chair. The work recalls the painting of Gaetano Bellei, due to the strong realism with which the painter painted above all scenes of daily peasant life; he is considered a master of the depiction of human affections and of human reactions and sensations. The painting has slight drops of color. It is proposed in a stylish frame.