PAINTINGS OF THE '900
 

Painting by Vittorio Agostino Castagneto

Still life

Oil on canvas. Signed lower right. The composition features a vase of flowers, a silver metal bowl and a small framed painting resting on a dresser, on a shaded background. The artist, originally from Liguria but trained in Turin, devoted himself mainly to landscapes and portraits, but also created several still lifes: his works are dominated by the luministic dimension, created with plays of shaded and blending colors into each other. The work is presented in a contemporary frame.

Painting by Giovanni Buffa

Pastoral Scene with Saint and Lamb

Oil on canvas. Signed lower right. In the large painting, a young woman with a halo is encircling the neck of a lamb with a wreath of flowers; the two figures are placed in a meadow full of flowering bushes, part of a verdant plain that extends to the mountain peaks in the distance. The girl, completely dressed in red, wears a halo on her head: this symbol and the presence of the lamb refer to Saint Agnes, traditionally depicted with this animal symbol of purity; the red of her dress may indicate the martyrdom of the young girl. It is the landscape setting that makes the depiction of the saint particular and unusual, who becomes the central element of the large landscape. Giovanni Buffa, a painter, sculptor and decorator active in Milan, became famous above all for his historiated stained glass windows, created alone or in collaboration with the famous company Beltrami & C. – Artistic stained glass, an almost absolute protagonist of the very brief season of national Liberty in this sector, specialized in the execution of stained glass windows of both a sacred and profane nature. Buffa contributed in particular with the creation of preparatory cartoons for many stained glass windows of the Milan Cathedral and other national churches. His pictorial production includes several portraits of people, especially Milanese, but also some genre scenes in exteriors, in cities or in naturalistic settings.

Modern Painting Signed L. Gignus Oil on Canvas XX Century

Landscape with Figures

Oil on canvas applied to board. Signed lower left. On the back there is a cartouche with expert authentication dated 1944 and signed by a Milanese art critic. In the vast plain, green but with few trees, which recalls the Lombard plains, two farmers work near a pond, close to their farmhouse; in the background you can glimpse the mountain peaks of the Alpine chain. The subject is part of the production of strong naturalistic matrix of the painter, born in Modena but artistically raised in Milan and its surroundings, places that were frequent themes of his landscape production. The painting is presented in a period frame.

Modern Painting Drawing Signed Augusto Colombo Charcoal Italy 1943

Study of a Figure 1943

Charcoal on rough white paper. At the bottom right the artist's initials and the date 9-V-943. On the back there is a paper label with the data of the work. This is a preparatory sketch for a figure from the composition "The Wedding at Cana", created in the same year. Painter, art teacher, exponent of twentieth-century Italian figurative painting, as well as a militant anti-fascist (he was a partisan), Augusto Colombo during the years of the Second World War executed a series of works depicting the horrors of war, but also various sacred subjects. In Colombo the rejection of the post-impressionist tradition was total, as he designed each painting as a story, constructed by the composition of gestures and details, but without losing synthesis. His stylistic choice favored the large composition, where the human architecture builds, gradually, the larger architecture of the story. The sketch proposed here emphasizes the vigor of the figures painted by Augusto Colombo, where the physical structure underlines and highlights the gesture. The drawing is presented in a frame.

Modern Painting Signed Olmedo Mezzoli Oil on Hardboard '900

Diana

Oil on hardboard. Signed lower right. Artist's label with title on the back. Portrait of a female face with a crescent moon on her forehead, referring to the mythological divinity Diana, goddess of hunting and representation of the moon. Olmedo Mezzoli's production aims to propose the figures of the classical world in a modern key. Framed work.

Sculpture Mid 20th Century

Alabaster sculpture depicting an embrace, made by carving a partially rough block of alabaster.

Modern Painting Religious Subject Italy XIX-XX Century

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.

Modern Painting U. Vittore Bartolini Oil on Canvas 1954

Auronzo di Cadore

Oil on canvas, 1954. Signed and dated lower right. Further signature and title on the back. In a contemporary gilded frame.

Alfonso Corradi Oil on Canvas Italy 1916

Hospitalization of the Trident 1916

Oil on cardboard. Signed lower right. On the back there is the name with the title, which locates the small glimpse in Macedonia in 1916, during the First World War. Alfonso Corradi, born in Emilia but trained and then lived in Milan, was a student of ornaments at the Brera Academy and for some years he also devoted himself to scenography. He specialized in landscape and embarked on an exhibition career concentrated above all in Milan. The subject proposed here, although of a landscape nature, is part of a rare production of a series of small pictures, almost sketches, which leads back to the First World War, in particular to the military expedition of an Italian body to Macedonia in 1916, sent by the government to the aim to counter the Austro-Hungarian and Bulgarian forces during the First World War and to control that territory. Moreover, there is no documentation of the painter's direct participation in this war campaign. The painting is framed.

Modern Painting E. Pugliese Oil on Canvas Still Life XX Century

Still Life

Oil on canvas. Signed top right. The painter of Calabrian origins Enotrio Pugliese, known as Enotrio, preferred to paint subjects linked to his homeland, Calabria, in landscapes but also in still lifes of popular objects, of simple everyday life, such as the composition presented here. The painting is presented in a frame.

