Agenda Venezia

Still Life

 

Heirs of the glorious tradition of the Golden Age, the Sixteenth Century, the Venetian artists of the XVII century looked down on still life even after it had gained full popularity around all Europe by the second half of the 700th century. Collectors themselves, including Girolamo Contarini and Girolamo Ascanio Molin, tended to confine that kind of paintings to kitchens or fanlights, never in living rooms. Obviously it was a prejudice, since Leonardo himself hadn’t refused to become familiar with this genre. It is indeed with “Study of flowers”, a little pen drawing by this great genius, that begins the exhibition “Still life at the Galleries of the Academy” open until 6 January 2006, by Giovanna Nepi Scirè and Sandra Rossi, catalogue edited by Marsilio.

The 39 exhibited works contain a whole range of the most typical subjects of this genere. From a classical Evaristo Baschenis with his “Musical instruments” to the fruit baskets of the Neapolitan and Northern school, the floral compositions of the Flemish school, the game by a master of the genre like Jan Fyt, (live) poultry by Melchior de Hondecoeter, to end with the “vanitas” allegory, or the skull representation, one of the most seen themes of the Sixteenth century. They are all paintings by “foreign” authors. The genre goes on, although less frequent, even in the 1700, until it finds a funny and trasgressive expression in the painter of Verona Sebastiano Lazzari. After becoming out of fashion in the 1800, in the second half of the 1900 still life becomes one of the favorite subjects of painters from the Veneto region, such as Barbisan, Afro, Minassian, and Pizzetto, whose works, wisely bought by the Galleries of the Academy, are compared with those of ancient artists.

It is worth to mention two paintings ascribed to the workshop of Bassano, a precursor of the genre: “Landscape with the sower’s family” and “Lanscape with poultry”. The last one, restored like the others in occasion of the exhibition, is of such a high quality that probably it was painted by Jacopo Bassano himself.

And finally, a true jewel: the series of little ivory miniatures (7 of the original 8), a technique brought to perfection in the 800th century by Rosalba Carriera, and used in this case by the unknown author to sum up, with skilful craftmanship and grace, all the themes of still life.

Lidia Panzeri