Modern Artwork Signed Maurice Henry Ink on Paper 1969

Les Bouches de Naples gemissent de Terreur ou de Plaisir 1969

Ink on paper. Signature, date and title below. Accompanied by authentication on photo from Galleria Giò Marconi in Milan and stamp from private archive. It is the drawing of the young artist who soon became one of the most important exponents of world surrealism, who was a poet and painter, but also a filmmaker, art and film critic, photographer and humorous designer. Born in the north of France, in 1927 he settled in Paris, where he came into contact with a group of young poets and philosophers, with whom he founded the '' Grand Jeu '' movement: play is understood as an art of living. Since 1928 he has collaborated with texts, poems and drawings for the movement's magazine and in the meantime he collaborates as an editor and reporter with various Parisian newspapers.In 1932, having exhausted the experience of the `` Grand Jeu '', he passes to the surrealist movement, collaborating on its publications and participating in its exhibitions. His humor turns towards the unusual and cruelty, more and more derisive of the absurdity of everyday life, of the tragic side of common existence, to which the spirit and the unconscious rebel, trying to access the unobservable. Knows Salvador Dalí. In 1939 he also began his activity as a filmmaker. In 1941 his first personal exhibition took place in Paris: the first buyer was Pablo Picasso. Participate in all surrealist exhibitions, including the 1947 international one in Paris. In 1951, for reasons relating to the internal discipline of the group, he abandoned the surrealist movement with others, while continuing to practice its poetics. In 1955 he also became passionate about photography. Since 1968 he has devoted himself almost exclusively to painting, abandoning the activity of humorous draftsman. In the same year he settled permanently in Milan: in Italy he exhibited in various personal exhibitions, those in Milan at the Galleria Marconi. The work presented here, an early drawing, comes from an important Milanese private collection. It is presented in a frame.

Modern Painting Dance Scene Tempera on Canvas Italy 1923

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.

Modern Painting Landscape with Countryside XX Century

Oil on canvas. Northern European school, early 1900s. Unidentified signature on the lower right. The landscape represents a glimpse of uncultivated countryside, with patches of vegetation, meadows full of heather, crossed by a path that leads towards the nearby hills, passing next to a stable. The work has a small cut at the top center. It is presented in a frame.

Modern Painting Signed A. Berkes Landscape Oil on Canvas 1905

The Country Road 1905

Oil on canvas. signed and dated lower right. The Hungarian painter Antal Berkes painted landscapes in the early years of his career, but later devoted himself to glimpses and views of cities, Budapest, Paris, Vienna. This painting still belongs to the first production, proposing the view of a country road, which passes through a forest where some farmhouses are located; on the dirt road there is a cart pulled by horses. The painting is presented in a period frame.

Antique Painting Signed Giuseppe Casciaro Mixed Technique '800

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.

Modern Painting Signed Cesare Maggi Oil on Cardboard Italy 1960

Tarasp Castle 1960

Oil on cardboard. Signed and dated lower right. The Roman artist Cesare Maggi established himself as a landscape painter of the divisionist style, portraying Alpine landscapes of the Engadine and Aosta Valley, often enlivened by the inclusion of figures and animals. Having become friends with the painter Giacomo Grosso in Turin in 1901, he then successfully turned to the portrait genre, setting aside the divisionist technique. Although he still preferred high mountain views, he expanded his subjects by also working on marine and still life paintings. Shown here is the snow-covered glimpse of Tarasp Castle, an 11th-century fortress in Lower Engadine, Switzerland. This is a late work by the artist, who remained attached to his favorite subject, the Alpine landscape, until the end, despite having now abandoned the divisionist technique of his early period. The work is presented in a period frame.

Modern Painting Still Life Oil on Canvas XX Century

Oil on canvas. Looking at the compositions of the 17th-18th century, the painting proposes a composition of variegated and colorful flowers, which surmount a sculpture of three fauns and a cut pumpkin. It is presented in a contemporary frame.

Modern Painting Landscape Oil on Canvas Europe XX Century

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.

Antique Painting Signed G. Ronchi Allegory Italy XX Century

Allegory

Oil on canvas. Signed lower left. The large painting features two figures: on the right a man sitting at a table, dressed in a red dressing gown, with a sad and concentrated expression, playing with his hands with some disheveled flowers, coming from the composition on his head; on the left standing the Christ of the Passion, crowned with thorns, with a gray cloak on his shoulders. Behind the seated man, a leaden sky in which, however, a ray of light opens. The painting probably wants to allegorically depict the painful and suffered end of the life of a person, who lives the same Passion as Christ, but who yearns for a new, bright life. The work is presented in a frame.

Modern Painting with Figures Oil on Canvas Italy XX Century

Oil painting on canvas. Central European school of the first half of the 20th century. Unidentified signature lower left. Sweetness and tenderness shine through these two embraced figures, similar in facial features and expression, composed in their elegant and lively clothes, with the background of a floral wallpaper. The painting is presented in a period frame.